Will you send me a Demo of A-Systems JobView®?
Of course. A-Systems is happy to show off A-Systems JobView®. The "Demo" you receive is NOT a crippled version of A-Systems JobView® or "pictures" of a few carefully selected screens, only allowing you to see what A-Systems wants you to see. Instead, when you get a Demo, you get a Full Running Copy of A-Systems JobView®. It comes complete with over 60 sessions of multimedia training and a sample company (already set up for you to test). In other words, you get the actual full running version of the software and complete instructions on how to run it. There aren't many software companies willing to let you even see their actual program without someone there to carefully "guide" you around and then pressure you to buy, based on what they choose to show you. If you want something to look at on your own, they might provide a "demo" with selected pictures of screens. A-Systems has nothing to hide. A-Systems wants you to try the software so you can see what true Job Costing is and what it can do for you. These comments were not included to be cynical, but as a warning about what to be careful of when high-pressure sales tactics are applied to you.
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Can I try A-Systems JobView® RISK-FREE before I buy it?
Of course you can. You would never buy a car before test driving it. Your accounting software is far more important than a car and certainly it should last a lot longer than any car. We have clients that have been using our accounting software for over 20 years. Why would anyone want to prevent you from trying out their software? Is it too complicated? Is there something they don't want you to see? If a company won't let you try their software, ask yourself, "What are they hiding?" A-Systems is one of the few companies that happily allows prospective users to actually "try it before you buy it." In order to accommodate your needs, A-Systems will provide you with a Risk-Free Trial copy with no cost or obligation on your part. The CD you receive will also include over 60 sessions of multimedia training, complete instructions to help you test the software. In addition, a sample company will automatically install with the software so you have something to work with. If you want to set up your own company and actually run it for a while on A-Systems JobView®, you can do that. A-Systems actually includes a Getting Started Wizard to step you through the process of setting up your company. A-Systems is confident of its software.
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Do I have to wait until the end of the fiscal year to change to A-Systems JobView®?
No way! Actually, waiting until the fiscal year-end is arguably the worst time of the year to change software. When is the accounting staff under the most pressure? When are the most deadlines? When are they working the most hours? There are simply so many things that need to be done at year end, that adding a software implementation to the pile is just not fair to the accounting staff. A-Systems has made it easy to set your company up in A-Systems JobView®, choosing a far more convenient time to do it.
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How do I get all of the information from my current software into A-Systems JobView®?
This is surprisingly easy. 1) Do a cutoff statement from your existing accounting program. 2) Enter the beginning balances into A-Systems JobView®. 3) Print W-2s for employees from your existing program. 4) Enter the year-to-date balances for each employee. The Getting Started Wizard in A-Systems JobView® was designed to help you get through these steps, prompting you all along the way. Many companies prefer to have help in this project, so A-Systems is there. For a relatively low fee, A-Systems' expert staff or your A-Systems Authorized Dealer will enter a list of start up information for you. Many companies have A-Systems (or their Dealer) enter their Employees, Vendors, Subcontractors, Customers, Cost Codes, Chart of Accounts and have their Financial Statement formatted. This may not seem like much, but it is one less thing to worry about when you are learning a new software. A-Systems provides the service necessary to make it as quick and painless as possible.
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Does A-Systems JobView® use a batch system?
Yes it does. Almost all professional accounting programs do. A batch system is what most CPAs recommend. It works like this, using Accounts Payable as an example: 1) Invoices are entered, assigning them to their respective phases of jobs. 2) After they are entered, a "proof listing" is printed to scan for typos or other errors. 3) After any errors are corrected, it is recommended that a backup of the data is made. (A-Systems JobView® has its own internal backup utility for you.) Note: Anyone that has experienced a power outage, a static electrical discharge, or has had a computer freeze up knows how valuable a backup can be. Backing up is a simple step that can save a lot of work later. 4) After doing a backup, post the batch. Now, it's finished. Take a break. So, why do CPA's love A-Systems JobView's® batch processing? It creates a beautiful, bulletproof audit trail. An embezzler cannot get into the data and cover their tracks by altering existing transactions. Professional level accounting software uses batches and do not allow historical transactions to be "modified" unless an audit trail is generated.
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Do I have to post to get current job cost information?
Yes. Using the batch system means that information in batches has not been posted into Job Costing, Accounts Payable, etc. It is only while transactions are in an unposted batch that they may be edited. If a correction needs to be made because erroneous information was posted, a correcting entry must be made. This creates the audit trail that CPAs love.
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What kind of training do I need to run A-Systems JobView®?
That all depends on you. If you are experienced with computerized accounting systems, you may only need to learn how the accounting processes are handled in A-Systems JobView®. For instance, how do I enter an Accounts Payable Invoice? If you have never used accounting software before, you have a little more to learn. If you are totally new to accounting, a total "novice" at bookkeeping, you have even more to learn. Let's face it, accounting is a complicated process. The question is whether you as the user have to do the complicated things, or the whether the software has been designed to do them for you. Rather than requiring you to be a CPA to successfully run A-Systems JobView®, A-Systems designed it so that an entry-level bookkeeper can master it quickly. In other words, A-Systems programmed A-Systems JobView® to do all the complicated steps for you. Now, how is training done? The CD comes with over 60 sessions of multimedia training on it. For a number of people, this is more than adequate. They will never need more training. For novices that need to learn accounting processes and accounting terms , the training CD even includes a session called, "Bean Counting 101," a free accounting course. Obviously, this is not for professional accountants who might be offended to hear their profession derogatorily referred to as "bean counting." A-Systems has the ultimate respect for professional accountants. They are worth their weight in gold. Finally, A-Systems and Authorized Dealers also provide tutorial training. When A-Systems provides tutorial training, it is done over the phone. It is convenient, affordable, and effective, all things you want. Local Dealers often do training in person. Many companies, even those with experienced accountants, choose to have tutorial training to assure themselves that they are using the software to its fullest and taking advantage of all of the power built into A-Systems JobView®.
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Will A-Systems send a trainer to my business to teach our staff?
Of course, but it costs a little more. A-Systems' goal is to get you to the point that you have mastered A-Systems JobView® at the lowest possible cost. That's why tutorial phone training is the first suggestion. A-Systems' Professional Tutors or Authorized Dealers are ready to meet your needs if you feel you need to have a "personal" trainer.
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Does A-Systems JobView® have a thorough, "helpful" Help file?
It could be argued that A-Systems JobView® has the best online Help in the industry. No matter where you are in A-Systems JobView®, you can press the nearest Help button. Immediately a full color screen will jump into view with a full color "picture" of the screen where you just were. Each field is explained. Every term is defined. There are crosslinks and cross references everywhere. Unlike the industry standard, the Help in A-Systems JobView® is not just text. Every time A-Systems send out an update (which it typically does three times a year), the Help file is updated too. A-Systems has spared no expense or effort to make sure A-Systems JobView® users have the best online Help in the industry.
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A-Systems JobView® is in Version 7.0. Isn't that relatively new for software?
Not at all. A-Systems JobView® was based on A-Systems' DOS program, that had over 20 years of development into it. A-Systems JobView® duplicated the two decades of power and proven functionality that were built into the very mature DOS program. A-Systems JobView® also added thousands of new enhancements in the process. In addition, A-Systems ships three updates per year, each filled with enhancements requested by users. What can be added that require three updates? First, in our experience, no software is ever "complete." No matter how many features and functions we add, there are always faster, easier, or more flexible ways that may be added. As soon as we add a new way of doing something, an insightful client will call us and say, "Now that you've made it do this, can you make it do it another way too?" When that new function is added, two other clients will call with similarly useful ideas. The result is that A-Systems has a continual flow of insightful suggestions that are added to the software. Instead of putting out one update per year, A-Systems ships three, so our clients may quickly benefit from the suggestions they have submitted.

About the numbering: Not all numbering systems are created equal. When most software companies moved from DOS to "Windows," they numbered their new software as if it were an update to DOS. For instance, if the last release of their DOS program was Version 5, the Windows version started at Version 6 and their next release was Version 7. If A-Systems used that standard, the latest release would be Version 20. In actual practice, A-Systems releases three updates per year and numbers them 7.0, 7.1, 7.2, etc. If A-Systems used the numbering system used by many software companies, where each release has a totally new digit, the latest release of A-Systems JobView® would be something like Version 100 or Version 120! Yes, A-Systems JobView® is proven and mature.

A-Systems tracks and fixes reported "bugs" as well as or better than any software company in the industry. The last twenty releases actually had NO REPORTED BUGS when they were as shipped! This is unheard of in the software industry. A-Systems does not claim to have 100% bug-free software (anyone making this claim is pulling your leg), but the bugs that remain might fairly be described as "trivial things in obscure places." When a bug is found, it is automatically fixed and included in the next update. If a bug is an inconvenience or considered urgent, the "bug fix" is put on this website (an interim update) so it can be immediately downloaded by the user. In fact, JobView has a built in function that automatically checks the A-Systems website to see if there are any interim updates available. Service is one of the reasons A-Systems' clients are so loyal. Click here to see JobView customer comments.
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A-Systems JobView® seems to be much lower priced than others. Can it be any good?
The price of software typically reflects the overhead required to build and maintain it. One of A-Systems' competitors invested the time of 18 people and over $3 million to create a "windows" version of their DOS software. It took programmers (in India or Malaysia, someplace totally disconnected from actual users) years to complete the project. Using superior programming tools and basing the software's functions on its mature DOS program, A-Systems spent a mere fraction of that amount. In head to head comparisons, A-Systems' software has every function the $3 million package has (and a whole lot more) AND it is far quicker to learn and much easier to run. The reason? A-Systems is surrounded by talented and experienced programmers. In fact, Utah is second only to Silicone Valley in the number of software companies. With this concentration of employers, Utah attracts great numbers of qualified people. A-Systems was easily able to obtain the expertise it wanted. Now, back to costs. In addition to high development costs, many software companies have huge overheads to cover. They have bank debt to service, shareholders expecting dividends, and heavy operating costs. A-Systems is privately owned. There are no dividends to pay. It is debt-free and keeps its overhead low. It has been providing job costing software since 1978. It is a stable, sound, successful company. A-Systems is the kind of software company others would like to be.

The owner of A-Systems is the author of "The 90-Minute MBA®." He presents the highly acclaimed business management seminar "The 90-Minute MBA®" across this great nation. Under his daily management, A-Systems operates profitably without having to charge high prices. It is simple economics. By the way, when a competitor of A-Systems listened to a A-Systems JobView® presentation at a trade show. He was intimidated at how much A-Systems JobView® could do, compared to the software he was selling. Because of its strength and flexibility, he thought A-Systems JobView® must sell for $100,000. When he found out that A-Systems JobView® was very affordable, he inquired about becoming an Authorized Dealer. What more can you say?

While our client's financial information is not available to A-Systems, (and we wouldn't publish it if it were) many clients report doing revenues in the hundreds of millions of dollars annually. One client reported signing a $3 billion contract, following which, they tested A-Systems JobView® to make sure it could able to handle it nicely. The founder of that company gratefully attributes his remarkable success to using the great accounting software from A-Systems for over two decades. Recently, he sold out and retired.
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If A-Systems has been in business since 1978; why have I never heard of you?
A-Systems does not spend a lot of money advertising. Instead, it invests its resources into its software and taking care of its clients. Many of A-Systems' clients were referred by its loyal users, doing their friends a favor by recommending A-Systems JobView® to them. A-Systems likes to think of their clients as family and treats them as such.

Imagine going on a trip and eating at a great little restaurant you've never heard of, located in an out of the way place, you've never heard of. The food is perfectly cooked and tastes like you always thought it should. It is presented well in a sparkling clean environment, the portions are generous, and it is very reasonably priced. You marvel at the place. It's too good to be true. It seems to be a well kept secret and you were just lucky to find it. As you leave, you compliment the hostess on the great food and the wonderful service. The hostess asks if you would like to meet the owner and you agree, surprised at the suggestion. The owner greets you with a handshake and a broad smile and you repeat your compliments to him. He thanks you and tells you the whole staff takes personal pride in the restaurant and the service they provide. He says he treats his staff like family and he hopes you can come back sometime soon. You recognize that the experience you just enjoyed comes from each person's commitment to quality, starting with the owner, down to the busboy. You just wish this great little restaurant were in your town. Except that A-Systems is in the software business, you have just experienced what many A-Systems JobView® clientele describe as A-Systems. It may sound corny, but that's how A-Systems does business. Anyone can claim to treat their clients like family, but actually A-Systems does. When A-Systems released A-Systems JobView®, it did not require users of its DOS program to purchase it. All existing clients with a current Technical Support Agreement received A-Systems JobView® for free! In case you missed that, all of A-Systems' clients with a current Technical Support Agreement received a copy of A-Systems JobView® for free.

Have you ever received such a generous gift from a software company? Why did A-Systems do this? A-Systems' clients are a loyal bunch. It was payback, a chance for A-Systems to thank them for years of loyalty. A-Systems chose to make its profit from selling A-Systems JobView® to new clientss, not existing ones. What did this mean to A-Systems in dollars and cents? If each of the companies had purchased JobView, paying list price, it could have meant somewhere between $4 and $5 million in revenue to A-Systems. Is there a business that could not use an extra $4 to 5 million? The surprise is that A-Systems did not quantify its generosity until someone asked what this had cost A-Systems. That person said, "A-Systems really does think of its clients first! You proved it in dollars and cents."A-Systems could have spent that money advertising, introducing new clients to A-Systems JobView®. Instead, A-Systems' loyal clients received A-Systems JobView® for free. If A-Systems had spent even $1 million on advertising, you would have heard of A-Systems JobView® long before now. Instead, you found A-Systems on the Internet or by being referred by someone you know. A-Systems is growing rapidly, qualified new Dealers are joining the company in a steady stream.

When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, our clients were among the business that were "washed away." When they called us for help, we sent them new copies of their software FOR FREE and we followed up to make sure they were back in business as quickly and easily as possible. That is how we treat our clients.

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Does A-Systems JobView® do estimating?
No. Estimating is an art of its own. Few estimators do accounting. It just doesn't seem right to tell estimators, visionaries with wonderful minds for detail, that they have to change the way they do business because the accountant is getting new accounting software. If the estimator is currently using an estimating program, a spreadsheet, or even a columnar pad, A-Systems JobView® can accommodate them. If you want estimating software, A-Systems can recommend several good ones to choose from that interface with A-Systems JobView®. Read the next question to see what A-Systems can do for estimators.
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Can I import data from my estimating software?
Of course. If your estimating software has the capacity to export data, it can be imported into A-Systems JobView®. If your estimator is using a spreadsheet, such as Microsoft Excel®, it can be imported also. A-Systems JobView® is built to accommodate whatever your estimating software can do, without requiring your estimator to change the way he/she does business.
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Is A-Systems JobView® an "Open Architecture" program?
Yes, it is. "Open Data Base Connectivity" (ODBC) is an optional feature available with A-Systems JobView®. It allows users to read (export) raw data from A-Systems JobView® files. (This is a "one way" feature, meaning data cannot be written back (imported) into A-Systems JobView®. That would violate the integrity of the accounting data.) People who are technical types use ODBC to export data from A-Systems JobView® so they can create their own reports. ODBC demands a level of expertise that A-Systems JobView® itself does not require. For that reason, A-Systems offers ODBC to experienced "tekkies", but does not promote it as an optional feature.

Instead of recommending ODBC, A-Systems JobView® has a Custom Report Writer (DataView™) that is much more "user friendly." DataView allows users to create their own reports "from scratch" using data "filters" and "queries", selection criteria, that extract specific information from live JobView files. The extracted data can then be formatted in custom reports, printed in different fonts and colors, etc. In addition to "data" fields, additional "calculated" fields may be added to Custom Reports using standard formulas found in common spreadsheets, such as Microsoft Excel®. Finally, DataView has a FormMaker™ feature that allows the user to customize Accounts Receivable Invoices, Statements, Check Formats, Purchase Orders, etc.

Frankly, most companies do not need the Custom Report Writer because A-Systems JobView® has a built in report generator with a long, long menu of preformatted reports. With three decades of responding to the requests of our clientele, JobView has so many reports, very, very few companies would ever have a need for the Custom Repor Writer. For those that do, usually for a unique report for a bank, vendor, or customer, the DataView option is available.
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How many companies can I run on A-Systems JobView®?
As many companies as your hard drive can hold. If you are using the Standard or the Preferred Edition, there are no limits using JobView. If you are using The Small Builder Advantage, you can run up to five companies.
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What does it cost to put additional companies on my copy of A-Systems JobView®?
Nothing, zip, zilch, nada! If you absolutely feel you must pay A-Systems to run extra companies on A-Systems JobView®, please feel free to do so.
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What are the difference between the three Editions of A-Systems JobView®?
The basic differences are these: