One of my clients is establishing a collections group. They are on QB for the next 4 to 6 months. They need more functionality than is in the QB collections center. What is the next step up? Needs to be tightly integrated with QB. Easy implementation. They need to divide the collections up by State or Zip. And want to record notes about conversions. They have about 8,000 accounts in their AR. Suggestions?
Collections for Quickbooks
Answers
Salesforce.com
1
very interesting. I didn't think of Salesforce as a collection tool. I will check it out.
You might try Bill.com, they have an AR side to their business that most people don't think about. I don't have any experience with it but you might check it out.
What industry? 8,000 accounts on AR seems to be a whole lot for a typical SMB. I have a feeling that Industry specific (or used prevalently) applications/systems MIGHT be a better fit. Also, have you made the determination if the company has or has not outgrown QB...or maybe not yet but very soon?
1
You are right, they have outgrown QB. We are in the middle of a software implementation. That is why we need something for 4 to 6 months.
Can QB (or any other competitor in that class of products) even handle the sheer size of 8K accounts, with associated transactions.
I would think that the response time would be horrible and the potential for data corruption high.
1
You are right. A lack of Data integrity is the issue. Too many departments need the data so it gets changed and makes it difficult for collections.
Kim, I do not understand the need for a "bridge" system for 4 to 6 months. That 4-6 month time frame is too short to even implement the bridge...and then transition to the new system that is being implemented. It just opens up a lot of problems with 2 migrations and not to mention twice the amount of work. Any chance that you can implement the AR portion of the new system and just work around the edges for the next 4-6 months until all the puzzle pieces of the new system falls into place?
1
I agree and that's why I am interested in easy peasy. The new AR portion won't be ready for about 4 months. Either an integrated solution or they want to hire an MS Access programmer. . .
It seems the issue is with "Too many departments need the data so it gets changed and makes it difficult for collections."
One possible solution may be to only allow those that need to change data have access to QB. Others that need to view data only, Can use something like Crystal Reports. Crystal can access QB data through an ODBC driver for QB.
1
And I think MS Access can too. . . Maybe Access is a solution so that they can store the details of the conversations. . ..
Kim, I agree with Emerson. If it is at all possible, implementing the new AR module seems desirable.
1
agree it is the most desirable.. .
For quick implementation and a tight integration to
It's not a perfect system so, in terms of due diligence, you should investigate the following: It's a cloud-based solution so there will certainly be additional sync time with that many accounts. As a SAAS system, it can be slow to switch screens. I can't vouch for the integration with the desktop version of QuickBooks so you should try to get feedback regarding that setup.
1
Thanks! I check it out.
There is a nice SaaS solution that bolts onto QB that will give you most of the functionality of high end collection systems such as GetPaid and Cforia - Check out AnyTimeCollect.com.
1
Thanks. I'll check it out.
Your client , are they in the 3rd party collection...enforcement business?
If not , they need to rethink what they call PDCM (past due customer
www.walkingbearspeaks.com
1
not in the 3rd party collection business. And they don't really have a sales function.
You said "... they have outgrown QB. We are in the middle of a software implementation. That is why we need something for 4 to 6 months."
Which software are you migrating to..? I ask this question because you seem to have boxed yourself into a QB solution.
You said that too many departments at your client need access to the customer data and that the data keeps changing. Which version of QB are they on?
I would think you would want a solution that is integrated with QB AND the new system. Remember, the collection history would have to be migrated to the new system when the new system is fully implemented.
As for system performance, depending upon how your systems (servers, databases, routers, firewalls, network nodes, IP addresses, etc.) are setup, you may or may not have performance issues with tools like MS Access, etc. Considering you short timeline (4-6 months), I would consider buying off-the-shelf, instead of building a custom system (like MS Access or other application system).
Filed Under:
Accounting