Insight eNews
A Monthly Newsletter from AVF Consulting, Inc.
Navision Solution Center &
Microsoft Certified Partner
May 2003
- In this edition:
From the President: Get the most from AVF/Microsoft Navision
AVF News: New clients, new hires and more
Product Spotlight: Report Writer and Object Designer training classes
IT Specials: May 2003
Insight eNews is written andproduced by AVF Consulting for their clients and business partners. All contents have copyrights belonging to AVF Consulting. Please contact Karen Tran at ktran@avfconsulting or 410-889-3400 with questions.
From the President-- Andrew Fass
Get the most from AVF Consulting and Microsoft Navision software
One of the biggest challenges with implementing and maintaining any software is ensuring that it gets utilized to its maximum capacity. When an organization invests thousands of dollars in accounting software, they want to be sure that it maximizes their efficiencies and helps their business run more smoothly. With a deep product like Microsoft Navision, there are so many possibilities that it can be difficult for the user to identify all of the solutions that lie within the software. By partnering closely with AVF, we can help you determine if you need further training, customizations or add-ons to enable your organization to capitalize on its investment.
Five tips for getting the most out of Microsoft Navision:
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Communicate the big picture goals. In the beginning of your relationship with AVF, your Microsoft Navision consultant is aware of your organization’s big picture goals. As the relationship continues, those goals may change over time. It is important to communicate your organization’s big picture goals with your consultant regularly, so that they can help you determine further solutions that may not have been part of the original plan.
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Have an internal expert. Organizations that have one main point person who is the “resident expert” on the project have the most successful implementations and ongoing use of Microsoft Navision. An internal expert serves two major purposes: 1) they understand the intricacies of the organization and can successfully communicate with the external consultant; and 2) they understand the capabilities of the software and can communicate with internal staff when the consultant is not on site.
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Take advantage of training. Even if you use the software regularly, there may be tools that you could utilize more effectively. Training gives you new skills and helps you brush up on techniques that you may have not used in a while. AVF can provide one-on-one and group training at your offices or at our Baltimore headquarters. Ask your consultant for suggestions as to what skills you could improve upon.
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Investigate add-ons. Because Microsoft Navision has thousands of users, new technology is constantly in development to address the specific needs of different industries. AVF does much of the homework by investigating and testing new technologies as they hit the market. Take a deeper look at the technology that we present in the newsletter to see if it may be helpful to you. Our consultants will also look to present new products that may help you save money in the long run.
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User groups. Joining a Microsoft Navision user group allows you to connect with other users and discover tips, tricks as well as challenges that they are experiencing. You may need to wade through some information and conversation that is irrelevant to you, but gems of information often surface that can be beneficial. Visit http://www.navision.net/forum/home.asp for more information.
AVF is committed to helping your organization make the most of its investment in Microsoft Navision. Our team meets weekly to discuss all current projects and to find new ways to help our clients be even more successful. If you feel that we can better address your needs, contact your consultant to discuss the goals of your organization and how we can service you better.
AVF Welcomes New Clients: Beth Tfiloh, Easter Seals of Southeastern Pennsylvania, and West Nottingham Academy. Beth Tfiloh Congregation serves the Baltimore community with ministry, education and charitable efforts (http://www.btfiloh.org). Microsoft Navision will help them address all of their accounting and reporting needs under one system. West Nottingham Academy, touted as the oldest boarding school in America, offers students a wide-ranging college preparatory curriculum and a learning environment that is community-centered and stresses the importance of personal initiative and responsibility (http://www.wna.org). They chose AVF because of Navision’s ability to serve the fund accounting needs of not-for-profit educational organizations. Easter Seals of Southeastern Pennsylvania (http://www.pa-ph.easter-seals.org/default.htm) was established in 1936 to help people with disabilities gain greater independence. Navision is robust enough to handle their time allocation and financial reporting requirements.
Welcome new AVF consultants, Jason Wilder and Tracy Symonds! Jason Wilder has been a Navision user for over four years and came to AVF from Stonewall Kitchen in Maine, where he served as Accounting Manager and Accounting Information Systems Manager. Jason has nearly 10 years accounting experience overall. Tracy came to AVF from Aston, an international Navision reseller. Tracy has customized and implemented ERP and accounting solutions for over 20 years and has worked with Navision since 1997. AVF is excited to have such seasoned professionals on its team.
Fund Accounting for Navision Users Conference! Serenic Software will sponsor the first annual User’s Conference, Explorations, for not-for-profit organizations from July 20-23 in Denver, Colorado. This conference will showcase their newest product, Navigator, which fully integrates with Microsoft Navision. Register online at www.serenic.com. Contact Karen Tran at 410-889-3400, ext. 31, ktran@avfconsulting.com for more details.
Microsoft Navision Enhancement Program (formerly Annual Maintenance Agreement): All Navision customers who are not currently enrolled in the maintenance plan have until June 1, 2003 to enroll in the program in order to add users and granules, acquire product updates, access technical support. Microsoft Business Solutions enforces strict penalties for customers who are even one day delinquent on payment. On-time payment of the Enhancement Program is 16% of your system list price; however late payments can extend from 25% to 35% of the list price, so be sure to expedite your payment in a timely fashion. If you anticipate any problems in delivering your full payment within 30 days of your organization’s Enhancement Program renewal, please contact AVF as soon as possible.
Report Writing and Object Designer Classes
When:
Tuesday, July 15, 8:00am to 12:00pm - Basic Report Writing
Tuesday, July 15, 1:00pm to 4pm - Basic Object Designer
Tuesday, July 22, 8:00am to 12:00pm – Intermediate Report Writing
Tuesday, July 22, 1:00pm to 4:00pm – Intermediate Object Designer
Where: AVF Consulting’s Baltimore Headquarters
Cost:
Purchase multiple classes and save!
Single class = $295
Two classes = $530 (10% savings)
Three classes = $752 (15% savings)
Four classes = $885 (25% savings)
Class Size will be limited to 8 per session with breakfast/lunch and course materials provided
Sign up: Contact Karen Tran at 410-889-3400 or ktran@avfconsulting.com
Course Descriptions:
Basic Report Writing
This class is designed to provide users with the ability to understand the Report Wizard functionality. Topics covered will be Planning, Using the Report Wizard, Copying and Saving Reports, Enhancing Reports, Data Item Properties, Adding Totals, and Adding your Report to the Reports Menu for User Access.
Intermediate Report Writing
This class expands on the functionality of the Basic Report Writing Class. In this class you will learn to Create Tables, Create Forms, Create Secondary Keys, Enter Data in the tables and forms created, and then Create Reports from the data.
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