QuickBooks Tip: Transitioning to New QuickBooks Online

Have you noticed a change in your QuickBooks Online layout? According to users, the new look has been a rough adjustment. Menu options have seemingly vanished into thin air.  Tried and true numbers have been replaced by colorful graphs.  One user on the QuickBooks help forum summed it up best: “I am seriously considering switching to paper, quill pen and inkwell.”

Before you abandon your QuickBooks program completely, try these tips for coping with the transition to the new QuickBooks Online:

1. Save bookmarks in your web browser.  One of the biggest benefits in the new QuickBooks Online is subtle. QuickBooks Online updated all web URLs to be static depending on the feature in use. Previously, all web addresses appeared to be the same regardless of the feature or page you were using. Take advantage of this change and create a set of bookmarks for your top 10 customized reports.  Create another set for your common transactions like bank reconciliations and invoices.  It’s much easier to customize your experience by bookmarking your most frequently used pages.
2. Quickly open new windows. While holding down the “Ctrl” button, click on most options in the new QuickBooks Online, and your selection will immediately open in a new window.
3. Filter your search.  Finally you can search by more than one parameter. For example, you could quickly find out how many cash receipts were over $40,000 in 2013.
4. Use it on the go. One of the best benefits of the new layout is that QuickBooks Online is now optimized for your tablet. You can check your A/R aging on the go, or send a statement to a client from the airport.
5. Work faster behind the scenes. Though users can’t see it, Intuit has made many changes under the hood of the new QuickBooks Online that allow for much quicker processing speeds every time you hit “Enter” or navigate backwards or forwards from a page.  This means an enriched user experience with better load times that allow you to get in and out faster.
6. Keyboard shortcuts – not just for desktop users.  Using keyboard shortcuts in the online version of QuickBooks can save you time and effort during the layout transition. The following are some of the most common shortcuts:

• • When entering the date, you can use “T” to represent today’s date, +/- signs to go backwards and forwards a day, “W” and “K” for the first and last day of the WeeK, “M” and “H” for the first and last day of the MontH, and “Y” and “R” for the first and last day of the YeaR.
  • In number fields, you can use your numeric keypad to do quick math in a cell.
  • To launch popular activities such as invoices and bill payments, you can now use Ctrl + Alt + a shortcut key. For example, “Ctrl+Alt+I” will create an invoice and “Ctrl+Alt+W” gives you the option to write a check. To see a full list of shortcut options, click “Ctrl+Alt.”

QuickBooks Online’s new layout is still being rolled out to customers, and Intuit is working on improving the overall functionality based on customer feedback. In the meantime, these tips are designed to help you cope with the changes and learn about the best that the new format has to offer.

If you want to learn more about how you can better use QuickBooks for your business needs, contact me or another member of Kaufman Rossin’s QuickBooks ProAdvisors team.