Technology Management's Software Answers Blog

VAT Filing Online

VAT management will be switching to online filing and electronic payment only from April 2010.

The HMRC VAT online service helps businesses to file VAT returns quickly and make electronic payments. VAT management will be switching to online filing and electronic payment only from April 2010. If turnover is more than £100,000, businesses will have to file their VAT return online for accounting periods that start on or after 1 April 2010. Or if businesses register for VAT on or after April 1 2010, they will have to file online regardless of turnover. (source: www.hmrc.gov.uk) Opera II, Opera and Capital Gold Accounts users can easily file their VAT returns online using the HMRC website, so currently Pegasus have no plans to change their products.

For further information please contact our Pegasus Team !!

Cross Border VAT Changes

As of January 1st 2010, Sales of Services need to be reported on your EC Sales Listing as well as Goods.

Changes to the EC Sales List format As of 1 January 2010, it will be a legislative requirement for a UK VAT Registered Business to declare any Intra-EC Services that they receive from a VAT Registered Supplier in the EC on the EC Sales List (ESL - VAT 101 form). The ESL currently includes the supply of business-to-business (B2B) goods to customers in the EU. From 1 January 2010, ESLs are required for B2B supplies of services. The default reporting frequency for both goods and services on the ESL will be monthly. But businesses may be able to opt to submit quarterly ESLs for services only. The amount of time that HMRC and other tax administrators in the EU are allowed to collect and exchange data between each other is being reduced to one month. This means that businesses are likely to have a certain number of days after the end of the reporting period to submit their ESLs: 14 days for paper ESLs 21 days for electronic ESLs Note: Intra-EC Services must (still) not be included on the SD report. Please note that the first new format EC Sales List will require submission by the middle of February 2010.  Details of the changes can be found on http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/vat/ec-sales-lists.pdf Thresholds and Reporting Periods During the period 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2011 quarterly ESLs can still be submitted if: • The total quarterly value of supplies of intra-EC goods, (excluding VAT), does not exceed £70,000 in the current quarter, or any of the previous 4 Quarters.  The place of supply for suppliers or customers of services The place of supply is used to decide where VAT must be paid and how VAT should be accounted for. From 1 Jan 2010 the place of supply for Intra-EC services changes to where the customer is, rather than where the supplier is. UK businesses need to account for VAT on these services as both the customer and the supplier of the service. The supplier will not account for VAT in their country. This is done under the so called ‘Reverse Charge’ provisions, which is also called the ‘tax shift’. The VAT Return will be updated by the customer for both the supply of the service by the supplier and the receipt by the customer.  A Service Item VAT Code will automatically update the following boxes: Box 1 - the amount of output tax (VAT due on sales) Box 4 - the amount of input tax (VAT due on purchases) Box 6 - the value of the supply (total value of sales) Box 7 - the value of the supply (total value of purchases) Software Release Schedule During November 2009, Pegasus will be releasing new versions of Opera II, Opera and Capital Gold Accounts.

For further information please contact our Pegasus Team !!

VAT Rate Changes

January 1st 2010 sees the VAT Rate increase to 17.5% again. The UK Government announced earlier this year that the rate of Standard VAT in the UK will increase back to 17.5% (after it was temporarily reduced to 15.0% on 1st December 2008) on 1 January 2010.

Opera II Opera II was amended in version 6.70.00 to use the Rate 2% field on the VAT Code when progressing SOP documents (Orders, Quotes etc) to Invoices; this should cater for the needs of the vast majority of users. For customers using version 6.70.00 or later, the Rate 2 fields on the VAT Processing Form needs to be updated with 17.5% effective from 1/1/2010. For customers with earlier versions than 6.70.00 of Opera II, the VAT Utility provided in November 2008 will need to be run if they have un-invoiced, SOP/Invoicing transactions with a VAT rate of 15.0%. However, there could be exceptions  - see Special Rules. Opera and Capital Gold The VAT Utility that was provided in November 2008 for these products will potentially need to be run. Special Rules If the goods are provided before the increase in VAT e.g. 22/12/2009 and then billed after the VAT increase e.g. 02/01/2010, the user can opt to apply a 15.0% VAT charge to the Invoice.  This is valid as the issue of stock was made whilst the VAT Rate was 15.0% and the Invoice was raised within 14 days of supply. This however will not save the customer any money as a lesser amount can be reclaimed as Input Tax therefore HMRC are advising that this is an unlikely working practice. For further details please see http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/vat/forms-rates/rates/rate-rise-guidance.pdf

For further information please contact our Pegasus Team !!

Free Event: How to Get More From Your Opera II Software

Are you getting the most from your Pegasus Opera II software? Do you know the best shortcuts to save you time and money?

We often find that Opera II users do not know about all the features available in their existing software which will make life easier. With version, 6.70 now released, there are even more features to discover.

During this free morning event in November, Pegasus’ very own product specialist, Pipp Scott, will share with you over 40 user tips for making Opera II work harder for you and your business. Amongst the wealth of powerful timesavers, you’ll discover how to:

• Calculate average debtor days
• Customise grids
• Integrate with Excel
• Use the pushpin and customise your favourites bar

The event runs on the morning of Tuesday 17 November at Technology Management’s seminar room in Wolverhampton.

To book your free place click here or call the Technology Management’s marketing team.

Service and Helpdesk Management leads the way with TomTom WORK

Integrated solution improves visibility, productivity, customer service and compliance

Pegasus Software has announced the integration of its Opera II Service & Helpdesk Management module with the TomTom WORK solution.

TomTom WORK delivers a complete, real-time overview of the situation in the field.  Managers can track and dynamically allocate jobs to drivers, while TomTom WORK’s satellite navigation enables drivers to make the shortest, quickest and most efficient journey to the next job.  Integrated with Pegasus Opera II, this delivers the ability to manage assets, complete tasks onsite and automatically begin billing and other back-office processes.

Stuart Anderson, Operations Director, Pegasus Software explains:  “Effective service management is built on accurate visibility of resources and reliable communication with the workforce in the field.  Integrating back office processes means faster payment, less paper-based processes, better asset use and higher levels of productivity and uptime.  We are currently the only accounting vendor to offer complete integration with TomTom WORK so our customers can gain a real competitive edge.” 

“Integrating Pegasus Service & Helpdesk Management with TomTom WORK means a business can dynamically update and allocate new work, based on the nearest available resources.  So if an emergency arises, the office simply sends the nearest operator to fix it. That means better customer service.”

“The solution also delivers details on vehicle speed, fuel use and trip reports so fleets can be managed more effectively. The 24/7 asset tracking and improved fleet management coupled with extensive reporting helps companies reduce not only wasted journeys and the fuel costs relating  to them, but also the corporate liability risk associated with fleet vehicles.”

“This is no longer the exclusive preserve of the large enterprises – smaller businesses can realise real savings and improvements quickly.”

Barney Feely, Regional Channel Manager, TomTom WORK explained: “TomTom WORK is used by some of the biggest service and maintenance names in Europe.  This integration with Pegasus will expand that footprint and gives Pegasus customers a unique headstart on the competition.  More convenience for drivers and improved service for customers; a better, more efficient use of fuel and lower costs all follow quickly from the use of this innovative, integrated solution.”

Pegasus Wins Software Satisfaction Awards

 

Pegasus Software had a double success winning 2 awards in the 2009 Software Satisfaction Awards:

• Mid-range Accounting Software
• Payroll Software

Established in 2006 to reward high standards from software providers serving UK businesses, the Software Satisfaction Awards continue to act as an invaluable guide for those businesses looking to purchase the very best software systems. Participants in the survey are asked to rate their business software products on four key attributes: ease of use; functionality; reliability; and value for money.

The awards recognise Pegasus Opera II Payroll & HR as the best solution for small and medium businesses looking to simplify their payroll and ensure compliance, whilst Pegasus Opera II is the best solution for small and medium businesses looking to control finances as they grow. 

Commenting on the victory Stuart Anderson, Operations Director at Pegasus said: “This is fantastic news – a real recognition of the innovation that Pegasus has made with our offerings.   We are incredibly proud of this achievement.”

“Pegasus will continue to push the boundaries of what a software supplier can deliver; be it innovative products, measurable return on investment or strong Channel Partners.”
Pegasus was also nominated for Software Vendor of the Year. This was a new award to mark achievements that transcend industry boundaries.  Pegasus had been chosen because of its pioneering product portfolio, and the judges have been impressed by the loyalty of the long-term Pegasus customer base.
The Software Satisfaction Awards is organised by Sift Media, a leading B2B publisher of online communities including AccountingWEB, in association with the Business Application Software Developers Association (BASDA).

The more a system does, the more you rely on it

This week we’ve had a situation where a customer we work for has been unable to operate the way they expect for nearly two days because of a single hardware failure. It caused serious disruption to their business and while we we worked hard to provide as many workarounds as possible, it must have affected sales.

How can this happen? Well the customer has a Small Business Server that they installed roughly six years ago. At the time they had an AS400 that ran their business software and at that stage only wanted a server for file storage and email  for 20 odd users – SBS seemed the perfect answer. Since then they have replaced their AS400 with a SQL based Dynamics NAV system and taken advantage of the integrated possibilities to for instance, put 30 odd handheld terminals in their warehouse.

Trouble is with Small Business Server whenever a user logs on their password is checked with the SBS Server. With standard Windows networks we can share this process across several servers so that if one fails, one of the others can certify that the password is correct and allow access. SBS however, because its designed for single server networks, has been hobbled by Microsoft to stop this.

What this meant for our client was that although the other four servers they have now were up and going, they could not access them because their passwords could not be verified. Frustrating to say the least. Very quickly we got them access to Dynamics NAV via switching to database security but the warehouse terminals cannot work that way so they ended up back on paper. 

What caused this was a power supply failure in a five year old computer – it was on 4 hour response maintenance with IBM but after first sending a motherboard and then finally a power supply from their spares base in Hungary it took over 48 hours to get fixed. To be fair to IBM, all the big maintenance organisations work like this now, the small ones are even more useless as the simply cannot carry the variety of spares needed.

We could have rebuilt the network if we had realised how long the repair was going to take but in the heat of the situation you don’t know that and should you do several hours work when you hope you’re only a couple of hours away from the fix. This is an especially difficult call when you know that if you go down this route it will take more work and therefore disruption to change it all back again once the original problem is solved.

So the lesson relearned for me is that each business needs to be able survive a single point of failure, if having a application not being available is going to cost serious money. A risk assessment on at least an annual basis to say if this particular bit of kit goes down can we operate and what’s the worst case to get it back up and running.

There is maximum pressure on budgets at the moment so its tempting to spend on stuff that’s going to push the capabilities of your system forward. Just watch that if you consistently do that, something doesn’t unexpectedly happen which takes you backwards far to rapidly.

The good news is that Microsoft have, with the introduction of Windows Server 2008 R2, recently made the virtualisation technology we need to do this, very affordable. This tips the balance between risk and cost of insurance very much back in favour of not taking the risk. 

And our role as advisors in all of this? Well we had been talking to this client about upgrading their systems but obviously had not translated the technical risks into implications to their business well enough. It is difficult to get the balance right sometimes.

I hate the scare tactics used in the past by amongst others, the year 2000 consultants and security vendors but we have to make sure the risks are understood. First point on that I guess, if I’m honest, is making sure we stop and think the possibilities through for each client so that we truly understand what could happen whenever we change anything.

Technology can make help businesses achieve levels of performance they could not remotely dream of achieving with it – if that technology then fails it can also have very serious consequences.

Pegasus Service Management and TomTom

One of the great features of the Pegasus Service and Helpdesk Management module is the integration with TomTom’s satellite navigation devices. This enables you to track where your vehicles are, schedule routes and even track the speed at which the vehicles are travelling.

Integration with other PDA devices also enables your service engineers to collect customer signatures and enter information relating to time, parts and expenses – all of which links back in to Pegasus Opera II.

Pegasus’ new Service & Helpdesk Management brochure is available to download here.

A New Network- Inc Server, Software and Install for £2799 plus FREE Offsite backup for 3 months

I really like this offer we have put together as it allows companies to start taking advantage of the latest technologies, and gives them the ability to backup their critical data off site at Technology Managements servers in a data centre on a 3 month trial using Data Guardian

It includes an IBM server with 500GB Hard Drive, Quad Core Intel Processor, 5GB RAM and a 3 year onsite warranty. The operating system is the latest release of Microsoft Small Business Server 2008 including Windows Server 2008, Exchange 2007, SharePoint 2007. As well as that 5 Client licences will be loaded on the server and we include 2.5 days to install and configure it all.

Many companies out there are still running on Small Business Server 2003 on hardware that's over 5 years old…for an investment of under £3000 you can get up to date, be more secure and more productive, with the latest hardware and software.

Click here to get to the offer on our webpage

Contact jon.archer@tecman.co.uk or me, liam.walton@tecman.co.uk  for more details or for prices for additional users.

Pegasus – Microsoft Soap Error when Logging into Opera II

When you create a new Opera II User and log in for the first time you will get the following error.

This is because Opera II uses a Microsoft program to check for new Opera II versions, which isn’t always on people’s PC’s.

To stop this message from being displayed, follow the following steps;

Login to Opera II as the New User Click on Administration Tab Click on Preferences (under System)Choose Never from the Check for New Versions drop-down list  and then click OK (see below picture)

When you next log into Opera II the Error Message won’t appear !!