Aptora Corporation — Total Office Manager

These Workflow screens also offer access to related lists, such as assets,
budgets, employees and paychecks, as well as reporting options specific to a
workflow area. The top of the screen offers additional program shortcuts for
accessing customer information, dispatching, communications tools, invoicing,
sales, vendor lists, items, payments and other features. A collapsible left-hand
menu provides additional user-specific tools, including appointments, work orders
and reminders. Access to functions is dependent upon the user role, enabling
only authorized users to view and work with certain data and features.

From the Workflow Navigators, users can quickly access data-entry screens
for various tasks, with the screens offering advanced entry functions, including
smart lists, calendars and selection fields, with data automatically flowing
to appropriate accounts and other areas of the program. Selection lists for
employees, customers, vendors and other items provide excellent sorting and
filtering options, as well as lists and forms for about 450 categories, ranging
from payroll and banking items to employee types, work orders and multi-location
inventory.

Key Modules & Management Tools:
In addition to the core accounting functions, which include fully capable GL,
AP, AR and trial balance, Total Office Manager includes an impressive collection
of contractor-specific tools and features that enable advanced job and phase
tracking, work order management, equipment costing and tracking of actual versus
estimated costs. It also maintains service and maintenance histories for equipment,
offers asset management, credit card processing, payroll with direct deposit,
contact management, check writing, sales and use tax compliance, and credit
card processing.

Other really cool and useful tools in Total Office Manager include a call
management system that integrates with the contact management functions (providing
text versions of voicemails), call monitoring and advanced caller ID that instantly
brings up a customer’s records, allowing the user to immediately see their
job information, service records, billing histories and other vital data. It
also works with the built-in marketing system for tracking advertising results.
Another part of the communications system provides “while you were out”
notes that alert a user to calls or events they might have missed.

The program’s scheduling and dispatch features are also remarkably useful,
with a customizable dispatch board that makes it easy to view jobs by the day,
week or month, and the ability to sort them by employees or employee groups.
The drag-and-drop interface is wonderful, letting users mark or highlight service
calls by priority, extend or reschedule items simply by moving them to another
day or time, and even track the status of work orders. Users can also drilldown
to customer information and histories, which can be emailed or printed. The
program works with text-capable mobile phones, allowing users to easily send
client data, work orders and equipment information, while the dispatching system
also integrates with Microsoft MapPoint, allowing users in the office to instantly
send map directions to technicians in the field.

Reporting:
Total Office Manager includes hundreds of prebuilt report options that can be
customized using the built-in report writer and saved in batches and groups.
The system also produces industry-specific reports, and can generate forms 1099
and W-2. All reports can be viewed on-screen, emailed or output into multiple
file formats, including Word, Excel, HTML, PDF, Crystal Reports and ODBC. Reports
are accessible from the various Workflow Navigator screens or from the comprehensive
Reports Navigator.

Import/Export/Integration:
Total Office Manager offers exceptional integration between all of its modules
and productivity tools, including the communications features that help track
client calls and bring up their histories. The system allows import of QuickBooks,
Excel, CSV, Access and text files, and can export into similar formats. The
program offers wireless functions for dispatch and data sharing, as well as
integration with the MapPoint system.

Support & Training:
Total Office Manager provides an intuitive workflow-based interface that should
simplify processes for most users, while the program’s built-in Help system
provides right-click menus and guidance throughout all tasks. The company’s
website includes user forums, FAQs, a knowledgebase, the ability to ask questions,
and access to training videos. Support packages start at $500 per year.

Relative Value:
Total Office Manager is exceptionally designed and offers a great feature set
for professional service contractors, particularly those with extensive dispatch
needs. These businesses will benefit greatly from the scheduling and mobile
device integration functions, as well as the communications system.

2009 OVERALL RATING: