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KEYSTONE TOPS 150 TRUCKING CLIENTS |
 We want
to thank all our new and "old" clients for making this another growth year for Keystone Systems. Like many of you, we have had to work harder to get the sales this year, but the results have been gratifying. We now have over 150 Trucking clients in twenty-five states. We also have about 15 Battery Distributor/Dealers throughout the country. |
 Many clients switch from competing trucking packages because they lack accounting integrity or efficient flow of information. Several clients had been using generic accounting packages like QuickBooks or Peachtree. While these are great business accounting packages for small service or inventory-based businesses, they just are not designed to meet the special needs of a trucking business. As a result, much of the work needs to be handled through separate stand-alone programs and/or spreadsheets, resulting in inefficient and error-prone multiple handling of the same information.
About 1/3 of our new sales came from referrals from existing clients. We appreciate the vote of confidence! The other new sales resulted from leads generated by the direct mail pieces we send out and from our web site (www.KeystoneTruckSoftware.com).
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WE LISTENED TO YOU! 132 SUGGESTIONS IMPLEMENTED IN 2001 |
 During the past year we implemented 132 software changes that came from you, our clients. That is twice the number of suggestions (63) that were implemented in 2000. The suggestions that were implemented are: 40 in Trucking; 13 in Accounts Payable; 9 in Payroll; 5 in General Ledger; 4 in Maintenance; 4 in Accounts Receivable; 3 in Dispatch Central; 39 in Battery; 11 System changes and 4 miscellaneous changes.
As you may know, we keep a suggestion list that is continually updated as we receive suggestions from our clients. Most of the suggestions come from training and support conversations. We compile a list of all suggestions and then we review that list and rank the suggestions based on several factors. The suggestions with the highest rankings are the ones that get added to the software. |
 As the changes are made to the software, they are documented on the Software Update list. To review the complete list of the 132 suggestions implemented last year, depress the LATEST SOFTWARE CHANGES button on the login screen for any program.
The Software Update list will tell you about new reports, new ways to research information in the system, etc. Are you having trouble allocating a check you received from a customer? You can now look up how other payments have been allocated to that customer from the allocation screen itself. Have you run the new Changes in Financial Position Statement yet?
EDI, LOAD STATUS ON THE WEB, QUOTES, TIRE INVENTORY, INVESTOR SETTLEMENTS AND BAR CODING These six add-on features expanded the list of our additional software offering this year. Although these additional features may not be useful to all our clients, they are available to anyone who wants to add them to their existing package. |
UPDATING HELP TOOK MOST AMOUNT OF TIME Updating the Help files (F1) took the most amount of time this year. We are still reviewing the Help files to fill in any holes and this will be a continuous process. The Help files are a valuable tool for you when training new employees or just to find out more details on a subject. Just depress the F1 function key for more information on any screen.
MOST POPULAR CHANGE WAS RIGHT CLICK ON FIND!! The right click on the Find button was by far the most popular change we made this year, probably because it saves the most amount of time. To use the feature, just right click with your mouse on the Find button (instead of the normal left click) and you will return to the same spot in the lookup screen for the program you are in, instead of at the start of the list. Give this a try if you haven't already discovered it's convenience.
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 We love to hear what you think about our software. Here are some recent comments from clients:
"This software has really helped us recruit and retain higher quality drivers. Prospective drivers often complain about the lack of documentation they have received from other trucking companies. While they are talking, I print out a sample settlement and pass it to them. They can't believe the level of information. This allows our drivers and owner operators to stay on top of their costs and profitability." (Client since April, 1996, 40 trucks)
"I don't mind at all talking to your prospective customers when you give our name as a reference. Not only do I hope to enhance your business, but also to help make their daily workloads a little lighter." (Client since May, 1990, 90 trucks)
"If I were starting another trucking company, the first thing I would do is go out & buy Keystone Truck Software!" (Client since January, 2001, 15 trucks) |
"When they told me which drivers they were auditing, I knew exactly how many 70-hr violations there would be and knew the company was within the percentage allowance. The software is working great!" (Client since October, 2000, while having his 1st DOT audit. 85 trucks)
"My favorite part of Keystone is the continuity of data throughout the system. We put a load in dispatch and don't have to worry about it again. It goes where it needs to." (Client since January, 2000, 9 trucks)
Please continue to let us know what you think! And remember, if you refer a prospect that results in a new sale for Keystone, your company can get a $250 (or more) credit toward your Management Package costs!
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By now, most of you will have entered the new rates for Federal Withholding taxes and new rates for your State(s) taxes. If you have not added a new record for your state taxes because your withholding rates did not change, take the time to check your SUTA and Worker's Comp rates. If your SUTA and/or Worker's Comp rates have changed, you should add a new State rate record. All the numbers from the previous year carry forward so all you have to do is edit the numbers that changed.
To make sure all your rates are accruing correctly and that the payroll taxes are correct, run your quarterly payroll reports after you do your first payroll for the new year, and check the numbers. It will be much easier to fix any problems you have with your quarterlies before you enter more payrolls and before any months in 2001 have been closed! Pay particular attention to your "taxable" amounts and make sure deductions from 401(k) Plans, Simple IRA's and 125b's are being treated correctly.
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 While January brings a new beginning for a lot of things, it can also add a lot of stress to our lives. If you are on a calendar year for your accounting, you are rushing to get all the year-end numbers crunched so you can get the information to your accountant. Keystone software is designed to automatically "closes" the year for you and you can continue with your daily transactions for the new month as usual. It is also the time of the year that you are required to distribute W-2's to your employees and 1099's to your non-employees.
Sometimes in the rush to close out the previous year, we get careless and don't pay enough attention to details until it is too late. Keystone software offers a very flexible package in that data entry errors can be corrected before you print your W-2's or 1099's. But, there is a catch! Before you close the Accounts Payable and Payroll packages, you need to run preliminary W-2's and 1099's to make sure all the numbers are correct. |
You can run and/or print either of these reports an unlimited number of times without "messing" anything up! And you can continue processing your regular daily work, such as running a payroll for January or writing checks in AP, without having to "final" anything for December until you are ready.
Please take the time to review your W-2's and 1099's before you close Payroll or Accounts Payable for December. Until the package is closed, you still have the ability to change the amounts reported on these forms. If you don't take the time to review the information before closing and discover errors afterward, you will have to manually produce your forms. That could mean hours of typing multi-part forms, without errors. (Not to mention the additional expense if you have to buy more forms.)
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FIRST QUARTER 2002 HOLIDAYS |
January 14 - Martin Luther King Day
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 February 18 President's Day |
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