Time saving tips for using Pastel Partner

Pastel Partner is full of features that should make your life a lot easier but if you don’t know how they work, you may find that you waste more time than you save. Here are some tips to help you become a more proficient Partner user.

1.Bank reconciliation

You may have noticed the abbreviations DUP, MIX and MEM in the status bar of the bank reconciliation. Read on to learn what these mean.

DUP: When you select a line or enter a value in the ‘Find By Amount’ field, the system checks whether that value is unique in the bank reconciliation that you are currently doing. If the value is not unique, the system displays DUP, indicating a duplicate amount in the reconciliation.

For example, if you enter a value of R1250, and there are multiple transactions with that amount, you have a duplicate situation. Use the ‘Reconciled’ column to reconcile the correct transaction.

MIX: The system combines transactions with the same reference regardless of whether it was a payment or receipt. The abbreviation MIX displays if the reference is used on both receipt and payment transactions when you select the line.

MEM: If you have more than 1000 transactions in the bank reconciliation, the abbreviation MEM displays in the status bar. Reconcile and update as many items as you can and then reload the reconciliation. If you find yourself in this situation it is recommended that you ignore transactions that are on the bank statement and do not seem to appear on the bank recon, since these will display once the other transactions are updated.

2. Renumber codes

Pastel Partner allows you to change the codes for existing inventory, customer, suppliers, stores, activities and employees. This function is available by clicking on the Change menu and then selecting the option Renumber Codes.

It is important to note that this change will affect all transaction and invoice history. Therefore, if for example, you reprint invoices after renumbering, the codes displayed will be the new codes as opposed to the code that was processed on the original invoices.

3. Remittance assistance

Pay all outstanding suppliers at once by using the Remittance Assistant functionality in the Cashbook Payment’s batch.

Activate this screen by clicking on Batch | Remittance Assistant. It displays all the outstanding supplier invoices and allows the user to choose which to pay and whether to print a cheque and update automatically.

4. Make one for all

If you have customers of a similar type such as they use the same prices lists or buy the same inventory items, you can save time in processing the same invoice for all customers by making use of the Make One for All utility in the invoice batch. This feature lets you create a single invoice template, and then apply the invoice to a range of customers.

To do this, create the template invoice for any customer, then click on the Batch option and select Make One for All. You can select this range based on customer code or customer category. This is very useful for processing rent for a block of flats etc.

5. Transferring funds between bank accounts

Ensure that funds are transferred between your different bank accounts smoothly by making use of the Cash Book Transfer utility. This will ensure that minimal errors are made and no reconciliation issues will arise.

Open the cashbook of the bank account that you are transferring funds from and click on the Transfer button. Select the bank account that you are transferring to and enter the relevant details in the fields as below.

The system will ask you to confirm the transaction before it is processed. The transaction will then reflect correctly on both cashbooks

6. Quick mode

Save time when processing customer documents by limiting the number of fields you need to complete. By selecting Quick Mode on the document, you need only enter the Type, Code, and Quantity fields for each line. The system defaults all other fields, and sells at the customer's allocated price list. Once you complete the Quantity field, the system moves to the next line.

7. Replace components

When using the Bill of Materials module, you may need to edit the components that are used in a Bill of Material due to the component no longer being in use or not necessary for the manufacture. For example, if you have created a BOM for the manufacture of a computer, you may need to replace the operating system with a newer version. Simply replace the existing component with the new one in the Replace Components utility.

Change these at Edit | Manufacturing | Replace Components.

8. Reorder assistant

Always ensure that you have an adequate supply of stock by using Pastel Partner’s Reorder Assistant. All you need do is specify the minimum stock level that the item should reach, maximum level you should have as well as the supplier information. Use the Reorder Assistant to automatically generate the appropriate purchase orders for you. You are also able to generate a Reorder report in supplier sequence, which tells you what to order, and how much.

To set the reorder levels, go to Edit | Inventory and click on the Reorder tab.

To generate the purchase orders, open the purchase order screen, click on Batch and Reorder Assistant. The Reorder Assistant will guide you through the process.

9. Cashbook shortcuts

When processing in the cashbook, save time by getting the system to automatically complete the description in the Description column. At the Description column, type in a full stop to automatically display the month and a comma to input the description of the account selected.

10. Recurring journal and cashbook batches

Pastel Partner allows you to run a recurring batch for a specific number of times.

For example, you can create a payment line for your car repayments and limit the number of times this transaction can recur, to 60 which is the period of your loan. You can specify this number in the No. column on the recurring batch screen.