It's "Game On" for Intuit

If life is a game, then Intuit is prepared to help small business owners succeed with the release of its latest offerings. The developer of business and financial management solutions announced a new, redesigned QuickBooks Online and a new QuickBooks Cloud ProAdvisor program. Both announcements were made Tuesday at the Midwest Accounting & Finance Showcase in Rosemont, IL and follow Intuit’s earlier “Small Business Big Game” announcement.

The new QBO is designed to provide more functionality and a seamless user interface. Based on customer feedback, Intuit aimed to provide a newer version that was not only easier and more efficient than previous versions, but also just as fast as the desktop version of QuickBooks Online.

“Sometimes, the concepts of efficient and easy can conflict with each other, but our customers made it very clear that they needed added functionality with a simpler product,” said Kevin Kirn, Group Product Manager, QuickBooks Online. “They also needed our app to be fully functional on a tablet, giving them true mobility.”

Users will notice that the new version features a simpler layout, with reduced navigational items. However, they still have the ability to create and manage all transactions. In addition, the new Home features an at-a-glance dashboard and activity feed – calling attention to important action items.

Navigating through QuickBooks Online creates a seamless and intuitive experience, delivering almost immediate results. Data is housed on the server and the software only fetches data that has changed since the last download. This allows the solution to operate fast even when the user has a slow connection.

Another feature of the new QBO is a harmonized look and feel across transactions. Each form has been redesigned, so users only have to learn one form for all transactions. The software has also been designed to facilitate keyboard entry, allowing users to complete an entire form using just the keyboard.

The new QuickBooks Online was rolled out on Tuesday to a small set of customers and will be available on a broader scale in late fall. ProAdvisors will receive new training in their course lockers in the near future to help them prepare for the future rollout to their customers.

Intuit also announced its new Intuit QuickBooks Cloud ProAdvisor Program that is available for free. The new program is designed for those professionals looking to grow their online business. Participants will have access to training and software, marketing tools and other resources to help grown their business. Current ProAdvisors will receive these benefits as part of their current plan.

QuickBooks Online product demonstrations were held at the Intuit “Sports Bar” at the Showcase in conjunction with its “Big Game” campaign.