December  / 2008

 Wishing you a bright holiday season and Happy New Year!! We would like to take this opportunity to say "Thank you" to our clients and friends who have made our progress possible.

December's edition provides you with a new module that can help you drive top line revenue growth directly by improving your communication with your clients . Take a look at our new Construction BroadCast Email Marketing Module that will give you the competitive advantage you have been looking for.

Year-end is fast approaching with much to do, both to close out the prior year and set the stage for the new year’s operations. Are you prepared for 2009? Inside, two common areas for consideration at year end are discussed: US and Canadian Payroll.

Leverage your expertise and knowledge with our FAQ and Helpful Hints section This month, we share new features and helpful keystrokes that will save you time. We have information that will assist you to maintain your Jonas Software on a regular and ongoing basis.

Your opinion matters!! We’d like to know what you think of our newsletter and how we can improve it to make it the best information tool possible. Please forward us your feedback and comments via e-mail.

May your holiday be filled with joy and the coming year be overflowing with all the good things in life.

Feature Article - Improve Communication with Your Customers
Important Reminders -  Business Challenge Winner
News & Events -  Payroll Updates 2009
FAQ’s - 
Helpful Hints  -   Payroll Updates 2009
Product Enhancements -  New Modules in 2009
Product Updates
Comic Relief
 

Introducing the Construction BroadCast Email Marketing Module

With the introduction of this new module Jonas can help you drive top line revenue growth directly by improving your email communication processes. 

Construction Broadcast gives your company the ability to schedule email marketing campaigns, establish automated follow ups, track conversions and effectively deliver your communications.  Using Construction Broadcast you can build multiple contact lists using company and financial data from within your Jonas database and create highly targeted and relevant email messages for your customer base. 

A few ideas for email programs include:

  • Automated messages to customers with outstanding AR
  • Targeted marketing emails to sell seasonal products or services
  • Email customers with expiring service contracts for renewals with a structured follow-up program
  • Send client surveys to keep abreast of customer satisfaction
  • Automated maintenance messages driven by the service history of your customer’s equipment

The real power behind Construction BroadCast is not in its ability to send messages (which you can do today through Jonas and Outlook) but rather in its ability to track what happens after you send your email and to establish automated follow-up processes.
 
Construction Broadcast is a very new tool to Jonas and we are currently looking for experienced or enthusiastic marketers or sales managers to work with us to improve the integration between it and the core Jonas application.  If you are interested, please email us to set up a demo

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The US and Canadian January 2009 Payroll changes are now available on the Jonas website. The changes are in each of the Product Updates (version 11.6, 11.8, 11.9, and 12.0).

In addition, a separate Payroll Only Update has been created that will work for versions 11.4, 11.6, 11.8, 11.9, and 12.0 (it will detect the version the client is running). Note: There is no need for you to wait until the final December payroll. The Jonas system is date sensitive.

Access the detailed information on the Jonas Knowledge Base
January 2009 CDN/US “Payroll Instructions & What’s New”

Canadian Article # 4309
USA Article # 4310
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Congratulations goes out to Kris Kyler of Indiana Geothermal!!

We would like to thank everyone who submitted their story for the Jonas Challenge featured in the November 2008 issue of the Jonas Insider. We are grateful to all those who participated so we've sent each submitter a token of our appreciation but could only pick one lucky winner of the Microsoft Xbox and $500 for their company.

We asked our clients to tell us about a problem that their business faced and how they used their Jonas Software program to create a solution to their problem. It was a difficult decision but after reviewing all of the submissions the four judges finally selected a winner.

Here is the submission from the winner of the contest:

Indiana Geothermal was/is an earth loop contractor installing the underground pipe as a subcontractor to heating and air conditioning companies. This work was largely new construction oriented. In late 2007, we saw the writing on the wall with the bottom falling out of the new construction market and we knew that we would need to change the focus of our business.

After months of pleading with several manufacturers, we were able to secure a equipment product line to add to our services. This required something that no one in our company had dealt with before and was all new to us. Inventory! Up to this point we purchased from supply houses and we needed the product. Now we are the supply house.

We contacted Jonas to see what they had to offer and ended up purchasing the Counter sales module. We were pleased to find that the program handled the serial number tracking and live inventory just as we had hoped. When we hired in a customer service rep, she was quickly able to learn the programs ins and outs. With the help of Jonas, our sales are up 30% in a year that could have been a disaster.

We have posted all submissions on our website with a link to your company’s website. You can read all submissions by clicking here.

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How can I maintain two separate Customer Lists?

In Setup/Edit Customer, a new flag has been added to Page 2, to identify a customer as a "Non Credit (Quote Only) Customer".

If you activate this flag in the customer file, the customer will no longer display within the F2 customer look-up.

However, if you would like to access the clients which are flagged as "Non Credit customers", select the Blue toggle button at the bottom right hand side of the screen. This will generate another list of customers. This feature can be used to set up non-billable customers so that they do not appear in your master list. This will minimize the risk of posting entries to customers that are not yet recognized customers.

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Tip for the Day

 
Helpful Keys
Ctrl A – Selects All
Ctrl C - Copies All
Ctrl X – Cut
Ctrl V – Paste
Ctrl Z – Previous Step
Windows D – will bring you right to your desktop
Alt tab – to switch between applications

Jonas Software Keys
F9- Reprint Reports from the printer icon
F8 - Bookmarks
F7 - Tools
F4- Takes you completely out of the application
F3- Takes you back one step
F2- Lookup
F1- Help Guide
First character of the description in the menu option brings you directly to the menu item

Quick Search Within Reports

To easily search within a report, you can click on the "magnifying glass" to use the "find" option. Here you can type in a key word or number and it will automatically bring you down to the area of the report that contains this information.

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Project Management (PM)

The Project Management module is fully integrated with all aspects of Jonas Job Cost and Accounting and is used to manage the workflow of a project from start to finish. Project Management tracks all items that must be fulfilled under a contract, including all RFIs, transmittals, submittals and change orders requests. Designed as a central location to track all cost and non-cost related information for a project, PM allows all vital information and documentation to be at the user's fingertips instantly. This new module will assist with the planning, organizing and controlling of resources related to a job and is essential for construction companies looking to complete time consuming projects. Click here to learn how Project Management can work for you.

e-Timesheets

This module is a web-based solution for logging labor hours remotely and will automate your company’s time and attendance process. Hosted by Jonas – there’s no software to install or maintain – the online labor time entry system is an easy-to-use and efficient system to help contractors manage their most valuable resource – your staff. This new addition to Jonas will benefit those contractors who have remote crews or service people with a need to report time to a centralized payroll. In addition to promoting a paperless work environment there are a number of other benefits to an online payment process. Click here for more information. 

Design Your Own Forms

Design Your Own Forms will give users the ability to customize all Jonas forms including invoices (work order, service contract, job and counter sales), quotes, purchase orders, picking slips, packing slips and work order tickets. Integrated to Microsoft Word, Design Your Own Forms has the flexibility to modify logos, change fonts, add or remove information, and add comments or conditions to appear on the form automatically. Users can use one of our standard templates as a starting point or design their own form from "scratch". This new, easy-to-use feature is included as part of the standard package at no extra cost, giving companies the ability to make their forms meet their specific requirements. Click here. to request more information.

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IS IT TIME FOR YOUR NEXT UPDATE???

It is important for Jonas users to perform Product Updates on a regular basis to ensure that you keep your Jonas Software current and problem-free. Check the website weekly as a new download is available every Tuesday.  It is advisable to install it immediately.

CURRENT VERSION
The current version for Jonas Software is 11.8.

HOW TO UPDATE??
There are two procedures to choose from to obtain the latest Release.

  1. Downloading from the Website.
  2. Installing the Product Update from a CD.

Before You Begin:

Determine the version of Jonas that you are currently running. If you are unsure, open Jonas and check the version number located in the bottom right hand corner of the screen. Ex. Version 11.6.034 (the release .034 indicates the release level).

 Downloading the Product Update from the Website

  1. Click on the Product Update that matches the version of Jonas software you are currently running. (Ex. 11.4 or 11.6) You cannot change versions via the website, only by loading a CD. Note that you might have to be above a specific Release level to be able to run a Product Update from the website. Notes at the side of the Product Update will tell you this.
  1. Choose the Save option. You will be presented with the SAVE AS screen display below.  Save the Product Update in the X:\GJCWIN\CUSTOM directory (where the X: is the logical drive letter that contains the Jonas programs - usually J:). Note: This is just a suggested directory, but not a mandatory location to save the Product Update. Then you can open and run it. After successful installation, log off Jonas and log back in order for the changes to take place.

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 Installing the Product Update from a CD

Advanced Release versions do require all users to be out of Jonas for the introduction of new data structures. Loading an update from a CD sent by Jonas will always require all users to be out of the system regardless of the version.

  1. Jonas recommends that if you are installing on a network that the Product Update be installed from a workstation. However, if installing the Jonas Product Update via Citrix or Terminal Server, it must be installed at the server console.

Note: Some operating systems, for example Windows 2000, may require you to log onto the server with full administrator / supervisor privileges.

  1.  Locate the Product Update using any technique (e.g. Windows Explorer or via the Run command on the Start button). Double click on the saved PUxxx.exe file.
  1. Wait 5 – 20 seconds and a window will appear. Step your way through the Welcome screens by clicking on Next.
  1. Choose the Destination Directory.  If the drive is not correct, please select browse and indicate the correct location. When the correct path is shown, click on Next.
  1. The Installation Complete screen will appear upon completion of the installation.
  1. Click on the Jonas for Windows icon. The program will automatically start rebuilding the screens and data files.

Version 11.8

We are currently releasing CD's to our clients for Version 11.8. This general release will help you grow and benefit from greater functionality with your Jonas Software by providing a seamless migration path. We anticipate a dispatch of 11.8 to all clients by the end of June 2008.

Your Jonas Software system update may include modifications, new or revised settings, key features and other items which will change your current system. We encourage you to check the release and enhancement notes from time to time for software updates and to always maintain your system to use the latest release of the software. (Administration>Release Enhancements)


Please visit the “Product Updates” section in the Jonas Insider for detailed instructions on installing a c.d. If you experience any difficulties, please contact customer support immediately.

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