You might have the most wonderful product or service on the planet, but, unless you provide customers with good service, real success probably will remain elusive. Here are a few questions to help determine if your customer service is tip-top or if it needs some improvement.

1. Do your employees really put the customer first? Before their coffee break or a personal phone call? Do they truly recognize that customers pay their salary? There are few things more annoying to a customer than a sales-person who ignores them preferring to complete some paperwork instead, or who refuses to have eye contact with hovering customers. If it is necessary to make a customer wait, make sure your employees understand that some form of acknowledgement - “I will be with you in a moment…” or short explanation might be the differ-ence between making or losing a sale.
2. Are your staff good listeners? Asking the customer questions to find out what they need is one thing. Really listening to their replies - what they say and what they do not say - to point them to their best options requires a salesperson’s undivided attention. First-class sales people pay full attention to the customer they are helping. They do not “multi-task” or get side-tracked by other inquiries from co-workers. They avoid making assumptions, and know that potential customers frequently do not know what various product features or benefits might be available. Savvy customer service pros know many customers will “upgrade” to a premium product or service line, if the salesperson takes the time to listen and understand their specific needs.
3. Do your employees know why their customers are buying? It might sound silly, but most people are less concerned with the idea of acquiring stuff or obtaining specific services than with finding solutions to problems or discovering products/services that make them feel good. Most purchase decisions are emotional in nature. This is true whether a customer is buying a luxury automobile, landscape services, or dental implants. The best customer service professionals identify appropriate solutions and anticipate their customers’ needs.
4. Are complaints dealt with cheerfully and promptly? Whether the complaint is justified or not, every problem gives a salesperson the chance to make a good impression on a customer. Help staff to see the positive aspects of the complaint process. Complaints give a business the opportunity to fix problems and to improve. Encourage sales people to give complainers the opportunity they seek to vent, and suggest they avoid justifying or arguing. Apologize promptly when things go wrong, and be forthright in accepting responsibility for the issue at hand.
5. Is it easy for customers to give you feedback? Suggestion boxes that never receive attention from management, or feedback forms that never find their way to the back office are worse than nothing at all. Provide customers with the means to contact you, or a senior manager, directly with concerns, suggestions, or compliments. Be proactive and contact customers yourself from time to time to ask what they think.

And finally, do not forget those on the front line. Employees who work in an atmosphere where mutual respect and team work are actively encouraged are much more likely to treat customers with appreciation. If your sales-people feel valued, it will show in their daily work.

There are many new features in the latest version of QuickBooks (QuickBooks 2007) that make life easier for the small business and for the accountant.

Easier QuickBooks startup interview and company setup -- just answer simple questions in a step-by-step interview using clear and simple language. There are different charts of accounts customized for different industries which are easily modified to meet your needs.

Simplified bill paying -- QuickBooks remembers the account selection for each vendor so when you enter a bill that information will be entered for you. Be sure to watch if you make payments to one vendor which may be posted to several different account numbers -- you will need to select the proper account posting. Also the pay bills confirmation window displays a list of the bills you have successfully paid and alerts you of any bills that did not go through.

Securely search QuickBooks with Google Desktop -- quickly find your QuickBooks data, such as customer, vendor, or financial information. Intuit can install a customized version of Google Desktop to ensure your privacy and make your computer information available only to authorized users on your desktop.

Improved shipping manager -- enhancements include multiple packages from a single shipment, third party billing, and support of thermal label printers for shipping labels.

Changes in Accountant’s Copy -- allows for improved communication between the accountant and the client. The accountant can review, correct, and complete their clients’ accounting data while the client continues to operate their business and record transactions.

There are three caveats if you are running older versions of QuickBooks. First, if you are planning to upgrade your browser to Internet Explorer 7.0 to take advantage of the security and other new features you should be aware that QuickBooks 2004 and older versions will not be able to work with IE 7.0. Intuit is no longer providing support for versions prior to 2005 and will stop supporting that version in the next few months. Thirdly, QuickBooks version 2006 and earlier will not work with Windows Vista. We recommend that you upgrade your system to QuickBooks 2007.

Beginning in 2008, small tax-exempt organizations that previously were not required to file returns may be required to file an annual electronic notice, Form 990-N, Electronic Notice for Tax-Exempt Organizations Not Required To File Form 990 or 990-EZ. This filing requirement applies to tax periods beginning after December 31, 2006.

Small tax-exempt organizations, whose gross receipts are normally $25,000 or less, are not required to file Form 990 or Form 990-EZ. With the enactment of the Pension Protection Act of 2006, these small tax-exempt organizations will now be required to file electronically Form 990-N, also known as the e-Postcard, with the IRS annually. Exceptions to this requirement include organizations that are included in a group return, private foundations required to file Form 990-PF, and section 509(a)(3) supporting organizations required to file Form 990 or Form 990-EZ.

The Act requires the IRS to revoke the tax-exempt status of any organization that fails to meet its annual filing requirement for three consecutive years. Therefore, organizations that do not file the
e-Postcard (Form 990-N), or an information return Form 990 or 990-EZ for three consecutive
years, will have their tax-exempt status revoked as of the filing due date of the third year.