The QuickBooks Online test drive provides a hands-on experience, allowing you to navigate the platform and understand how it can streamline your business’s financial management. However, to make the most of this opportunity, it’s essential to approach the test drive with a plan and specific goals in mind.
By following a few strategic tips, you can ensure that your QuickBooks Online test drive is both productive and insightful. This guide will walk you through essential tips to help you get the most out of your test drive experience, ensuring that you fully understand how QuickBooks Online can meet your business needs.
Set Clear Objectives
Before you start exploring QuickBooks Online, it’s important to set clear objectives. Determine what you want to achieve from the test drive. Are you looking to understand specific features, evaluate user-friendliness, or see how well it integrates with your existing systems? Having clear goals will help you focus your exploration and ensure that you gather the necessary information to make an informed decision.
Write down a list of questions or tasks you want to accomplish during the QuickBooks Online test drive. This will serve as a roadmap, guiding you through the various features and functionalities of QuickBooks Online and ensuring that you don’t overlook any critical aspects.
Familiarize Yourself with the Dashboard
The QuickBooks Online dashboard is the central hub where you can access all the features and tools. Spend some time familiarizing yourself with the layout and navigation. Understand where key features like invoicing, expense tracking, and financial reports are located. This initial orientation will make it easier for you to navigate the software efficiently.
Take note of the customizable aspects of the dashboard. QuickBooks Online allows you to tailor the dashboard to suit your preferences, enabling you to prioritize the information that matters most to your business.
Test Invoicing and Payments
Invoicing and payment processing are core functionalities of QuickBooks Online. Create sample invoices to see how easy it is to customize and send them to clients. Test the payment processing feature to understand how clients can make payments and how these transactions are recorded in the system.
Pay attention to how QuickBooks Online handles recurring invoices and automatic payment reminders. These features can save you time and help maintain consistent cash flow, which is critical for business operations.
Explore Expense Tracking
Effective expense tracking is vital for managing your business’s finances. Use the test drive to explore how QuickBooks Online handles expense entries. Enter sample expenses, categorize them, and attach receipts. This will give you a clear picture of how the software can help you keep track of your spending and streamline your expense management process.
Check out the reporting features related to expenses. QuickBooks Online offers various reports that can provide insights into your spending patterns, helping you make informed financial decisions.
Assess Financial Reporting
One of the significant benefits of QuickBooks Online is its robust financial reporting capabilities. Generate different types of reports, such as profit and loss statements, balance sheets, and cash flow reports. Assess how easy it is to customize these reports to meet your specific needs.
Evaluate the real-time nature of the reporting. QuickBooks Online updates financial data continuously, providing you with up-to-date insights that are crucial for strategic planning and decision-making.
Test Bank Reconciliation
Bank reconciliation is a critical task for ensuring the accuracy of your financial records. During the test drive, connect a sample bank account and test the reconciliation process. Understand how QuickBooks Online matches your bank transactions with your recorded entries and how discrepancies are handled.
This exercise will give you a sense of how much time you can save with automated bank reconciliation and how it can improve the accuracy of your financial management.
Evaluate Integration Capabilities
Many businesses use multiple software applications to manage different aspects of their operations. Test how well QuickBooks Online integrates with other tools you use, such as CRM systems, payment processors, and e-commerce platforms. This will help you understand the level of compatibility and how seamless the integration process is.
Check the availability of third-party apps in the QuickBooks Online app store. A wide range of integrations can enhance the functionality of QuickBooks Online and provide a more comprehensive solution for your business.
Simulate Payroll Processing
If payroll management is a crucial part of your business, use the test drive to explore QuickBooks Online’s payroll features. Run a sample payroll to understand how the software calculates wages, withholds taxes, and manages benefits. Evaluate the ease of generating payroll reports and filing payroll taxes.
Testing the payroll features will help you assess whether QuickBooks Online can handle your payroll needs efficiently and accurately.
Utilize Customer Support
During your test drive, make use of QuickBooks Online’s customer support resources. This includes help articles, tutorials, and customer service representatives. Evaluate the responsiveness and helpfulness of the support options available. Good customer support is essential for resolving issues quickly and ensuring smooth operations.
Engaging with customer support during the test drive will also give you an idea of the level of assistance you can expect if you decide to subscribe to QuickBooks Online..
Discover why signing up for a QuickBooks Online test drive is beneficial.
Conclusion
If you’re ready to subscribe to QuickBooks Online, the Paygration team is here to help. We offer a comprehensive test drive, exclusive discounts, free consultation, and ongoing support to ensure that you make the most of this powerful accounting software. Our experts are available to guide you through the process, answer any questions, and provide personalized recommendations based on your business needs. Talk to our experts at 866-949-7267 or click the link below to get started.
Not using QuickBooks Online? Try it for 30 days FREE!
Just register for the free trial below and we will send you everything you need to evaluate QuickBooks Online including 30-day access, the full 76-page QuickBooks Online Guide (details everything that you can do in the software) plus the video training library. Free end-to-end consultation and support are included so if you need any help along the way, just let us know!