Today's issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire covers a new accounting program (see article below), a new digital dictation recorder, a new multifunction inkjet printer, an ipad app for your reception desk, and a patent-specific practice management system. Don't miss the next issue.
There's an Accounting Program in My CRM Software
Law firms may have originally purchased PCs because of the word processor, but accounting software eventually became just as much of a killer app. In fact, it's somewhat shocking that law schools don't require students to take a financial accounting class. Fortunately, accounting software has become a lot easier to use over the years. One of the easiest will ship its latest version in two weeks.
QuickBooks 2012 … in One Sentence
Announced yesterday, Intuit's QuickBooks 2012 is an accounting program that comes in two core versions — Pro (Mac and Windows) and Premiere (Windows only).
The Killer Feature
What happens when you come to the end of the software road? You can stop and call it a day (e.g., Google Desktop). You can tear it up and try to build a better road (e.g., Mac OS Lion). Or you can pave another section. Intuit has taken the latter approach with QuickBooks 2012.
Since QuickBooks already stores contact information, Intuit has added customer relationship management tools. The Lead Center enables you to track prospective clients and create reminders to follow up. The Document Center stores proposals, engagement letters, and other client intake materials. If you need most robust CRM tools, QuickBooks 2012 now integrates with Salesforce, eliminating duplicate entry of contacts and other information.
Other Notable Features
The new version of QuickBooks has embraced the concept of crowdsourcing for reports. In addition to the reports QuickBooks includes, you can import more than 1,000 reports created (and rated) by the QuickBooks user community. You can also more easily customize and format reports as well as export the data to Excel without losing the formatting of your Excel documents.
Other new features include batch invoicing for time and expenses, one-click transactions, and a calendar with tasks. The Mac version is optimized for Lion.
What Else Should You Know?
QuickBooks 2012 will become available on September 26, 2011. Pricing starts at $229.95 for Pro and $399.95 for Premiere. Learn more about QuickBooks 2012.
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So many products, so little time. In each issue of TechnoLawyer NewsWire, you'll learn about five new products for the legal profession. Pressed for time? The "In One Sentence" section describes each product in one sentence, and the "Killer Feature" section describes each product's most compelling feature. The TechnoLawyer NewsWire newsletter is free so don't miss the next issue. Please subscribe now.
