YOU'RE ABOUT TO LEARN HOW TO USE CLIENTS & PROFITS WITHOUT EVER HAVING TO LEAVE YOUR SEAT. This online tutorial is designed to introduce new users to Clients & Profits. It uses animation to walk users step-by-step through the basic functions of Clients & Profits: opening a new job, estimating, scheduling, entering time, tracking job costs, and billing a client.

The tutorial is divided into lessons, each one focusing on a different function (e.g., opening a new job, estimating, scheduling, adding time, etc.). Taken together, this tutorial will show you how to use the essential production and accounting functions of Clients & Profits.

Opening a new job ticket (15 min.)
The job ticket is the foundation for work done in Clients & Profits--an electronic job jacket that replaces your paper job folders. Here you'll see how to open a new job ticket.

Adding tasks to a job ticket (10 min.)
Job tasks are the individual steps needed to complete a job. Job tasks have four important functions: estimating, scheduling, cost accounting, and billing. This lesson will show you how to add them to your job ticket.

Estimating (15 min.)
Estimates are an essential part of the job tracking process, so every job should have one. A job ticket has only one estimate, but it is very flexible. Up to three estimate amounts can be entered for each task.

Job scheduling (20 min.)
Like estimates, schedules are not created independently of jobs. Instead schedules are based on a job's tasks. In this example, we'll create a "ballpark" schedule, then we'll fine-tune the job schedule for the staff's production reports.

Traffic (10 min.)
Traffic reports show jobs by status, including important dates and times. In this lesson, our new job will be given a "work in progress" status to add it to the Daily Job Status and Weekly Traffic reports.

Tracking time (20 min.)
Daily time keeping is important because it's the only way to know how everyone in the shop spends their time. In this example, you'll enter today's hours into your Daily Time Card.

Writing a purchase order (15 min.)
Purchase orders account for purchases you make from vendors on a client's behalf. They are not required by Clients & Profits, but give you control over your purchases. In this lesson, you'll add a purchase order, print it, add a small revision, then reprint the order one last time.

Job costing for vendor purchases (15 min.)
When you buy something from a vendor on credit, the vendor's invoice is added into Accounts Payable. Invoices for job costs are added into A/P as they are received each day. In this example, you'll add the job cost invoice, check its net and gross amounts, then proof and post it.

Writing job cost checks (15 min.)
Writing checks for job costs is similar to writing checks to vendors. But checks for job costs don't pay outstanding A/P invoices. Here, we'll cut a check to a freelance artist who is not an established vendor.

Billing a job ticket (15 min.)
A progress/final billing is a fast, easy way to invoice a job's costs. It's an express way to bill a job, without having to know, or type in, each job task. In this example, you'll create a progress billing for the job's costs to date.