How I manage my job in Aysling
Utilizing our Aysling ERP system daily, not only shows our clients and prospects that we use our own software, but also that we are committed to providing a great product. Our integration with QuickBooks Online, makes this the perfect solution for even our business needs. I have highlighted areas of the system that I use regularly and some that I use to maintain, as our business continues to evolve.
New Dashboard: I have personalized my New Dashboard with the following widgets. I am currently working on updating the Metabase Reports to create a stand-alone Financial Dashboard.
Calendar
Agenda
Activity To-Do List
Forecast
Current Month Contract Sales
Past Month’s Contract Sales (6 months)
Project Widget
Metabase Reports
Sales: I primarily use this part of the system for approving orders, as well as looking at open orders in our system to cheer on our sales team.
Finance Approve Orders
Look for Installment or Special Billing notes
Update client billing configurations as needed or mark calendar for a future update
Invoice and pay or email to client for payment, if not prepaid
The pre-paid order invoices & payments are sent to QBO during export
Billing: This is my go-to section in Aysling, most utilized at the beginning of the month and when working on accounts receivable.
Clients are set up to autopay via credit card or ACH on the first of each month
Manual billing is done through the billing module, since we have some clients that split their billing and others are created manually based on the work completed each month
Billable items are created and invoiced, I select the ones that need to be paid and process the payments. Any splits are taken care of next. The remaining invoices are emailed to clients, who then pay through the Client Center.
On the rare occasion that we receive a paper check in the mail, I Add a Payment through the Quick Add and Record the Payment. It is then matched in QBO, once the deposit is made at the bank. I use the same process for any ACH or Wire Transfers.
Payables: I use this module to manage our vendors (independent contractors).
Our Independent Contractors are set up as vendors. Once I enter them, they receive an email to set up their accounts through the Vendor Center, including bank information to receive payments for their work.
I create a purchase order for their required work, on a bi-monthly basis. An invoice is then entered, approved, and payments are recorded and paid accordingly.
After you’ve entered an invoice, the approver will be sent an email. Once they click the link, they will be taken to the invoice, and from the ellipsis, they will choose Approved. The approved invoice moves to the To Be Paid tab. We pay our invoices directly through online banking, then mark as paid once complete.
Projects: I use the Projects Module to manage some of our internal projects and oversee custom development projects.
I use the Projects Module to verify hours for manual billing and to track overages on Time and Materials work.
Ensure Projects are set up as Labor Costing (I set this up as a dynamic attribute) for correct allocation at the end of each month (COGS). Internal project hours for tasks such as meetings or research & development, are not coded to a COGS account. The following list is a sample of the project hours that are re-coded using the Work Effort Cost Report (see reports).
Support
Product Development
Design Services
Professional Services
HR: Our Human Resources module is internally used for recording time and employee expenses. I use it to approve expenses and capture utilization of our billable personnel.
Time Sheets – use to record my work hours in the system.
Employee Expenses – use throughout the month for expense projections.
Approve monthly expenses and add to QBO Payroll for processing as employee reimbursement.
Utilization Statistics - use this report to make sure our billable personnel are recording hours to their respective projects and are utilized properly.
Reports: I use several of our reports regularly. I keep my favorites listed under Quick Links at the top of the page.
Allocation Report: used for properly allocating hours to the development team for each release cycle.
Project Billing Report: for billing Time & Materials worked hours in each time period (used in conjunction with the Projects Module metrics).
Project Hours Report: for tracking hours on custom development time & materials projects.
Recurring Orders: for cash projection spreadsheet to track annual contract renewals for user fees and modules.
Sales Rep Commissions: used for verifying commissions for payroll. I use +Quick Add > Add Commission to record ad hoc incremental, team, and sales support items.
Work Effort Cost Report: to recode Labor to Cost of Goods Sold each month. This report utilizes my Labor Costing Project Dynamic Attribute.