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This text refers to program version 4.3  

Planning and Setting Up

If this is the first time that you will be using a computerised accounting system to manage your sales, purchase and nominal ledgers, or if you are changing from another system, why not take a good look at the overall operations? Maybe you can do things in your present operation more efficiently.

A good idea is to sit down with pen and paper for a while, and go through your Items (products and services you buy and sell), Item Groups, Customer Categories, Accounts, Payment Modes and Terms, etc. If some of the concepts of FirstOffice are new to you, it is always a good idea to think first.

The setting up of a FirstOffice system in your business requires some planning and forethought. You will have to make a number of decisions about number series for Customers, Items, statistical classifications, invoice procedures and so on. FirstOffice allows a great deal of flexibility, and you can create almost any work environment you want. But remember that you are in charge. If you find that the standard Chart of Accounts is not suitable for your business, only you can make the decision to use another chart. FirstOffice allows almost anything.

If you will be using FirstOffice as a multi-user system, its installation, as is the case for any advanced multi-user system, will mean a great change in the day-to-day operations of the business. Before you install, you should therefore consider very carefully how you want the business to work, now and in the future.

• What tasks are to be performed, and just how do you want them done?
  

• Who should enter e.g. Orders, Invoices, Payments, and how?
  

• What business documentation is needed, and how should you identify and file the documents?
  

• What reports do you want, and how do you want Orders, stocks, sales etc. to be reflected in your accounts?

FirstOffice gives you great flexibility, but it is important that you know what you want beforehand. We strongly advise against installing a multi-user installation without the assistance of a qualified FirstOffice consultant. Please contact your FirstOffice representative for advice and training.

Most people think that the beginning of the year is the only time when you should change the accounting procedures in a business. Quite to the contrary, it is better to change systems during the year. You can then select a calm period of the year, enter all data from the beginning of the year and check the outcome against reports produced from the previous system.

Remember that once the installation process has been completed, FirstOffice does require some maintenance. At the very least, you should establish a regular routine for backing up. A financial system is very different from a word processor, which handles individual documents. FirstOffice works - like all financial systems - with a database, in which all your data about customers, invoices, nominal ledger etc. is stored in a single file. If you lose that file, you have lost not just a single document, but all your accounting and customer information.

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