Getting Ready To Start Your Business In Collect!

Collect! is extremely flexible, fast, easy to use and a huge asset to your business. Its benefits will become more obvious to you day by day, but first, you must think about how you want to conduct your operations and plan the steps carefully within Collect!. Over 1100 companies have purchased the Collect! system. Most enjoy huge success in their operations. We sincerely want you to be one of these. So we want to stress right from the start that you must be willing to read the documentation and think about what you need to set up Collect! correctly to work for you, now and as time goes by.

We can direct you to the areas you need to cover in particular for your needs so that you and your staff can get familiar with Collect!. Also, we have many training videos available on a wide variety of topics. They are a very pleasant way to learn a lot about Collect! in a short time and at your convenience. With these basics covered, we can focus on details, working together with you to do everything we can to see you starting on a firm foundation.

There are several steps to setting up Collect!. We recommend you start with the basics and build gradually as your understanding grows.

Press F1

Press F1 anywhere in Collect! and you will get help about the form you are on. This is a great way to speed your learning curve.

License Code

When we fax you a License code, please enter it right away. It is supposed to be entered on the day we send it to you. Your system will not let you in if your license expires.

Company Details

This information is printed on your letters and reports. You can enter whatever you want in these fields, edit them later if needed. You enter the information in one place and it prints on all your letters, if you want it to. There are other settings here too. Press F1 for details!

Operator ID

Everyone who accesses your database needs to have a different Operator ID code and Password. Some people will need to access more parts than others. Think about the activities performed by each, then review the Demonstration selection. You need to create Operator IDs so that you can apply commission to your collectors. Also, each collector can have a To Do List with only their accounts. The Operator ID may also be used to restrict access the account if you need to use Account Access Control.

Reports And Letters

There are many sample reports and letters in the Demodb database and on our web site. You can use each of these as you choose or make changes. Report writing is a big area. Your best bet is to find a few samples that you are happy with to start. Then you can spend some time later learning how to modify existing reports and create new ones. We also offer custom report creation at a very reasonable fee.

Contact Plans

Collect! can handle huge amounts of work for you in the background. It's always best to start out manually so that you know what steps you are actually taking. But if you are repeating the same steps over and over when processing accounts, most likely you can automate this with one or more contact plans. Ask yourself, "What do we do when?" and list each condition and items. A well thought out contact management system is a joy to work. Time and cost effective too. Always test new plans before you go live with them and have a recent backup of your database when you run batch processes. Collect! lets you snapshot your database, even when others are signed in.

Transaction Types

To create truly informative reports, some effort should be spent on the financials. The transactions should be categorized and controlled. Do some reading, set up, then enjoy the ability to track your profits, absolutely and easily.

User Levels And Access Rights

Test drive all the Demonstration operator levels. See what the Junior Collector can do. Your needs might be different and the access can easily be changed. Test, test, test. We recommend you do not operate as a 99 operator unless we instruct you to do so.

You must sign out of Collect! completely, returning to the Desktop, whenever you change to a different User Level, or some of the rights from the previous level that you were signed in as may still be in effect.

Printer

Collect! prints to the default printer installed on your system, so it depends on proper printer drivers being installed already. It's always a good idea to test your reports for proper alignment and print formatting. Collect! can output very professional attractive reports. If yours don't look quite right, we can help.

Debtors

Once your clients are set up, enter debtors within the Client form. If you have set up all other areas, setting up debtors is easy, just type and pick from the lists you have created. Other information will be brought forward from the Client settings. Setting up in advance this way, saves time and minimizes user error. If you intend to report to Credit Bureaus, read the help carefully. What you report matters.

Clients

Take the time to go through the Client Settings form. The switches impact everything from collection follow up to Credit Bureau reporting and make data entry so much faster.

Status

Setting up status codes is easy. You probably have a list. Just choose a code and enter the description. Don't use the same code more than once.

Pick Lists

Data entry can be time consuming and error prone. Consider creating lists of often typed information, then point and click rather than type. This makes information searches much easier and more effective as well.

Screen Labels

Collect! can speak French, German, print double wide, Oriental characters and virtually any language you want. Make a reference to patient and hospital rather than Client and Debtor. Lay your system out to suit your needs. It's easy, but we recommend you leave the automatically calculated, phone and fields alone. Let Collect! do the work for you.

Networks

Network setup really requires experience. Please don't experiment! Get an expert. The expense is minor compared to the cost of having your system down. If the technician you hire says they don't need to read our Network Setup instructions, beware! You may be disappointed when they are finished. For Collect! to work optimally, your network must be set up correctly and according to our specific instructions. If you get error messages, check the help. Most of the time, there are a few simple items to be checked.

Where Do We Go From Here?

With a little reading and practice, you can have Collect! operating smoothly and effectively in very little time. Please be prepared to put some effort into this, so that you can start out right. The returns you get will certainly be worth your time and your success with the fine product you purchased will just keep on growing.