QuickBooks 2010 Helps Small Businesses Boost Their Bottom Line

Small business owners can help boost their bottom line and get connected to a wider array of powerful online services with the newest version of QuickBooks® financial software from Intuit Inc. (Nasdaq:INTU).

With its new online capabilities, QuickBooks 2010 delivers valuable features to help small businesses save and make money, such as an e-mail marketing service to attract new customers. For millions, QuickBooks is an essential part of their business. Nearly 70 percent of small businesses recently surveyed say the financial management software helps their business be more profitable.

"In a tough economy, small business owners scramble for every dollar. That’s why we’re focused on delivering bottom line value when it really matters,” said Kiran Patel, executive vice president and general manager of Intuit’s Small Business Group. "QuickBooks 2010 builds on the strength of past versions by continuing to streamline critical accounting tasks and connecting to new online services to meet small business owners’ varied needs.”

QuickBooks Pro and Premier 2010 feature the all-new Intuit App Center, providing users access to scalable, Software-as-a-Service business applications directly from within QuickBooks. Currently more than 25 applications are available, including a service that helps track and manage marketing campaigns and sales leads to maximize profits. All applications offer free trials, and many work directly with QuickBooks data, extending the value of the information and eliminating the need for double data entry.

Other new features in QuickBooks 2010 include an improved Company Snapshot, giving the small business owner a tailored visual overview of how business is performing, and Intuit Check Solutions, which allows small business owners to scan or key in checks for immediate deposit.

Save Time

In a recent survey, QuickBooks users said they save an average of four hours per week managing their business finances compared to their previous method. An array of new features help small businesses save precious time by making important jobs and key tasks easier than ever, giving entrepreneurs more time to focus on their business, so that they can spend less time on their bookkeeping. New and improved time-saving features include:

• Express Install: A new product installation option cuts the number of startup steps in half.
• Add/Edit Multiple List Entries: Users can save time by editing multiple long lists of items, customers, or vendors, rather than edit each item individually. They can also copy and paste data into QuickBooks directly from Excel with a simple key stroke, eliminating the unnecessary steps of inputting the data directly.
• Forms Customization: More customization options, including free professional design templates for commonly used forms such as invoices and estimates, give QuickBooks users the ability to apply the same design to multiple forms at once. Those who want help designing a unique look can connect with a community of professional designers through Intuit Creative Solutions.

"The Add/Edit Multiple List Entries features is one of the greatest updates I have seen in years,” said Christine Bailey, owner of Small Office Solutions in Daphne, Ala. "It is so much easier to add customers, vendors and items, all at one time versus going into each one and saving and then adding the next one. Wow, what a time saver!”

Make Money

QuickBooks 2010 also helps small business owners gain valuable insights into how their business is performing so that they can make better decisions and increase profitability. New features to help customers improve their bottom line include:

• Company Snapshot: QuickBooks users can now create a customized report to display on their computer screen, getting an immediate view of their company’s bottom line. Previously, the Company Snapshot was a static view that could not be personalized. Users can choose from several reports, including new ones for yearly expenses and income comparisons, detailed expense and income breakdowns, and a top customer list. Plus, the reports can be changed instantly.
• Report Center: This radically re-designed report center gives users access to more than 100 reports and makes it easier to find the right report in order to make better business decisions. Different views make it easier to navigate quickly between reports. These include a carousel view to flip through the reports, a list view to see all reports at once, and a ‘favorites’ view to keep track of frequently used reports. A new search feature helps users find the report with the specific information they want.

"The new Company Snapshot gives you great information at the click of a button,” said Debbie Kirkland, president of Kirkland Services in Christmas Valley, Ore. "This is a great place to go to pinpoint problem areas or to just determine your strengths and weaknesses within your company.”

Do More with Connected Services

Building on Intuit’s Connected Services Strategy announced last year, QuickBooks connects to several new online services that enable small businesses to extend the power of their information already in QuickBooks:

• Document Management: Users can now scan their documents directly into QuickBooks, attaching files to any vendor, employee, account, or transaction. These documents are stored securely online, giving users the flexibility to access them on the go or share them with their accountant or other employees. Online storage also provides confidence that important paperwork is backed up online and will be easy to find.
• Intuit Check Solutions for QuickBooks: Offered as an add-on service through Intuit Payment Solutions, small businesses can get paid faster by scanning or keying checks into QuickBooks and electronically sending that information to the bank.
• Marketing Center: This e-mail marketing service helps QuickBooks users sell more by helping them design targeted e-mail campaigns. The professional quality designs and pre-filled templates can be customized based on a company’s business needs. The service, currently in beta, also enables users to see how each campaign performed by analyzing the results with data from QuickBooks.
• App Center: Users now have access to additional Web-based business applications created by Intuit or members of the Intuit Developer Network, a group of independent software developers, to further expand the value of QuickBooks. Applications include the Intuit Green Snapshot, which uses businesses’ QuickBooks data to show them how to be more environmentally-friendly while saving money, and Fuel Station from ClickFuel, which helps track and manage marketing campaigns and sales leads while synchronizing customer information with QuickBooks.

"With the Marketing Center, you can notify customers, solicit new business, get repeat business, send thank you emails and more, all with one click,” said Danielle Lonich, office manager of Clements & Knock Law Firm in Pleasant Hill, Calif. "It’s a very simple, great service that will simplify my life.”

Intuit also launched the new version of QuickBooks Premier Accountant, the company’s premier bookkeeping, write-up and financial reporting solution for accounting professionals. The latest edition provides tools for accounting professionals to help increase productivity create seamless integration with clients and expand their practices. Improved features include:

• Client Data Review: Accounting professionals can now troubleshoot inventory and reclassify hundreds of transactions or write off multiple invoices in batch.
• Intuit Statement Writer: Users can now create Microsoft Word-based letters, cover pages and documents in financial reports to produce a complete, polished financial statement package for their clients.

Pricing and Availability

QuickBooks 2010 products are available direct from Intuit at www.quickbooks.com and will be available beginning Oct. 7 at leading retailers, including Amazon.com, Best Buy, CDW, Circuit City, Costco, Fry’s Electronics, Office Depot, OfficeMax, Sam’s Club, Staples, Target and Wal-Mart.

Suggested retail prices are:

• Intuit QuickBooks Accounting Pro Edition 2009: $199.95.
• Intuit QuickBooks Accounting Premier Edition 2009 (including industry-specific editions for accountants, contractors, manufacturers and wholesalers, nonprofits, professional service firms and retailers): $399.95.

QuickBooks 2010 is part of a family of financial software and services from Intuit. For more information on other Intuit solutions, visit:

• QuickBooks Online.
• Intuit QuickBooks 2010 for Mac.
• Intuit QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions 10.0.

Learn More About QuickBooks 2010

• Live Events: Join Intuit product managers for more information by attending one of the upcoming QuickBooks 2010 online events, beginning Oct. 6. A full calendar is available at: http://IntuitCommunity.com/events.
• Video Overview: Watch this video for a brief overview of what’s new in QuickBooks 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUIXNguJaEw

Resources:

• Intuit Press Room
• Intuit on Twitter
• Small Business United Blog

About Intuit Inc.

Intuit Inc. is a leading provider of business and financial management solutions for small and mid-sized businesses; financial institutions, including banks and credit unions; consumers and accounting professionals. Its flagship products and services, including QuickBooks®, Quicken® and TurboTax®, simplify small business management and payroll processing, personal finance, and tax preparation and filing. ProSeries® and Lacerte® are Intuit's leading tax preparation offerings for professional accountants. The company’s financial institutions division, anchored by Digital Insight, provides on-demand banking services to help banks and credit unions serve businesses and consumers with innovative solutions.

Founded in 1983, Intuit had annual revenue of $3.2 billion in its fiscal year 2009. The company has approximately 7,800 employees with major offices in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, India and other locations. More information can be found at www.intuit.com.

Intuit, the Intuit logo and QuickBooks, among others, are registered trademarks and/or registered service marks of Intuit Inc. in the United States and other countries.