New MicroBiz Web Site Launched!
It took a little bit longer than we expected, but the new MicroBiz web site has finally gone live – www.microbiz.com. We are pretty excited about all the resources and information available on the site to our customers. We encourage you to spend some time visiting the web site – you may even learn something about MicroBiz that you were not aware of.
We did want to point out a few resources that may be interesting to you. The site includes information on our software, our company, the types of customers that we serve and other customer resources (system requirements, downloads, supported hardware, etc.) It also features a Blog where we will be posting news on MicroBiz and articles that may interest you. In addition, the site includes the following features:
Online Store
The new website has a fully functioning online store selling hardware, peripherals, bundles, supplies, software licenses and keyblock replacements, and even support contracts. So, you can continue to buy software and hardware through your MicroBiz reseller or by calling us – or you can now go to our website and buy these items directly. You can even use our secure payment gateway to sign up for auto credit card payments for your quarterly or annual support contract.
Ability to Create a Support Request Online
Our new website includes the ability for you to enter support or trouble tickets online. This helps users log a request without waiting and also allows our support reps to research the issue before calling you back. Online support requests are also helpful for non-urgent issues, or when something comes up outside of our regular support hours. You can also check the status of outstanding and closed support requests. To access the online trouble ticket portal, click on the ‘Support’ tab, select ‘MicroBiz for Windows’ and ‘Support Request’. You will need to open an account to get a user and password.
Online Knowledge Base
The www.microbiz.com website also includes an online knowledge base. You can browse the links to review common issues, frequently asked questions and topics by category. You can also use keywords to search the entire knowledge base for a specific issue. To access the online trouble ticket portal, click on the ‘Support’ tab, select ‘MicroBiz for Windows’ and ‘Knowledge Base’.
Quote of the Month:
"It’s not the employer who pays the wages. Employers only handle the money. It is the customer who pays the wages."
- Henry Ford
POS Tip of the Month: MicroBiz Invoices
Using MicroBiz, you have several different options for invoice types to print out when you complete your transaction. This can be set up, along with your printer, prior to starting your sales. To set up your invoice type, go to “Management” – “Customize” – “Hardware Settings” – and lastly the “Printers” tab.
After you have your printer set up for each function along with the correct control codes, you are now set to choose your invoice type. These buttons are all located on the right side underneath the “Default Invoice Types” heading. The buttons circled in red are the buttons you will use to set up your sales receipt for regular transactions. The second button in red will only be necessary if you print out two receipts using two different printers. It will allow the user to print a different invoice type for each. The button circled in blue would be the invoice type used when making a payment on an IIP or Layaway. Lastly, the button circled in green is for receipts printed after posting a payment in the “payment screen” which is accessed when a customer is paying off an outstanding balance by typing “P” in the SKU box.
After clicking on one of the buttons for an invoice type, you will see a screen that looks like this:
The second screen for “Invoice Types” will be shown after clicking on the “Browse Invoice Type” button. Before choosing your invoice type, you will need to know whether the printer that you use is a 40-Column (Receipt) printer or an 80-Column (Full Page) printer. This will eliminate some of the choices of invoices that you can use. The 40 column invoices are all marked within the list (5,6,9,12,14,15,17,21). Some invoices may or may not be listed depending on the module being used.
A relatively new feature in MicroBiz is the ability to utilize the return barcode on invoices by using the “IR” command on the Work Screen. Invoices that include the return barcode include 1,2,3,6,10,13,18, and 20. The barcode gives users the ability to scan the receipt on the Work Screen to crosscheck with the program to make sure the item being returned was on the original invoice.
Want to use Windows 7 Hardware? Then You Need MicroBiz Version 15
As a continued reminder, only MicroBiz for Windows version 15 is certified to work with hardware running the Microsoft Windows 7 operating system. Prior releases of MicroBiz for Windows have known compatibility issues with Windows 7. So, with these new versions, you can upgrade your hardware to Windows 7 machines without worrying about MicroBiz compatibility issues. The update is available for download at www.microbiz.com or by calling support.
Retail Tip of the Month: Does Groupon Make Sense for Retailers?
Ever wonder if it makes economic sense to use Groupon to drive more traffic to your store? Well, there are many opinions on who wins by using Groupon, but we wanted to share one article that we just read on the merits and costs of using Groupon. Here is a quote by the author, which does provide some indication on whether he thinks Groupon makes sense for retailers:
"Sucking value out of the small business market will ultimately damage the local merchants that are the bread and butter of Groupon’s base. Groupon’s model is not sustainable. In a race to the bottom everyone drowns.”
Bill Bice
CEO, SpaBoom and CoverBoom
If you would like to read the entire article, please visit our Blog at http://www.microbiz.com/blog.
Go Green by Receiving Invoices by Email
Want to receiving your MicroBiz invoices and newsletters via email. Just send us a quick note to billing@microbiz.com with the message “Email My Invoices” in the subject line and be sure to include your Store Name in the message body.