Spring 2006
Transcription
Spring 2006
KVS HOT LINE Spring 2006 Volume 17/Issue 2 Next Generation of Enterprise Edition to be Spotlighted at 2006 User Conference An unveiling of the new Enterprise Edition General Receipts system will take place at the 2006 KVS User Conference, to be held Aug. 21-23 in Amherst, NY. Planning for the Enterprise Centralized Collection system is also on the agenda for this year’s forum. Clients from around the country will converge at 9 a.m. Monday Aug. 21 at the Buffalo/Niagara Marriott, where three days of seminars will be held. In addition to the topics mentioned above, the conference will feature training sessions on Enterprise Edition Financial systems, as well as Budget Preparation, Payroll Projection, Position Control, Human Resources and Attendance, and CQ Report Writer systems. Other subjects will include capital projects/ grant (multi-year) tracking, year end procedures, and technical issues. A “boot camp” for new KVS clients will be offered to familiarize new customers with procedures within the company. As always, third party vendors will be on-hand, and will hold sessions describing their solutions which can be used in conjunction with KVS software. Sign-ups for individual meetings will also be available. This year’s theme is “Enterprise — The Next Generation,” and you guessed it: the dinner and entertainment on Monday night will have a “Star Trek” theme. Come dressed as your favorite character from the TV shows. Dinner will be held at the Beaver Island Clubhouse, located on a beach setting in nearby Grand Island, NY, which happens to be a KVS client. Transportation and dinner are included in the conference price, as well as a continental breakfast and lunch each day, and a cocktail party on Tuesday. The conference fee is $395 per person if registered by Friday July 21. After that date, the fee is $425 per pers on. To register, go t o www.kvsinfo.com and select the “User Conference 2006” image shown above. Then click on Register Online or Print Registration Form, if you prefer to register by mail. Make your hotel reservations before July 29 and ask for the KVS User Group rate to save approximately $70 per room. For more information, please call Terri Zaprowski at 800-999-9587 or email [email protected]. Children of KVS employees came to work with their parents on April 27 for “Bring Your Child To Work Day”. Meeting with KVS President Ed Warnke, seated, from left, are: Dean Gionis; Carter Jones; Joey Balbierz; Matt Weimer; and Melanie Fonner. President’s Message by Ed Warnke We are becoming very excited about the planning of the 2006 KVS User Conference, as it has been two years since we hosted the last one in August of 2004. In those two years, KVS has redefined itself as a state-of-the-art solution provider, with the 2005 introduction of the Enterprise Financial Management System and the momentum of over 30 implementations. The introduction of the Enterprise General Receipts at this year’s conference will be another example of that progress. At the same time, we have also completed over 300 enhancements in virtually every module in the system, as well as many interfaces with third party products. All of these applications and enhancements will be reviewed in the 50 workshop and training sessions scheduled for the conference, and I encourage you to attend the three-day meeting, as it will be a valuable, informationpacked event. Over the next few months, KVS will attend many of the conferences and trade shows in your area. Please stop by and give us your feedback as to how we can improve our relationship with your community. In the meantime, if you have any suggestions or comments, you can email them directly to me at [email protected] . KVS Hotline In The Spotlight Support Team - Financial Management The new product and ever-growing the developers and especially make representatives visited various client number of Enterprise version clients use of Oracle Project Leader Dennis sites for training, they discovered over the past year has led KVS to Ching’s expertise, as the capabilities that there was a need for additional expand its Financial Management of the Oracle software are still being flexibility within the purchasing apsupport efforts by adding some new realized. proval process. A set of specificapositions. tions was soon created by support Currently, the team is made up reps and developers and was sent of Support Representatives Mark to the clients to review. After Wozniak, Carrie Hamill and support reviewed and incorpoKelly Hanna, Quality Assurance rated the clients’ changes, the Specialist Carol Abato, and Condevelopers went to work proversion Specialist Denise Margramming the new enhancements. shall. While Mark, Carrie and Once testing was completed, Kelly support the software and Carol gave an overview of the train clients, Carol’s time is primodule to the support reps. Evemarily spent testing the software ryone’s participation resulted in and Denise is dedicated to the the new Workflow Processing conversion of client data for StanModule which was just released dard version clients upgrading to The Enterprise Support Team, from left: Carrie Hamill, in May. Enterprise. “Like with all of our systems, Carol Abato, Kelly Hanna, Mark Wozniak and Denise The team’s efforts are assisted Marshall. we listen to clients and that’s by Project Managers Catie dewhat leads to the success of the The Financial Management SupGuehery and Joanne Jones, who are software,” Ida noted. Client input at port team operates a little differently involved with coordinating dates for the regional and national user conferfrom the rest of support in that it has both the conversion process and ences has also contributed to Finanan additional layer of testing intraining schedule. Recently, Support cial Management software enhancevolved. While the rest of the support Analyst Hilary Hansen has been rements. team tests all changes immediately cruited to educate the developers on Although there have been some after programming by the developthe KVS General Receipts system bumps in the road, such as issues ers, Carol’s position in the Financial which will be unveiled in the Enterwith year-end processing encumManagement team provides a quality prise version at the upcoming nabrance carry-overs, Ida said clients assurance testing phase first. Once tional conference in August. In addiare extremely satisfied with the prodshe has approved the software, it tion, KVS has created another supuct overall. “I think it’s important to then goes to the representatives for port representative position to keep point out that there may have been further testing. Carol is also involved up with the increase of clients. bumps, but they have been worked with internal review and training of “It’s really a group effort between out and client satisfaction is very new features which often involves the developers, support reps and the high,” she stated. That success, Ida interactive discussions. clients,” said KVS Vice President of added, can be attributed to a support “There is probably more interacOperations Ida Taylor about the Fiteam of people who work hard at tion because the product is new,” Ida nancial Management support objecresolving issues to the clients’ satissaid. For example, when support tive. Team members often work with faction. repre See our Next Issue for Support Challenge 2006 Results 2 KVS Hotline PROFILE: Carol Abato When Carol Abato was hired in 2002, her position of Quality Assurance Specialist for the Enterprise version was a brand new one at KVS. Situated as a testing “middle man” between the Enterprise developers and support representatives, Carol acts as a communicator, involved in customer requests, testing the software, and discussing the feasibility of implementing changes with the developers. “I was skeptical about adding a testing person to the Enterprise team initially,” explained Ida Taylor, Vice President of Operations. The position’s prescribed lack of interaction with the clients concerned her. Could Carol’s input be in the best interest of the client, rather than her own personal opinions? But it is precisely Carol’s interest in the needs of each client that has led to having more involvement with them, and to her success. “She is very focused on meeting the clients needs and it surprised me!” Ida stressed. “This is a role not many people could have come into and done such a great job,” she added. “I think it’s neat that I’m one of the first who gets to see the product and work with it,” Carol said when asked what she enjoys about her job. She said she finds it exciting to see something grow from an idea to a client using it. “It’s nice to know the that your hard work paid off and that you are satisfying a need or requirement for a municipality.” In Carol’s time off, she can often be found working hard in her garden. She is married with a teenage son and daughter, and lives close to KVS offices. Prior to her coming to KVS, Carol spent 24 years testing Oracle products designed for the legal industry. She found the move to be an easy transition, since some of the accounting systems were very similar, and since she was accustomed to software support and training as well. “When I started here, this was a new product which had not gone through much testing yet,” Carol said. “I was involved with training the first clients when they were going live on the system, and also have been involved with training a few support reps and programmers.” In fact, Carol will often give an overview of new software features to support reps and will train them when there is a major change or enhancement. She also assists support reps by phone when they are training at client sites, if needed, and occasionally assists with incoming client calls. “They help me too,” Carol pointed out. “We have good communication all around.” When asked about the things she finds difficult about her job, Carol couldn't think of much. “I have to switch gears a lot but I can adapt when priorities change,” she said. “I go with the flow and I think I’m a patient person for the most part.” Mark agrees. “She never seems to get rattled, no matter what the situation,” he said. A recurring comment from some of Carol’s co-workers is that she is absolutely thorough. “Carol is very detail-oriented — that’s why she 3 does a great job,” Dennis remarked. “She is the best QA I’ve worked with,” he emphasized. Considering that Carol’s job is all about checking the details which often creates more work for the developers, these glowing comments are somewhat remarkable. Carol herself conceded, “I’m looking to break the software and fix it. I double check the developers work to create a product that does what it is supposed to do.” Dennis admits that while he wouldn't say Carol makes his job any easier, she is doing exactly what she is supposed to do. “If we didn't catch the problems she catches, they would come back to haunt us 1,000 times,” he said with a laugh. “Basically what we all want is a stable product and she does contribute a lot.” “She is someone you can count on and have full faith in when she gives you the green light that something has been tested and approved up to the level of her highest of standards,” Mark stated. “She absolutely knows the system inside and out, and she is my best resource for anything Enterprise related.” ♦ Who’s Installed on Enterprise ...since our last issue: Town of Bedford, MA Borough of Hanover, PA Village of Irvington, NY Village of Millerton, NY Schuyler County, NY City of Shepherdsville, KY Village of Suffern, NY Town of Wheatfield, NY KVS Hotline KVS Welcomes New Employees Rose LeRoy has been hired as of June 1 as a Support Representative for the Enterprise Financial Management system. Welcome to the team! Fixed Assets Presentation Draws Crowd at NYS GFOA Conference Over 100 attendees at the recent New York State Government Finance Officer’s Association conference came to hear KVS President Ed Warnke speak on “Tracking Your Fixed Assets.” Warnke delivered the presentation on April 11 at the annual conference in Albany, NY. The presentation focused not only on the requirement to identify and inventory assets, but how to implement a systematic approach to record inventoried assets, capital assets, and composite assets, and the impact on reporting capital assets. This was the fourth time that Warnke presented at the conference, and the topic he selected was met with great interest. As a result, the NYS GFOA has invited Warnke to submit an article on the topic for publication in their quarterly magazine. The magazine, called The Newsletter, is distributed to over 1,100 GFOA members. “I think this topic draws interest because many municipalities have partially implemented an asset tracking system for GASB 34 reporting purposes, but have struggled to consistently maintain an asset tracking system,” said Warnke. Look for Warnke’s article in the next issue of The Newsletter. Client Interaction Was Highlight of 2006 WNY User Group by Bill Becker, Regional Marketing Manager Thirteen local communities were represented at the day-long Western New York KVS User Group, held May 2 at the Village of Orchard Park, NY. Government employees from the City of Jamestown in the southern tier spanning to the Town of Pendleton in the north took advantage of this opportunity to share experiences and review KVS software. KVS President Ed Warnke began the meeting with an update on the state of the company and discussed the progress of the Enterprise systems. He reviewed the steps clients need to take to upgrade to the Enterprise Edition, and gave an overview of the next KVS systems to be developed for the new version. I then gave a short demonstration on the Enterprise Budget Preparation module. Dave Lessinger, KVS Director of Client Services and Support, presented some of the 400 plus enhancements and upgrades made to the systems over the past year. Clients reported that this provides them with a refresher on enhancements that they may have missed at the time when they were first released. This was the first local user conference among clients using the Enterprise Financial Management system, and KVS Vice President of Operations Ida Taylor showed our current Enterprise clients the latest enhancements that have been made to the software. Nearly all of the attendees stated that what they liked best about the meeting was the interaction with other municipalities, and the opportunity to get each other’s input. In some cases, client questions were answered by other clients, confirming the important benefits of this type of exchange. Many of the clients said they have made plans to attend the national user conference in August and said they are looking forward to the three day event. KVS would like to thank the Village of Orchard Park and Donna Shine for hosting the user group. Thank you also to the attendees for submitting your comments and suggestions, all of which will be taken into consideration for future conferences. KVS Clients Attend National GFOA In Montreal by Dean Gionis, Regional Marketing Manager The National GFOA 100th Annual Conference was held May 7-10 in Montreal, Canada. KVS President Ed Warnke and myself attended and showcased the Enterprise Financial Management System as an exhibitor at the event. We were very pleased to see several clients there, including Peter Naum (Bedford, MA), Marcus Serrano (Peekskill, NY), Steve Conti (Pound Ridge, NY), Marion DeMaio and Sandra Gomez (Ardsley, NY) and Jim Mills (Watertown, NY). The event attracted hundreds of guests from the US and Canada, and also hosted representatives from the 4 Middle East and Europe. Municipal finance officials and managers are brought together at the conference for educational sessions led by internationally recognized authorities and consultants. The event affords an opportunity for networking with vendors in a trade show setting. KVS has participated in this event for many years, as it is an excellent forum to keep in touch with our clients and to make contact with other municipalities that may be looking to improve their information technology solutions. User Conference 2006 TO: All KVS Clients DATE: June 27, 2006 SUBJECT: 2006 KVS National User Conference The entire staff at KVS is pleased to personally invite you to share in the excitement of the 2006 KVS National User Conference. Enclosed in this packet: Registration Form 3-day Conference Agenda Workshop/Seminar Descriptions Haven’t registered yet? Training & Planning Sessions available include the following topics: • • • • • • • • • Unveiling Enterprise General Receipts Hands-on training Enterprise Edition - Financial Management Planning session for KVS Enterprise Phase IIB – Centralized Collection KVS System Enhancement Review and Enhancement Planning Technical Update and Workshops Application Training • Payroll – FLSA, Benefit Tracking, Human Resource • Centralized Collections – Reporting, Tax Title • Fixed Assets – GASB Reporting • Grant / Capital Project / Escrow Multi-Year Tracking and Reporting Cyberquery Training – New class formats Third Party Vendors Open meeting room schedules Important Deadline – July 29, 2006: • • Early Registration Discount expires KVS Conference Special Hotel Room Rate expires Contact Information: Conference registration questions: Conference questions / suggestions: Hotel information and reservations: Buffalo visitor information: [email protected] [email protected] Buffalo/Niagara Marriott 1340 Millersport Hwy. Amherst, NY 14221 Phone: 800-334-4040 Or Register On-line at www.buffaloniagaramariott.com (Group Code KVSKVSA) www.buffaloathome.com COCKTAILS DINNER & ENTERTAINMENT RETURN BUS LOADING (Standard and Enterprise edition) Budget Prep Cyberquery Whys & How of Preparing for Enterprise - GIS Mapping Integration of KVS Systems BREAK System Requirements & Licensing 3:00 – 3:15 p.m. Enhancement / Local Conference Review Tips & Tricks 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. 9:30 – 10:00 p.m. Training Camp for the New KVS Client Financial Management General Ledger & Multi-Year Tracking Enterprise Centralized Collection BUS LOADING 3:154:45 1:153:00 Training Session 4:45 – 5:15 p.m. KVS Demonstrations Schedule a Meeting One-on-One w/Support Client to Client B – Boardroom C, D – upstairs Ballroom B, C, D Windows VISTA KVS Web Site Internet Cafe Exhibit Area Ballroom III LUNCH - By the Pool (weather permitting) – Alternate Ballroom IV 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Ballroom II Technology Update BREAK Enterprise General Receipts 10:00 – 10:30 a.m. 10:30 – 10:45 a.m. 10:45 – 11:45 a.m. Ballroom I REGISTRATION - Ballroom V Welcome/State of the Company Agenda Review/Operations Update 8:30 – 9:00 a.m. 9:00 – 9:30 a.m. 9:30 – 10:00 a.m. Enterprise Security, Setup & Workflow Bells & Whistles of Formatting Cyberquery Ballroom V AGENDA – August 21, 2006 Spec Session Electric to UB – Combined Billing Training Camp for the Newly Hired KVS User (upstairs) (Boardroom) FLSA Processing & Setup Payroll – Training Session (Benefits Accrued, Benefits Paid & Attendance) User Defined Setup, Benefit Tracking Setup & Reporting Payroll / Human Resource– Training Session Ballroom E Ballroom A Day 1 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. KVS Demonstrations One-on-One w/Support Client to Client Schedule a Meeting B – Boardroom C, D – upstairs Ballroom B, C, D Windows VISTA KVS Web Site Internet Cafe Vendors Exhibit Area 8:30 – 9:00 a.m. 3:454:45 2:303:30 1:152:15 10:4511:45 9:0010:30 Cyberquery Beginner Enterprise Financials Training Session PR – Position Control & PR Projection Setup Payroll Cyberquery Beginner Enhancement / Local Conference Review Tips & Tricks Payroll Ballroom V Enhancement / Local Conference Review Tips & Tricks BREAK Utility Billing Enterprise Centralized Collection Planning Session HAPPY HOUR @ Vendor Exhibit Area Vendor Session 3:30 – 3:45 p.m. Vendor Session Disaster Recovery Planning LUNCH – Ballroom IV Fixed Asset Management – GFOA Tracking Matrix Imaging Solutions Outsourcing Document Processing Ballroom III Enterprise Budget Preparation 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Training Session Collections & Utility Billing Cyberquery Beginner Ballroom II Enhancement / Local Conference Review BOLT Enhancement / Local Conference Review Parking Tickets Collection – Add’l Features & Reporting Training Session PAFR, AltSorts, Comm tracking, Financial Management Reporting Training Session Ballroom I VISIT THE VENDORS - Breakfast AGENDA – August 22, 2006 Enterprise System Administration UB Work Order Training Session Accounts Receivable Training Session Sneak Peek Microsoft Windows VISTA Enhancement / Local Conference Review Enterprise Fixed Asset Management Training Session Enterprise Purchasing Training Session - Followed by Hands On - Enterprise General Receipts Training Session (upstairs) (Boardroom) Permits & Inspections Ballroom E Ballroom A Day 2 KVS Demonstrations One-on-One w/Support Client to Client Schedule a Meeting B – Boardroom C, D – upstairs Ballroom B, C, D Windows VISTA KVS Web Site Internet Cafe Vendors Exhibit Area 2:004:00 11:0012:30 9:3010:45 Enterprise Workflow Management Training Session Enhancement / Local Conference Review Financial Management Enterprise Edition (repeated session) Bells & Whistles of Formatting Cyberquery Ballroom III N/A N/A Ballroom V Enterprise Bank Reconciliation Management Training Session N/A LUNCH – Ballroom IV Vendor Session On-line Collection Via Web Sites Vendor Session 12:45 – 1:45 p.m. Advanced Features Cyberquery Ballroom II CONFERENCE CLOSING REMARKS – Ballroom IV 9:00 – 9:15 a.m. Ballroom I VISIT THE VENDORS – Breakfast 8:30 – 9:00 a.m. (upstairs) (Boardroom) Debt Relief & Retirement Module Spec Session PR – Quarterly & Year End Balancing Training Session Massachusetts’ Tax Title Processing (repeated session) Enterprise Centralized Collection Planning Session Enhancement / Local Conference Review Financial Management Standard Edition Ballroom E Ballroom A Day 3 Training Session AGENDA – August 23, 2006 Cyberquery – Advanced Features Cyberquery Advanced training will take you to the next level. Learn about using parameter entry, defining fields, file interaction and more. This workshop is recommended for current users of the report writer. Cyberquery – Beginner – By System Cyberquery Beginner level training will include the basic use of Cyberquery Version 7.21, creating a sample report, and report sharing on the KVS web site. This workshop is recommended for users new to the report writer. Cyberquery – Bells & Whistles of Formatting Cyberquery Bells & Whistles will include the formatting of reports with Cyberquery Version 7.21and exporting to Excel. Cyberquery – Budget Preparation Reports – Standard and Enterprise Edition Cyberquery provides alternate formatting for your budget preparation reports. This session will focus on the creation of these reports using multiple year comparisons and will incorporate some of the bells and whistles of the formatting session. Debt Relief Retirement Module - Spec Session Interested in this new module? Join our advisory team to discuss the requirements for a new Debt Relief and Retirement module to record and track BANs and Bonds issued, amortized and integrated with the Budget and General Ledger modules. Disaster Recovery Planning This session will discuss the steps necessary to get you up and running after a disaster or system failure. We will review what data should be backed up and when, what software products will be needed, offsite storage, and running your KVS applications from an off-site location. Electric to Utility Billing - Combined Billing - Spec Session You wanted one system to bill utilities and electric. Join us to review this new enhancement which includes the option for one consumer master file, combined registers and bills, and more. Enhancement / Local Conference Reviews – By System - Tips and Tricks Enhancement Reviews are a 3-part workshop to include a review of completed enhancements, questions and specific procedural items from regional conferences and discussion of suggested and planned enhancements. We’ll also be reviewing some tips and tricks that you may not know about. Enterprise Centralized Collection - Planning Session Phase 2B of the Enterprise enhancement is ready to begin and we want your input. Join us to review possible enhancements to the Centralized Collection system as we begin to upgrade it to our Enterprise version. Enterprise System Administration This session will discuss system administration procedures for clients using Enterprise. Topics will include proper backup and restore procedures, installing KVS updates and patches, verifying the current software level, printing, and a review of supporting system requirements such as IIS, Internet Explorer, and Adobe Acrobat Reader. Enterprise – Security, Setup and Workflow This session will focus on the various options available in User Security, Group Security, Municipal Workflow and approval and the newest KVS Module – Group Workflow Processing. Whether you are a current user or anticipating conversion, this session will provide options to consider. Fixed Asset Management – GFOA Tracking Join our very own President, Ed Warnke, for a repeat performance of the presentation he gave at the New York State GFOA conference. This session will address what to consider when automating the recording of additions, transfers and disposals of inventory and capital assets. GIS Mapping Integration of KVS Systems Learn how to integrate the KVS Systems such as Compass - Assessment Administration, Permits & Inspections, etc., with GIS systems via the currently available AcuODBC option. This workshop will discuss the specifics and advantages of this integration. Microsoft Windows VISTA – Sneak Peek This session will introduce you to the upcoming release of Microsoft Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 12. Both are considered major product releases – the discussion will include a brief overview of new features, major changes and enhancements, system requirements, new version feature list, and upgrade options. Training Camp for the New KVS Client This workshop is focused on the municipality who will be working with KVS for the first time. It will include a corporate review, management overview on the integration available, and information on the services provided to ensure your success. Project managers and support personnel will review the process and answer your questions. Training Camp for the Newly Hired KVS User This workshop is focused on the newly hired person who will be working with KVS for the first time. It will include a corporate review, management overview on the integration available, and information on the services provided to ensure your success. Support operations, who to call, and how to use the documentation will be only a few of the items you will become familiar with. Why & How of Preparing for Enterprise - System Requirements & Licensing This presentation will not only look at the latest system requirements, but will tell you why and how to consider implementing the new KVS Enterprise Version. We will look at hardware and system minimum requirements and recommendations for both the server and PCs. We will also discuss Oracle licensing issues – both requirements and optional products. The remainder of time will be spent “oneon-one” with your configuration. Training Sessions Accounts Receivable Do you have this system, but haven’t yet received training? This training session will cover the basic functionality, setup and maintenance of Accounts Receivable Miscellaneous Billing and Collection. Bank Reconciliation Management - Enterprise This training session will focus on the new enhancement changing Check Reconciliation to a Full Bank Reconciliation option. Budget Preparation - Enterprise Do you have this system but haven’t yet received training? This training session will cover the basic functionality, setup and maintenance of Budget Preparation. Learn how to add detail and memos to your budgets to provide a more complete information packet. Collection - Additional Features & Reporting This training session will focus on some “forgotten features” of the Centralized Collection system. Some items to be discussed include payment options such as Account Pay and Multi Pay, reporting options such as statements, and various display options including the new printing of the Current Bill Detail screen. Financial Management – General Ledger & Multi-Year Tracking Grant / Capital Projects / Escrow In addition to reviewing the enhancements of the Enterprise General Ledger, we will be discussing the availability of multi-year tracking within your general ledger. This session will include detailed review and options for setting up grants, capital projects and escrow accounts. To review multi-year tracking within Standard Edition, see registration to schedule a meeting. Financial Management Reporting - PAFR, Alt Sorts, Commodity Tracking Join municipal financial managers to discuss the availability of analysis and managerial reports available as standard options within the various KVS systems. This session will include detailed review and practical examples of using Alt Sort categories for reporting, Commodity Tracking and Public Access Financial Reporting models. Fixed Asset Management - Enterprise This training session will cover the basic functionality, setup and maintenance of Fixed Asset recording, depreciation, transfers and disposals. General Receipts - Enterprise After seeing the completed Enterprise General Receipts module, join us for a more in-depth review. We’re also allowing some play time for this latest Enterprise phase. Massachusetts’ Tax Title Processing With help from our MA clients to the East, we’ve completed the changes for Tax Title processing. Join us to review the setup, processing and reporting options available. Payroll – FLSA Processing & Setup Interested in paying adjustments according to the Fair Labor Standards Act? This session will outline the processing and calculation of FLSA. Setup procedures will be reviewed to help you implement. Payroll - Quarterly & Year End Balancing Tired of researching problems at the end of a quarter or at W-2 time? Join KVS Payroll Support for a session on Payroll balancing! This session will outline good balancing procedures for each payroll and month-end in addition to quarterly and annual procedures. Payroll – Human Resource – User Defined Setup / Benefit Tracking Setup & Reporting (Benefits Accrued, Benefits Paid and Attendance) Do you have these systems, but haven’t yet received training? This training session will cover the basic functionality, setup and maintenance of the Human Resource Tracking, User Defined Fields, Benefit Time and Employee Benefits Paid Tracking. Payroll - Position Control & Payroll Projection Setup Do you have these systems, but haven’t yet received training? This training session will cover the basic functionality, setup and maintenance of both Position Control and Payroll Projection. Learn how to track information based on positions available, including vacant, and then apply new rates and update to Budget Preparation. Purchasing - Enterprise Ready to implement Enterprise? This training session will cover the basic changes in Accounts Payable, Purchase Order and Requisitions from the Standard to Enterprise Edition. UB Work Order Do you have this system, but haven’t yet received training? This training session will cover the basic functionality, setup and maintenance of Utility Meter Work Orders. Workflow Management - Enterprise Workflow is taken to the user level. The standard Enterprise allows for approvals by municipality. Now with this new module, it’s taken to the user level. If you have different approval or quote requirements for different departments, see how this new module will help you. Vendor Sessions Matrix Imaging Solutions – Outsourcing Document Processing Matrix Imaging Solutions will discuss the benefits of outsourcing your document printing and mailing. On-line Collection via Municipal Web Site KVS interfaces for an Internet-based application that enables municipalities to collect property and school taxes directly from the taxpayer through the municipal web site. There is no third-party collection of payment, no credit card discount and no taxpayer transaction fee or surcharge. Exhibit Area Internet Café Log on, check messages, check out the KVS website or just surf the net. KVS Website The newly updated KVS website will be available hands-on for your review. Give us your comments and suggestions. Microsoft Windows VISTA – Sneak Peek Microsoft Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 12. Both are considered major product releases – take a test flight. Vendors Visit the Booths of Supporting Vendors Schedule a Meeting Room KVS Demonstrations Need to take a look at an add-on module? Schedule a demonstration with our Regional Marketing Managers. A sign-up sheet will be available at the KVS Vendor Booth. KVS / Client or Client to Client Meetings Schedule a meeting room with KVS or reserve a meeting room to meet with one or more clients. A sign up sheet will be available. Sign-up will begin at Registration and will remain available throughout the conference. User Conference 2006 Registration Form Register Today! KVS User Conference 2006 When: August 21 – 23, 2006 9:00 a.m. Where: Buffalo/Niagara Marriott Registration Fee: $425 for three days Register by July 21st and it’s only $395 ! Dinner at “Beaver Island Clubhouse” – August 21 (Dinner for guests available at additional charge) Registration Includes Continental Breakfast and Lunch Each Day Make your hotel reservations now! Buffalo/Niagara Marriott 1340 Millersport Hwy. Amherst, NY 14221 Phone: 800-334-4040 (Ask for KVS USER GROUP RATE) - RESERVING UNTIL 7/29/06 - Room Rate - $106 / Night - ***$179/ Night after 7/29/06*** - Free Airport Shuttle - Free Parking Or Register On-line at www.buffaloniagaramariott.com (Group Code KVSKVSA) Registration available on-line at www.kvsinfo.com or by mail using the form below: KVS Information Systems, Inc. Attn: User Conference 2006 821 Maple Road, Williamsville, New York 14221 KVS User Conference 2006 Registration Form Name: Fee Enclosed: $ Municipality: Bill Me Later: $ PO #: Attending Dinner: (Included In Registration Fee) (Circle One) No. of Addl. Guests at $50 each Yes No ___I will not be attending. Please remove my name from the conference mailing list. User Conference 2006 Meeting Room Request Municipality: ___________________________________________ Contact Person: ___________________________________________ Please schedule a meeting room for the following: (For training opportunities, please see conference agenda.) Sales Demonstration for the following modules:Payroll Projection / Position Control Attendance Tracking CRM – Citizen Response Management Requisitions Work Order Management Budget Preparation Permits & Inspections Fixed Asset Management Tax Collection Accounts Receivable UB – Electronic Debit Payment Other: Meeting for the following: Subject: Client Attendees: KVS requested attendees: Support Tech Support Joanne Jones, Implementation Project Manager Catie DeGuehery, Implementation Project Manager Cheryl Weimer, Implementation Manager Dave Lessinger, Director of Client Services and Support Jerry Fonner, Director of Technical Services Ida Taylor, Vice President – Operations Ed Warnke, President Other, ___________________________________________ I would like to schedule during the following timeframe: (Please include date and times) Please tear this form out and fax to 716-626-1973. KVS Information Systems, Inc. Phone (716) 626-1976 Fax (716) 626-1973 KVS Hotline PA Awards COSTARS Contract To KVS The Pennsylvania Department of General Services (DGS) recently awarded KVS a COSTARS-6 Software Contract. This makes it possible for municipalities in Pennsylvania who are members of the COSTARS program to purchase KVS software. COSTARS stands for Cooperative Sourcing to Achieve Reductions in Spending. It is a service provided by the PA DGS for local procurement units throughout the state to purchase supplies and services from vendors awarded contracts. These local public units can register for the service for free at www.dgs.state.pa.us/ costars. By registering, local agencies can take advantage of lower prices, have the assurance of using established vendors without the need for bids, and benefit from a broad selection of suppliers and a simplified purchasing process. An agency can make a purchase simply by issuing a purchase order directly to the contract supplier. Currently, there are over 3,000 local public procurement units taking advantage of the contracts and these benefits. KVS is one of only a few software vendors recently awarded the four-year contract. News of contract award was a frequent topic of interest at the PA GFOA State Conference in May, which was attended by KVS Regional Marketing Manager Bill Becker. Southeastern User Group Led To Many Enhancement Ideas by Bob Milheim, Regional Marketing Manager The Lexington History Museum in Lexington, KY, was a charming setting for the Southeastern KVS User Group, held April 11. The day-long conference was attended by 24 KVS clients from all across Kentucky and Ohio. After a company update by KVS President Ed Warnke and an overview of the Enterprise Budget Preparation module by myself, KVS Director of Client Services & Support Dave Lessinger reviewed program enhancements from the past year. Many clients took advantage of this opportunity to share enhancement suggestions for the software. Their requests will soon be posted on the KVS website located under UG Info and “Regional Replies” in the dropdown box. These suggestions will also be presented for discussion at the 2006 KVS User Conference in August. Software demonstrations were presented in another area of the museum for any interested parties. It was great to see many of our longtime clients and the many new ones interact, and we hope to see all of you in Buffalo this summer. Indiana Conference Provides Networking Opportunities By Bob Milheim As many as 210 Indiana clerk treasurers attended the Indiana League of Municipal Clerk Treasurers (ILMCT) Conference held April 23 at the Marriott Hotel and the Century Convention Center in South Bend Bend, IN. This activity packed event was an excellent opportunity for KVS to spread the word about its software solutions in Indiana. The conference agenda featured See Indiana on page 7 5 Welcome New Clients Village of Suffern, NY Village of Holley, NY Mentor Public Library, OH Willoughby-Eastlake Public Library, OH Euclid Public Library, OH Upcoming Shows & Conferences Visit KVS Regional Marketing Managers at the following sites: Pennsylvania League of Cities June 21-23 Pittsburgh, PA Bill Becker Tennessee Municipal League June 25-27 Nashville, TN Bob Milheim Association of Public Treasurers of the US & Canada July 22-26 Memphis, TN Bob Milheim PMAA Annual Conference & Trade Show Sept. 10-13 Hershey, PA Bill Becker Tennessee GFOA October 25-27 Franklin, TN Bob Milheim KVS Hotline Technical Update by Jerry Fonner, Director of Technical Services Take A Tour of the KVS Support Forum After welcoming many new customers over the past year, we felt that it would be a good time to take a tour of the KVS Online Support Forum. The KVS Support Forum is a secured site within the KVS website – www.kvsinfo.com, and is designed for use by our customers and support staff. From any page on our website, you can either click on the Support Forum link in the red bar at the top of the screen, or go the Support tab and click on Sign In. If you do not have a username and password, simply click on the Request Access link and we will create an account for you. answers to some of the most common support questions in each category. Under the Technical section, you’ll find installation instructions for AcuGT, Cyberquery, and Oracle, as well as many other technical support documents. The Support Staff link is next. This page lists each support representative along with their area of expertise. It also lists modules with the names of who supports each product. Email links are available for each representative, and clicking on the person’s name will take you to their bio listed on the Staff Bios page, the next link. the Support Forum is the Submit New Incident drop-down. Use this to submit new support incidents over the internet by category. Incidents submitted through the website are automatically forwarded to the lead support rep for each category. Support reps will respond via email or phone if necessary. As you can see, the KVS Online Support Forum is full of useful information and is continually being expanded. We welcome your suggestions on how to further enhance our online support capabilities. AcuPrint Discontinuing Support for Version 2.x Screen shot of Support Forum site at www.kvsinfo.com Once signed in, the Enhancements page displays a list of selected system enhancements which is updated regularly. Customers can then use the links in the yellow Support tab bar to navigate to other information quickly. The next page that you will come to is the CQCS Reports page, which lists Cyberquery reports that have been developed by both KVS support representatives and customers. The reports are listed by category, with each one showing a sample, a description of its purpose, and the query code required to create it. The FAQ pages are the destination of the next link. Selecting a category from the drop-down list will display an- Current User Group information can be found by clicking on the UG Info link on the Support tab. This page has information about the upcoming national KVS User Conference, and about each of our regional user groups. Select the region from the drop-down box or select Regional Replies for details on issues that were raised at recent conferences. The last link on the Support Tab takes you to our FTP site allowing you to transfer files to/from our secured ftp server. One of our representatives can assist you with this feature. Also available from every page in 6 AcuPrint recently announced that they will be discontinuing support for their version 2.x product line. This product has been in use since 1998 and is currently being used by a number of KVS customers. KVS has worked out an agreement with AP Technologies to extend support through the end of the year allowing customers time to budget for the upgrade. The extension will also give them an opportunity to learn about their new product, SecureCheck Pro, at the KVS User Conference this August. SecureCheck Pro offers numerous enhancements including a new secure watermark feature, additional print elements, and several new add-on options. Add-ons include Secure Software Print which is a software only version of AcuPrint that supports any PCL5e compatible printer, and Secure Image which produces a .PDF image of your AcuPrint forms. KVS has secured special upgrade pricing for our customers. Pricing and upgrade information is available through your KVS Marketing Manager. KVS Hotline had to change the deduction amount once, but thought it was changed back. Caller’s Corner by Dave Lessinger General Ledger - Standard Q: I’m planning on closing out my year end but was not sure what reports to balance to. A: A copy of the month end and year end balancing procedures can be found on the Support tab of the KVS website under General Ledger FAQs. These can be used as a guide to help with balancing. Payroll/Human Resources Q: An employee’s state retirement deduction was under-withheld. I What’s Hot A: The deduction amount was previously changed in Deduction File Maintenance and should not have been. For one time changes, use the F7 Deduction key in Transaction Entry. Collection Q: A payment was collected on Feb. 28, but should have been entered as March 1. A void for the payment was entered on March 1, rather than Feb. 28, accidentally. How do we fix this? sal” menu option, and void the original payment on Feb. 28. Then reenter the payment on March 1. Indiana (cont’d from page 5) classes on human resources policies and break out sessions by the IN State Board of Accounts School on topics such as utility billing, collection and budget preparation. The League elected new officers for next year, and the conference was an obvious success for the clerk’s and vendors attending, with meaningful training and networking opportunities. ♦ A: Reverse the void entered on March 1 using the “Receipt Rever- System Enhancements COLLECTION ENTERPRISE FINANCIALS cont’d PARKING TICKETS Send delinquent notices for user specified purposes Upload parking tickets written through T2 Parking Tickets system ELECTRIC AP/GL Distribution Report changed to have “Include” list, as in Voucher Detail Report Copy account data from an existing account to a new account Reverse option for budget adjustments Consumption updates to Collection Taxable field Year and period can be added for prepaid vouchers ENTERPRISE FINANCIALS Requisition forms can be printed Report only on vendors with 1099s printed using new “1099 Vendors Only” option in the Vendor Activity Report. Default depreciation method added to Asset Class Code setup New prompt in voucher forms print asks for Check ID range Year-To-Date Bank Report shows beginning balance, deposits, disbursements, and transfers Specific accounts or account ranges may be increased or decreased using Account Table feature GENERAL RECEIPTS Print a receipt book for a specified GL account range 7 PAYROLL New Associated Benefit prompt will report hours taken on the accrued associated benefit Time Input Worksheet Report displays in Windows format with additional reporting options Sort break options in Transaction Edit Report print the GL Distribution and Payroll Certification after each break Attach files to employee records with new attachment screen KVS Hotline KVS Makes Best Places To Work List For 2006 The collections from the KVS “dress-down” funds so far this year were distributed to “Sleepout for the Homeless,” the SPCA, the MDA Lockup, and the American Heart Association Heart Walk. Upcoming donations are planned for: May - Bikathon for Roswell June - Moving Miracles August - Avon Breast Cancer Walk Please contact Cindy Miller at cmiller@kvsinfo. com or 800-9999587 with donation suggestions. For the second year in a row, KVS was named one of the best places to work in Western New York by Business First newspaper. A finalist in the medium-size category, KVS was among only 21 other companies to make it through the qualifying process. To qualify, companies had to have a high number of employees complete an anonymous online survey focusing on topics such as team and manager effectiveness, individual contribution, and retention risk, to name a few. A market research company located in Wichita, Kansas, analyzed the responses to arrive at a final score which indicates how engaged employees feel in their jobs. Employee comments which were singled out from the surveys include the following: “KVS is a family-friendly employer which is really appreciated by the employees. Several employees have been permitted to adjust their work schedule to allow for childcare issues.” “Management truly has an open door policy and is always willing to discuss and try to solve any employee problems that arise.” KVS currently has 44 employees with 14 of them employed at the company for 10 or more years. Contributors: Bill Becker, Jerry Fonner, Dean Gionis, Dave Lessinger, Bob Milheim, and Ed Warnke. KVS Hotline is a publication of KVS Information Systems, Inc., 821 Maple Road, Williamsville, NY, 14221. Please direct all submissions, suggestions and inquiries to Newsletter Editor Stephanie Hooley. Contact KVS at (800)999-9587 or 716-626-1976, fax at 716-626-1973 or email [email protected]. 821 Maple Road Williamsville, NY 14221 KVS Information Systems Inc. 8