TIS THE SEASON FOR NEW COMPUTERS

If you are looking to purchase a new server or workstation we can assist you.  Contact John Mendrin at (800) 841-2078 ext. 515 for more information on how we can save you money and simplify the process with our Dell Plug and Play Servers and other products.

Advertising Agency Time – Manage Greatest Asset with Advantage

One of the greatest assets for any agency is Time.  The crazy thing about time is its amazing ability to resist management.  It rolls on from day to day.  The great thing about time is its ability to quantify activities that can be managed.   Advantage helps you by providing practical ways to maximize revenue-producing activities. The five ways are:


1.       Categorize Time

2.       Define Goals

3.       Measure Goals

4.       Maximize Revenue Hours

5.       Track Success



Advantage makes it easy to implement and maintain a great system of tracking your greatest asset.  Check out our monthly newsletter, where we’ll cover all these topics in depth.  Or contact us for a review of the features available to start now!  www.gotoadvantage.com

Report Writer

If you haven’t explored the new Report Writer feature of blue, you’re really missing out. The Dynamic Report Writer (available in both Advantage and Webvantage) gives you a familiar Excel-style interface with highly flexible filtering and export capabilities. The Advanced Report Writer is truly advanced providing even more capability than the Dynamic Report Writer. It resides in Advantage and allows you to build complex, business intelligence-driven reports using an advanced report writer template and filters.

New Billing Approval Enhancements in the Latest Version of Webvantage!

Billing Approvals are now created automatically when the Approver accesses the Billing Batch. Approvals can be deleted and recreated as needed (when jobs have not yet been approved) which removes need to create approvals from within the batch. Also added are Quoted Quantity/Hours, Actual Quantity Hours, and the ability to approve Time, Income Only and Vendor charges through a specific date. For more information on how to improve the billing process within your agency, contact us at gotoadvantage.com

Discover the Advantage Report Writer

 The Advantage Report Writer is user friendly and makes it easy to create reports based upon various pre-defined datasets. Dozens of fields are available within each dataset and options are included to select columns, group, sort, filter, and then save as templates to use at any time.  In our latest version, new Project Summary datasets have been added!  All reports can be accessed from both Advantage and Webvantage. For clients, November Webinars will focus on the report writer.  For more information on becoming an Advantage client, visit our website at www.gotoadvantage.com.

Advantage Project Management Optimizes operations for advertising agencies placing key data at the fingertips of all staff members with the innovative Blue Dashboard and great features like the Task List and Project Viewpoint!  Check out Advantage blue at www.gotoadvantage.com.

TASK LIST

Task Lists and single-access Project Viewpoint places information at the fingertips of every team member, allowing everyone to easily manage daily tasks and access accurate project information from the electronic Workspace.  Workspace objects are customizable so that team members can personalize views and include just the information needed to get the job done.  Print, export to Excel, or view online.

PROJECT VIEWPOINT

Access all your projects and directly link to alerts, documents, creative brief, specifications, estimate, schedule, and QvA status without drilling into the project!  Get information quickly and easily without leaving your desktop!

Manage Staff Workload and Availability with Advantage Project Management!

Advantage Project Management includes the ability to manage staff workload and availability with pinpoint accuracy, all as a by-product of standard project and task tracking.  Search for available staff by day, or for any period of time -- Advantage recommends the most available staff by role.  On a larger scale, gain visibility into overall workload by department, role, or the entire agency.  Make important staffing decisions on this information that is accurate, up-to-the-minute.

Advantage Cloud

Looking for robust Project Management, integrated Media, accurate Accounting, extreme Management Reporting, super Performance, free Disaster Recovery, and Advantage blue?  Contact us about the Advantage Cloud where blue is fully hosted and ready to go - no maintenance and no worries!

Existing clients and new ones, contact us at www.gotoadvantage.com or 800.841.2078.

The Advantage Conference
Save the date-May 19-22, 2013

The Advantage Conference returns next year with fresh, new content. Gain knowledge, perspective and insight about everything Advantage. Network with your peers and hear from other agency professionals.  Plus, it’s the debut of blue Sapphire! Our most advanced agency management software gets even better. Stay tuned for more information and the official conference agenda! We look forward to seeing you in May!

Project Management - Implementation and Setup

PROJECT MANAGEMENT – IMPLEMENTATION & SETUP

You may be thinking of taking advantage of some of the new Project Management features with the release of blue.   If you haven’t used some of these features before, many of them have additional setup required to utilize them to their fullest.  To review the decision points related to these tools and the setup details, refer to Chapters 6 & 7 of the Implementation Guide.  The Implementation Guide can be downloaded from the User Portal, and has details on all of the options, tools, as well as checklists to aid with your setup.

The primary element that you’ll need prior to any setup decisions or implementation is a documented workflow for your operation.  Once you have this critical piece of information, it will be easy to determine which features you want to utilize as well as having much of the details for setup outlined.   Another helpful document is the Project Schedule User Guide, outlining the use of the scheduling and alert features.

We also offer consulting services to assist you in the set up and implementation of the Project Management  features as well as training.  For more information about our consulting and training, contact Dena Alleman at dena.alleman@gotoadvantage.com or at 704-662-9980 ext 508.

Advantage automates Sequential Liability for Agencies Automatically!

The Check Writing application can automatically enforce Sequential Liability procedures.  Sequential Liability is a term that refers to the process to ensure your vendors will not be paid until you have been paid by the client tied to the vendor’s invoice.

·    In Check Writing, use the Paid by Client method in the Selection Criteria 2 tab to view the invoices.  Then automatically approve invoices for payment by clicking on the Auto Approved Qualified Payables option in the Vendor Detail tab.  The invoice amounts will automatically be selected for payment if they meet any of the following criteria:

o  Paid by your Client

o  Non-Billable Expense

o  Overhead Expense

·    You can also drill down by the Accounts Payable invoice number and see job or media order information including AR Invoice and Client Payment details.

·    For more information, please refer to the Help topic on Check Writing & Reports-Vendor Detail Tab section or contact Software Support for assistance.

Tip from Software Support

Print Multiple Advance Billing Jobs (or Components) on One Invoice! 

Here is how to do it:

1       1. Verify that the client is setup to assign invoices at a level that would produce one invoice. For example if wishing to assign multiple jobs per invoice for the same product, the assign invoices selection would be by “product”.

2       2. Setup the advance billing record and save.

3       3. In the Billing Command Center, select the jobs and or components you wish to bill (select the Advance Billing Cut-Off date to include records established in Advance Billing/Date to Bill).

4      4.  Assign invoices - You will have one invoice for the group of jobs/ components.

Sequential Liability

Did you know that Advantage can help your agency manage cash flow by automatically enforcing Sequential Liability? 

Sequential Liability is a term that refers to the process that ensures your vendors will not be paid until you have been paid by the client tied to the vendor’s invoice.  Use the Advantage Check Writing “Paid by Client” feature to automatically select only ‘qualified’ invoices for payment, with a single click!   There’s no need to print reports and research each transaction because the program does that for you.  To see the details, just drill down on the invoice for a history of billing and receipts.  It’s that easy.

Partnership with Piracle

We are happy to announce a new partnership with Piracle for electronic processing of check payments. With Piracle, simply print processed checks from Advantage to the Piracle print driver. This solution can save you up to 60% on pre-printed paper checks, paperless options and additional management approval; all providing added security against fraud. For electronic check signing, ACH payments, and other digital processing needs, check out Piracle on our website or contact Bridgette at bridgette.lacerte@gotoadvantage.com.

Advantage blue

What’s Free? Advantage Clients enjoy FREE upgrade to Advantage blue!

Advantage blue is the latest major upgrade to the Advantage Software Suite designed to connect your staff, increase efficiencies, and provide you with crucial management information. We’ve had great feedback and with all of the new features in blue, we wanted everyone to know about the benefits of upgrading. Advantage blue i

s FREE to any Advantage client under a Support contract!

In addition to the great new software features in blue, Advantage Clients also enjoy world-class support! Phone support, Users Portal, Email Support, and Free Webinars are all included! Not an Advantage Client? We invite you to contact us now to schedule a FREE tour!

Helpful Hints...Estimate Report Formats

Helpful Hints….

WEBVANTAGE ESTIMATE REPORT FORMATS

With all of the estimating functionality in Webvantage, it is worth exploring your options when printing estimates.  Inside the Print Estimate screen, you will find a drop-down box labeled “Report Format” in the Output Format section.  There are more than 9 different report formats to display your estimate information.  You can generate reports that show side-by-side quotes, comparisons of quote revisions, and all estimates attached to a campaign.  In addition to the formats provided, choose from over a dozen different printing options that allow you to customize the output you require.  The next time you need estimate reports for your clients, check out the report formats in Webvantage Estimate Printing.

Project Schedule Gantt Chart

Are you an Advertising Agency looking for new ways to really improve project management? Advantage Software is the way to go with robust features and its new Project Schedule Gantt Chart!

Features Include:

·        Displays the current schedule by Month, Week or Day. 

·        Renders the chart by phase/task or just by task.

·        Retrieves and displays all related jobs with a single click.

·        Drag and drop to edit the scheduled days for any jobs displayed.
·        Recalculate all related jobs with a single click.

Stop Watch

The Advantage Timesheet Stop Watch is a great new tool that simplifies time tracking.  Click on the Stop Watch from one of many different widgets or applications where you may be accessing your projects.  Check in and out of jobs with a single click.  Hours are updated automatically when the Stop Watch is ended.  As the Stop Watch is started on one project, it automatically ends on any previous project.  The Stop Watch widget displays the project you are working on now and for how long.  The Stop Watch keeps ticking until you stop it, no matter what!

Project Schedule Gantt Chart

Advantage announces new Project Schedule Gantt Chart

Visualize, edit, and re-calculate multiple jobs in this new Gantt view.  This enhancement includes the ability to set job predecessors and other great features designed to save you time and automate the management of all your projects!

·         Display the Gantt chart by month, week, or day.

·         Display a single job, all jobs by campaign, all jobs by client, or related jobs based on predecessors.

·         Drag and drop to change individual task start and due dates.  Then, recalculate the schedules of one or all related jobs with a single click!

Time Sheet Enhancements for July

New Time Sheet enhancements will be released in July (Webvantage blue v3.50.10)!!

• ·         Time Entry Stop Watch – Clock-in and out of jobs with a single click!
• 
  
• ·         Design your own timesheet with the ability to:
• - Enter comments more easily using new options.
• -View time by day or week using new settings and navigation features.
• -Use the new one-click options for copying from projects, schedules, and templates.
• 
  
•  ·         The all-new Task List includes Stop Watch Entry and Task Status Indicators.

Dynamic and Advanced Report Writers in blue!

Advantage Agencies are finding new ways to satisfy specific reporting needs using the Dynamic and Advanced Report Writers in blue!  

  

The secret is in the pre-defined data sets that include calculated fields and information commonly requested.  Reports are easy to create and then share with other staff members.

Create reports from scratch or even edit existing reports from the Advantage library.  Here are a few examples of reports you can create your own way:

-Pending Supervisor Approval by Day

-Project Schedule by Project Manager or AE

-Projects on Hold

-Job History by Job Type

-Job Charges by Period

-Project Schedule Post-Mortem

-Campaign Analysis

Free webinars provide overviews of the program features and training on how to program useful reports with ease.  Visit the Users Portal at www.gotoadvantage.com for the webinar schedule.

Advantage Report Writer

The Advantage Report Writer continues to grow and provides new ways for Ad Agencies and Marketing Firms to gather information and produce reports in more formats than ever before.  

The Dynamic and Advanced Report Writers allow users to create reports from pre-defined data sets, but additionally, the Report Writer is being embedded in key applications such as Service Fee Analysis and Employee Utilization where additional features are available.

 Pre-defined formats include online drill-downs. Create and edit your own formats. Share with staff members instantly, and share with clients through the client portal.  

Attend June Webinars for more information on the Report Writer! gotoadvantage.com/portal

Advantage blue Document Manager

The Advantage blue Document Manager organizes and centralizes all your documents and digital assets!

·         Increase the overall efficiency of your agency by quickly and easily sharing files electronically as opposed to digging through file cabinets in various offices.  Centralize your files so that they are available instantly to whoever needs them!

·         Route documents and digital assets for approval and other purposes using the integrated alerts and electronic routing features, including document comments and markups!

·         Track revision history.

·         You’ll have peace of mind knowing that important files are backed up electronically in the event that they were lost, stolen, or damaged.

Advantage Report Writer

 Looking for more information from your Agency Management system?  There are endless ways to view project management, media, and financial data. The Advantage Report Writer makes it possible to get what you need now, no programming experience required!

The Advantage Report Writer provides reporting flexibility using more advanced features that put you in control.  Information on projects, finances, and media buys is neatly arranged in data sets that simplify the reporting process.  You create the reports and publish them for your users, based on security settings you define. 

Existing clients can contact Advantage Software Support for more information on this great new set of tools available in Advantage blue.  Not on Advantage yet?  Contact us at www.gotoadvantage.com to find out what Advantage can do for you!

Advantage makes Fee Reconciliation a breeze in their latest release of blue!

Retainer Fees, PR Fee, Creative Fee, Social Media Fee, you name it.  Create “Fee Types” for any contract and let Advantage do the rest.  Billing, Reconciliation, Analysis, and Profit reporting are automatic.

Service Fee Types allow for reporting fees billed and time or commissions accumulated by the new ‘service fee type’ category.  The service fee type category can be set strategically on jobs and at other levels to provide for many different types of reporting.  This new feature allows you to bill and track multiple fee types together or separately.

More Information on the Service Fee results grid includes the ability to ‘drill down’ on any job or function to see the fees billed, details, and employees that make up the service fee time postings.   

Also included is a built-in Report Writer.  This means that you can create and edit reports from within the Service Fee Reconciliation module!  The same features you see in the popular Dynamic Report Writer are available here, providing you with more reporting flexibility than ever before. 

Service Fee Reconciliation is available in a beta version of blue, v6.50.09.  Customer feedback is appreciated, as always!  Attend free Webinars this month for more information.  Check out the schedule at www.gotoadvantage.com/portal.

Advantage announces the release of the all new Client Portal for Ad Agencies, Marketing, and Creative companies! www.gotoadvantage.com

 Advantage announces the release of the ‘all new’ Client Portal as part of Webvantage blue for Advertising Agencies, Marketing, and Creative companies!

The Webvantage blue Client Portal allows you to communicate and collaborate with your clients on topics and documents of any type through a web browser.  Information on production projects and media schedules can be shared instantly - no uploading necessary! 

Communicate on work-in-process, create new work requests, and revise existing requests.   A complete history of comments, requests, and decisions made is stored permanently with every project.

Electronically deliver documents such as invoices and estimates to your clients, making life simple and easy for your clients, while saving you time and money.

Brand the Client Portal to go along with your agency’s own theme, or theirs.   You have complete control over the look & feel of the portal!

Security settings allow you to post and collaborate on only the information you want to share.

Identifying Client Portal Users is easy using Client Contacts already established in Advantage

Applications available through the client portal include:

·          -Alerts

·         -Calendar

·         -Media Calendar

·         -Job Jacket including the alerts, documents, creative brief, specifications, job forms, and the project schedule.

Reports available through The Client Portal include:

·         -My Task List

·         -Open Job

·         -Project Summary

·         -Traffic By Day

·         -Traffic By Task

Workspace Objects available through the Client Portal include:

·         -Alerts

·         -Project Viewpoint

·         -My Projects

·         -My Tasks

·         -Project Statistics

Ad Agency Project Management Routines Get Automated with Webvantage Blue Software

Webvantage blue from The Advantage Software Company empowers your agency and business with incredible process automation, team collaboration and team communication tools.  “As we are all challenged with more work and fewer resources, automation of manual processes has become absolutely essential,” said Ellen Coulter, president of The Advantage Software Company.  “Webvantage blue is flexible enough to work the way you do, and replace manual processes that slow you, your agency and your team down.”

Webvantage blue easily helps you automate manual processes in the crucial project management area.  “Our agency and business clients really see enormous benefits with Webvantage blue through our tools like Project Scheduling, the shareable Calendar, and the popular ‘My Tasks’ feature,” says Coulter.  “These tools help our clients stay on track and organized.”

Clients will also find that Webvantage blue will assist them in resource allocation and planning.  Automated alerts will allow agency team members from across the globe electronically communicate and collaborate on all tasks without missing any details.  Webvantage blue maintains everything in a secure, safe, accessible database that is easily administered.

“One of the more popular user benefits that we are hearing about is the unique option of Webvantage blue to actually route assignments through workflow templates that our clients define and customize for their own uses,” adds Coulter.  “The end result yields automated processes that have replaced manual tasks to free up team resources for more valuable collaboration and contribution.”

The Advantage Software team provides full-service implementation, training, customer support and software customization services to help clients implement and transition to Webvantage blue.  For more information on Webvantage blue, please contact The Advantage Software Company at 1-800-841-2078 or visit our blue website at www.whatsblue.com.