Company, Tools, & Utilities Archives

Company File Information

Using the Company File Information Form

The Company File Information window provides detailed information about your company file. A “company file” is simply the database file where Total Office Manager stores all of your company data.

Form Access

From the main menu, click File | Company File Information.

How to Read and Understand The Information

File Properties

The File Properties area displays general information about the database.

Database Name – The name of your company file.
Database Type – This is they type of database that Total Office Manager uses.
File Size – This is the size of your database.
Database Path – This is the full path or location of your database.
SQL Server Version – This is the version information for the installed Microsoft SQL Server. If you are an on premise configuration, you can verify this by typing Select @@Version in SQL Server Management Studios.
Creation Date – This is the date that your database was first created.
Database Version – This is the version of the Total Office Manager database.
First Transaction – The date of the very first financial related transaction in Total Office Manager. This is displayed because occasionally a user will enter an incorrect, old, date. This can cause certain aspects of Total Office Manager to operate slowly.
QB Conversion – This indicates if the Company File was converted from a QuickBooks® file. If yes, you can hold “Shift + Ctrl and Click” on this label for detailed information on the conversion.
PR Splits Last Rebuilt – Indicates if a user has rebuilt payroll splits. This can also be done through a Total Office Manager update. It is mainly used by technical support personal.
Last Compact Repair – The last time the database (Company File) was compacted and Repaired using the Total Office Manager Database Utility.
Balances Last Rebuilt – Indicates if a user has recalculated the database (company file). This can also be done through a Total Office Manager update. It is mainly used by technical support personal.
GJ Balanced – Indicates if the General Journal is in balance. If it is not, the label will display “No“.
Pending GJ Rebuild – A “Yes” indicates that Total Office Manager has suggested a GJ Rebuild but a user did not allow it. You will need to rebuild the GJ as soon as possible.
GJ Last Rebuilt – If the GJ has been rebuilt, the date of that event will be shown here. The audit trail will also record this event.
Item Register Last Rebuilt – Indicates if a user has rebuilt the item register table. This can also be done through a Total Office Manager update. It is mainly used by technical support personal.

Users Logged In

This tab includes general information about who is logged into the Total Office Manager database.

Computer Name – These are the computer names of the computers used by the users who are logged into Total Office Manager.
System Name – This is the Windows or operating system user name. This is not the name assigned in Total Office Manager but the name assigned in Windows.
User Name – This is user name of the Total Office Manager user. This is the name assigned in Total Office Manager.
Time Logged In – This is the time the user logged into Total Office Manager. This time comes from the user’s computer clock and not the clock on the computer where the database is located.

Record Counts

This tab includes general information about the number of records that the Total Office Manager database contains. The field names are self-explanatory and note defined here. Feel free to contact technical support with questions. Please note that Total Office Manager allows user to inactivate certain records (like customers) so this form displays both values.

Database Stats

This tab includes general information about the health of your SQL Server instance and database. It is important to ensure your database is maintained for optimal performance.

Tips

Use the “Refresh” button to update the window. If changes are made to the company file (maybe by another user), the form will not refresh automatically.
Use this form to see how much work is performed in Total Office Manager. You can take a screen shot of the record counts tab on one day and do the same several days later. This will allow you to quickly see how many customer, invoices, etc., were added.

Unable to Connect to Database or Company File

How to Troubleshoot Database Connection Issues

This help topic covers how to reconnect Total Office Manager with your Company File (database). This topic assumes that you have previously been able to connect to your Database or Company File and you are now no longer able to. This help topic tells users how to deal with the “unable to connect” message box shown here, or others like it.

Cannot Connect Message Box

Connection Basics

Total Office Manager saves the information needed to connect to SQL Server and the company file that was opened the last time the software was closed. This is saved per user. When a user opens Total Office Manager, the software opens the company file (database) that was open when the program was last closed. If a user receives a message that Total Office Manager is unable to connect to their company file, they will need to try and locate the company file manually.

How to Reconnect Total Office Manager

Check for and install all Microsoft updates. Pending updates can cause computer connectivity problems.
Reboot your computer (unless the updates cause a reboot).
Open Total Office Manager
Click File > Open Company/Login. The Open Company form will open.
Click File > Previous Company Files. The Company File should be listed. Click on that menu option. If there are no Company Files listed or if this step does not work, proceed to the next step.
Locate the Select a Server option at the top. Click the Refresh Server List button to the right. This action refreshes the list. Wait for your mouse pointer to return to normal.
Select your company’s Server from the list. You may only see one option.
Locate the Select a Database option. Click on your Company File to highlight it. You may only see one option. Click the OK button. This will open the Company File.
Login as usual.

Additional Troubleshooting Steps

If you followed the steps above and the server cannot be located, this indicates that the computer your software normally connects to cannot be located. In other words, Total Office Manager cannot find the server computer on your company’s network. There is no way for Total Office Manager to connect until this problem is resolved.

If The Server Cannot Be Located

This is a network issue or an issue with your computer connecting to your company’s own network. Aptora will not be able to troubleshoot this problem for you, since it is outside of our control.

Here is what to do next:

You will need to ask someone to locate the computer that has Microsoft SQL Server installed on it. Label this computer for future reference.
Install all Microsoft Windows updates and reboot that computer. This step is often the fix.
Verify that MS SQL Server is running. It should start automatically after reboot.
Repeat the steps listed above on the computer that cannot connect.

Open the Company File Manually

Tips for Building Forms in Aptora Mobile Form Builder (AMFB)

Mobile Form Builder Tips

Form Builder is a very versatile program. It provides you the ability to integrate your own forms in Aptora Mobile II and capitalize on the data captured. Form Builder is an add-on to the mobile platform. If there were a simple button for this product, everyone would have the same form There are four programs utilized in getting the best out of the program. These programs are:

Adobe Acrobat DC (or comparable PDF editor) – This product is NOT an Aptora product. This is the designer you will use to design and modify PDF output files generated by Aptora Mobile II.
Aptora Mobile Form Builder – This is an Aptora product. It is the program which allows you to create your own custom forms for anyone to complete in the Aptora Mobile II application. The designer helps you marry the PDF to Aptora Mobile II.
Aptora Mobile II – This is an Aptora product. This is the web application which technicians and office personnel access to complete tasks. This application is typically the program technicians use to access their work orders generated by Total Office Manager.
Total Office Manager – This is an Aptora product. This is the desktop application used by the office staff. All information entered in Aptora Mobile II and Aptora Mobile Form Builder are accessible from within Total Office Manager wither through the respective forms (work orders, invoices, purchase orders, timesheets, etc.) , document links, an Custom Data Views.

Before you start with creating forms, it is important to start with the end in mind. One of the first things to decide is what is the desired outcome. Do you want a printable form you can email to a customer? Are you wanting a form which is easily accessible by the office? Are you just needing a checklist to attach to a work order or invoice? Once you decide, this will help you determine if you need a PDF output file. Remember, not all forms require a PDF.

Here are things to help minimize frustrations when building forms.

PDF Design

Already have a form designed AND it is in a PDF format? You are halfway there. This will cut down on your design time.
Don’t have a PDF created and you want to create one? Start in MS Word or MS Excel and create your desired form layout. You can then save the completed design as a PDF you will edit in Adobe (or like PDF editor).
When adding fields to your PDF, keep names short and without spaces or special characters. Examples: ManagerName, BillToAddress, or TechCellPhone.
The most common field types to use in a PDF are:
- Checkbox: Used with Yes/No options.
- Radio Buttons: These can be used instead of Yes/No fields. They are useful when you are presenting a limited number of options and only one option may be accepted. Example: Clean or Dirty.
- Button: Used for signatures.
- Textbox: Used for all other field types.
Make sure to include a field for a Primary Selector on every form. Primary Selectors provide database information for the primary record you are creating the form from. There are currently four (4) Primary Selectors: Customer, Employee, Vendor, and Company Asset. Only one Primary Selector may be added to a single form.
When adding Primary Selectors to forms, the PDF Field Name in Form Builder will default to the name you provide for the Primary Selector with an underscore followed by the database field name. You can change this to match your defined field name in the PDF.
You may include multiple Remote Selectors on your forms. Remote Selectors allow you to associate related records for the Primary Selector or company file from the database. There are currently five (5) Remote Selectors: Customer, Customer Equipment, Employee, Vendor, and Company Asset.
When adding Remote Selectors to the forms, this is the one PDF Field Name you may not change in Form Builder. To print the field value in the PDF output, you must enter the Properties Field Name as the field name in the PDF.

Formatting Tips

Use copy and paste functions to your advantage. If your form has the same row/column data repeated, you can copy and paste the layout multiple times. Then go back and change the name to unique values.
Select multiple fields by holding down CTRL and clicking the fields you wish to highlight. You can also drag your mouse across a section of fields to highlight them.
Move one or more fields using the arrow keys. You can hyper move fields by holding down the SHIFT key while using the arrows.
Change the size of one or more fields by holding down the CTRL key while using the arrows.
Quickly align fields to the same right, left, top, or bottom placement by highlighting the fields you wish to align, right click, and choose the option to Align.
Set fields to the same height and/or width by highlighting the fields you wish to align, right click, and choose the option to Set Fields to Same Size.
Change some of the Properties of multiple fields by highlighting, right click, and choose Properties. Here you can set the font type, size, color, borders, etc.

Mobile Form Design

Make sure you have a training database to create forms in BEFORE dispersing them to the rest of the company. This will allow you time to test design, tweak flows, and processes.
Have more than one monitor. Three is ideal for form creation. You will want to have the PDF, the designer, and your mobile website open at the same time.
Once you have all your fields in the designer, open the form in your mobile site to test layout and form load. If you do not close out of the designer, you may continue to make changes to fields. Once you make changes, click F5 on the mobile webpage to see the updated form layout changes.
Use headers for grouping of like or section data! This will give you a cleaner look in the mobile application.
If you do not see distinct sections when using headings, this means you are missing an ending to a heading. Each header must have a footer (Header End0 to close the section.
You can add fields on the form to capture data that does not appear on the PDF.
Once you have the layout completed for the mobile form, then test the field entry for printing. When you generate the report, check to make sure all fields are populating onto the PDF. If they are not, either the PDF Field Names do not match between the form and the PDF or the field is corrupted.
Create default PDF templates and forms to store base information like company headings, customer defaults, equipment details, etc. This saves time in recreating this information.

Training & Implementation

Once you have verified the form is working, have an employee review the printed results for feedback. Seeing the results before training on the functionality helps get most people on board.
Train on the functionality in the training environment. Test out the flow. Answer questions as they arise. During this training, you may find you need to modify the form. Delete existing forms created to modify your existing fields and/or layout.
Once you have finalized the form, copy the finished form to your live company file, set security for the form, and go.

Email Addresses for Sending Text Messages

Introduction

In Total Office Manager, you can send text message alerts to mobile devices by email using email-to-SMS addresses. An email-to-SMS address typically consists of a 10-digit mobile phone number and the mobile carrier’s domain name, in the following format: 1234567890@carrierdomainname.com. When you send an “email” to these addresses, they arrive as plain text messages.

List of Carriers

Carrier	SMS	MMS
Alltel	number@message.alltel.com
AT&T	number@txt.att.net	number@mms.att.net
AT&T Mobility (formerly Cingular)	number@cingularme.com	number@mobile.mycingular.com
Bell Canada	number@txt.bellmobility.com	None
Boost Mobile	number@sms.myboostmobile.com	number@myboostmobile.com
Cellular South	number@text.scsouth1.com	None
Centennial Wireless	number@cwemail.com	None
Consumer Cellular	number@mailmymobile.net	None
Cricket	number@sms.cricketwireless.net	number@mms.cricketwireless.net
C-Spire	number@cspire1.com	None
Google Fi (Project Fi)	number@msg.fi.google.com
Metro PCS	number@mymetropcs.com
Nextel	number@page.nextel.com	number@messaging.nextel.com
Page Plus	number@vtext.com	None
Qwest	number@qwestmp.com	None
Republic Wireless	number@text.republicwireless.com	None
Rogers	number@pcs.rogers.com
Sasktel	number@sms.sasktel.com	None
S. Cellular	number@email.uscc.net	number@mms.uscc.net
Sprint	number@messaging.sprintpcs.com	number@pm.sprint.com
Suncom	number@tms.suncom.com	None
Ting	number@msg.telus.com	None
Telus	number@message.ting.com	None
T-Mobile	number@tmomail.net
Tracfone	number@mmst5.tracfone.com
XFinity Mobile, Straight Talk	number@vtext.com	number@mypixmessages.com
Verizon	number@vtext.com	number@vzwpix.com
Virgin Mobile	number@vmobl.com	number@vmpix.com

Please Note: There are various other carriers which may use their own carrier specific addresses, As these addresses are carrier controlled, you may need to contact the specific carrier to verify these addresses.

Caller ID – Troubleshooting

Introduction

This help topic covers trouble-shooting your Caller Identifier hardware. This is an optional device that connects to your telephone system. This hardware works in conjunction with our Caller ID Server.

Please note, at this time, the Caller ID functionality exists for our on premise customers only.

Warning

This is an advanced topic designed for a network administrator, not a novice computer technician.

Usage

The Caller Identifier connects to your incoming telephone lines. It sends a signal via a serial cable to a computer that is running our Caller ID Server. The Caller ID Server sends information to each instance of Total Office Manager that may be running. This allows Total Office Manager users to see who is calling and quickly access that caller’s records – if they are on file.

Troubleshooting

Power on Procedure

Plug the supplied AC Wall Transformer (12VAC Output) into a 110 VAC outlet and the Power Connector into the back of the Identifier connector labeled ‘POWER’.
When power is supplied to the Identifier a Red LED, located between the DB-9 “OUT” connector and the Line 1 RJ-12 jack, will illuminate. After about 1 second the LED will flash 5 times. Then if the Identifier is properly connected to a serial port and the serial port’s CTS signal is active , the LED will turn off. If the LED remains on either the cable is not properly connected or the device (computer or serial printer) is not driving the serial port’s CTS signal. When connected to a computer serial port, software must be controlling the serial port to make the CTS signal active. Most communications software which connects to a CommPortwill automatically set CTS active. If the LED continues flashing the internal diagnostics has found a failure, and the unit may need to be returned for repair.
If the LED remains illuminated when you have the cable connected properly and you have software running which is currently accessing the CommPort, check the following:
Make sure the software is connected to the same CommPortthe Identifier is connected to.
Make sure the cable is properly connected. Use the supplied cable.
Power the Identifier down and up again. Make sure the LED flashes 5 times after about 1 second. If not the unit is defective.
Remove the cable from the computer and loop the cable between the “OUT” port and the “IN” port. If the LED goes out, the computer or software is the problem. If not, either the Identifier or the cable may be defective.
Once communications is established the Identifier sends a power-on initialization string such as;
1. +0,1,”YES MLM-8X 04/22/94,1.10
This can be viewed by using a terminal program such as Procomm or HyperTerminal (which comes with Windows)

Using Hyper Terminal to View the Identifier’s Output

These instructions are compatible with Windows 98 and Higher. Some of these instructions are meant to be performed by advanced computer technicians and may be inappropriate for those not comfortable with such procedure.

Go to START, PROGRAMS, ACCESSORIES, HYPER TERMINAL
In the Hyper Terminal group window double click the HYPERTRM.EXE icon. This will bring up the CONNECTION DESCRIPTION dialog box.
Enter a name such as CALLERID, click OK.
In the PHONE NUMBER dialog box change the CONNECT USING to “Direct to ComX” (where X is the commport to which the Identifier is connected).
Click OK.
The COM PROPERTIES must be:
Bit per Second: 4800
Data Bits: 8
Parity: None
Stop Bits: 1
Flow Control: Hardware
Click Ok

You should now be connected to the Identifier. Unplug and power up the Identifier. Watch the Red LED on the rear of the Identifier. It will blink about 5 times then go out. If it does not blink power was not applied or the unit is defective. If it stays on (after blinking) you have not connected to the correct com port or the serial cable is not connected properly. The instant the LED stops blinking, on the Hyper Terminal screen you should see something like:

1.    +0,1,"YES MLM-8X",05/27/95,1.27

Type in ATSNthen press the Enter key . You will not see anything as you type, but after you press Enter you should get the serial number that looks something like: +3,2,8480912

This confirms the Identifier is correctly installed. If you have phone lines connected to the Identifier at this point you should see additional events depending on phone line activity. You can view examples of what you might see by clicking on “Output Examples” in the menu bar at the top of this page. You can also type in commands as described in the technical manual. You can view this manual by clicking on “Technical Manual” in the menu bar at the top of this page.

Phone Message

Introduction

Did you know you can send an electronic phone message in Total Office Manager and Aptora Mobile II?

This feature allows you to take phone messages for your co-workers, right on your computer. You don’t even have to get up and deliver the message to them. Total Office Manager does it for you.

Use this form to take a phone message or “While You Where Out” message for your co-workers. The message will show up on your co-worker’s computer in the Information Center. They will be able to see at a glance, that a message is waiting for them.

Form Access

From the main menu, click Company | Phone Message.

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From the keyboard, use the shortcut Ctrl+M.
From the toolbar, click the New Phone Message button.

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Additional Ways to Create a Phone Message

You can create a phone message using any of the following options:

Total Office Manager

Under the main menu, navigate to Lists | Phone Messages. Right click on the list and choose the option New Phone Message.
- NOTE: We do not recommend all users have access to this list as it will contain all messages sent. Most users will only need Add and Edit permissions for the messages themselves.
Under the main menu, navigate to Company | Phone Message. The master message list is also located here.
From the Customer:Job List, navigate to Actions | Create Phone Message.
From within a Customer:Jobs record, right click and choose the option Create Phone Message.
From the Customer:Job History form, click on the Phone Messages tab, right click and choose New.
From the Vendor History form, click on the Phone Messages tab, right click and choose New.
From the Employee History form, click on the Phone Messages tab, right click and choose New.
If you subscribe to our Caller ID functions, from the Phone Monitor (analog) or Phone Activity Monitor (VOIP), click on the Phone Messages tab, right click and choose New.

Aptora Mobile II

From the Dashboard, click on Phone Messages then the plus sign to add a new message.
From the Dashboard, click the Hamburger Menu | Quick Add | Phone Message.

Usage

Now that you know how to create a phone message, you may use them just like you do a sticky note.

Send a message from a customer to a technician in the field or from the field to the office. Perhaps a customer has a question about their balance and would like to speak with accounting. A technician could put in a phone message to receivables. This notification would popup on their desktop once received.
Use it to request time off. Employees could correspond with HR indicating the days they wish to be off for vacation or scheduled doctor appointments.
If you want to send another user a note to review an account, call a vendor, check into a schedule, etc.
Coworkers kid’s school is on the phone again because they forgot their homework or gym shorts…..

Once you enter a phone message, it will be stored in the Contact’s history. Anyone with access to the contact history will be able to see all messages generated.

Receiving a Message

Unread Messages can be found in two places – the Information Center and the Status Bar.

Information Center

When activated by a user, the Information Center alters you to any Unread Messages and provides a link to open the correspondence.

Status Bar

If you look along the Status bar on the bottom of Total Office Manager. Any unread messages will appear in parenthesis. Click on the ‘Unread Messages’ box for the list to appear in a new window.

Field Definitions and Menu Commands

For: – Select the name of the message recipient.
Date: – The date and time will populate in this field for automatically.
From: – Enter the name of the person who is leaving the message.
Of: – Enter the name of the company or organization the caller is representing.
Phone: – Enter the caller’s phone number.
Message Attributes – Tick the appropriate checkbox to mark the message as.
- URGENT
- Will Call Again
- Returned Your Call
- Please Call
- CONFIDENTAL
- Called You
- Wants To See You
- Came To See You
Message Area – Enter other message details.
Insert Info Stamp – To enter the user name, date, and time into the message area, click this button.
Entered By – Automatically displays the name of the person who took the message.
Message Read – Ticking this checkbox marks the message as being read by the recipient.
Save & Close – Saves the message and exits the form.
Save & New – Saves the message and opens a new blank form.

Menu Options

Menu | Save – Manually saves the form.
Menu | Revert – Reverts the information in the form to the point of the last save.
Menu | Copy – Creates a copy of the original message, which can then be send to someone else.
Menu | Delete – Deletes the message.
Menu | Create – Select from Appointment, Sales Opportunity or Work Order.
Menu | Contact – Select from History, Edit, Contact Log, Document Links
Menu | Print – Previews a hard-copy of the message, which is then available for printing.
Menu | Send Page – Opens the workstation’s default email editor, with the message ready to email that is received as a page.
Menu | Send Text – Opens the workstation’s default email editor, with the message ready to email that is received as a text message to the recipient. See ‘Tips’ for more info.
Menu | Email – Opens the workstation’s default email editor, with the message ready to email.

Tips

The Email feature can be used to send a message in SMS format to a cell phone. In other words, you can “text” a message to a cell phone from an email application (such as Microsoft Outlook).
After pressing the Email button, enter the recipient’s cell phone SMS address in the “To” field of the email.
- For example, if a Verizon® customer had the cell number 888-555-1111, just enter “8885551111@vtext.com” in the “To” field of the email message. The message will then be “texted” to the recipient’s cell phone. Contact your various cell phone providers to determine what suffix to add to the end of each cell phone number (like @vtext.com, for example).
For a list of common carriers and their email addresses for sending text messages, please click here.

Advanced Search

Advanced Record Search

The Advanced Search tool is a powerful way to search for a wide variety of information in the program. It can locate checks, invoices, bills, logs (note entries), and almost anything else. This tool can search and find records based on an amounts, dates, general, memos, and numbers. It can also filter the results in order to display only records derived from certain areas like bills, Chart of Accounts (COA), invoices, work orders, service agreements, a variety of payroll areas, and more.

Advanced Search Access

From the main menu, click Edit | Advanced Search.

From the keyboard, use the shortcut Ctrl+F.
From the toolbar, click the Advanced Search button.

“Search By” Pane Definitions

Amount – Used to conduct searches based on monetary amounts, using the conditions: equal to, not equal to, greater than, greater than or equal to, or less than.
Date – Used to conduct searches based on calendar dates, using the conditions: equal to, not equal to, greater than, greater than or equal to, or less than.
General – Used to search for any alpha-numeric text string in either the various contact logs, various notes, or UDF’s in the program. It follows basic search string criteria as common with popular search engines (e.g. Google, Bing, etc.). Use quotation marks to match exact phrases.
Memo – Used much like the “General” search by setting, will search every memo field in the program.
Number – Used to conduct searches across all number fields in the program.
Cust:Job – Used to conduct open text string searches of customers and jobs in any one of the following fields: Name, Phone, First Name, Last Name, City, State, Zip, Country, Fax, Contact, or Email.

The Condition Pane

The condition pane is the area between the “Search By” pane and the “Filter By” pane. It’s fields vary depending on the setting in the Search By pane, so that only relevant fields are available..

“Filter By” Pane

Regardless of the setting in the “Search By” pane, the same items are available in the “Filter By” pane. check the checkbox next to each item to filter for and have shown in the results. Un-checked items are filtered out from the results, and not displayed. Unchecking what you do not need to search can make the form work faster.

Usage

For Example:

Select Memo (from the Search By window)
Enter an asterisk (*) in to the Memo window, click “All” in the Filter By window.
Click Apply to start the search.

The progress bar will appear, indicating the search progress. Once the Search has started the Apply, Reset buttons will gray out, and a Stop button will appear. To stop the search, click on the Stop button and any items found up to that point will be displayed. Once ALL memos have been located, they will appear in the Matches Found window (which also indicates how many results were found). For a new search, make new selections and click the Apply button.

Important Notes

The search feature does not refresh. If you run a search then edit an item, you will have to run the search again to see the results.
You must have administrator’s permission to search and view payroll items. If you do not have this permission, you will not be able to view any of the payroll items.

Field Definitions

Matches Found – Will display the total number of items found during the Search. If the Search is Stopped, the number of items found up to the stopped point would be displayed.
Edit – Click the edit button left of a result record to open it.
Date – This refers to the date, dollar amounts, dates, general, memos, and numbers were entered into Total Office Manager.
Type – The record type, credit card, service agreement, discount, fixed asset, paycheck, Work order, etc.
Number – Will display work order numbers, pay check numbers, fixed asset numbers, COA numbers, account numbers, invoice numbers, credit memo numbers, etc.
Name – The names of your customers, vendors, employees, inventory parts, discounts, accounts, taxes, etc. will be displayed.
Memo/Description – Will display the memos or description of your assets , COA, inventory parts, service, work orders, memos, credit card charges, customer equipment, payroll deducts, etc.
Amount – Will display any dollar amounts that have been enter for any of the Search items. If applicable.
Account – Will display the account number and name for any of the search items. If applicable.

Tips

The results can be sorted by any header having an arrow in it. Simply click on a column header to sort it. To sort in the opposite order (ascending vs. descending), just click the header a second time.
To open or view a listed result in the “Matches Found” area, double click the gray box left of the record.
Experiment with this feature. There are a lot of options so the best way to learn how to use it and get the most from it is to practice using it.
To search User Defined Fields, highlight “General” in the “Search By” pane, then check the “Search User Defined” radio button.
To reduce the time it takes to complete the search, narrow your search as much as possible.

Who Do I Contact?

We Are Here To Help!

Many times, customers rely on one person to help them with all their software questions and needs. Aptora has many people you may reach out to in order to get assistance. We want to make sure you are getting to the right person at the right time. Please don’t let your frustrations build without making sure your voice has been heard. In this topic, we are going to provide you with the tools to contact us.

Experience has also shown, unfortunately, that unqualified users of Total Office Manager find themselves having a difficult time with the program. It may be the bookkeeping skills of the user are simply not up to the challenge of working in the program, even when taking full advantage of the highest tier of support we provide.

To put things in perspective, imagine this scenario. An ordinary homeowner is attempting an air conditioner repair and calls you for support. The advice you give, no matter how simply stated, will most likely be “over his/her head”. An average homeowner doesn’t have the training required to use your advice effectively…even after repeated explanations. No matter how good your advice is, the probability of a successful outcome is very low.

Now, imagine that a journeyman in your trade calls you for support on the same repair. A journeyman is trained to ask intelligent questions and to understand your response. Your advice will have much more of an impact, make more sense, and have a good chance of producing a successful result.

This is much like our experience in the support department at Aptora. While our support is unparalleled in the industry, it is only as effective as the person receiving it. Like a master technician trying to walk an untrained homeowner through an A/C repair, providing expert support to a data entry clerk or office helper is likely to have a poor result. So…what to do?

The odds of success increase dramatically when our expert support is shared with a “journeyman” bookkeeper, and even more so when providing that same expert support to a “master” bookkeeper (also known as a certified full charge bookkeeper). Armed with this knowledge, we are confident that you have the insight to make your Total Office Manager experience an outstanding one.

Technical Support

Our support manager, Colin Richardson, and his team can offer you answers to your questions about the software, installation, and setup. There are different ways to reach the support department. They look forward to helping you any way they can.

Submit a Tech Support Request online at https://support.aptora.com. You may also access the support site from within Total Office Manager by navigating to Help | Support on the Web.
Send an email for support to helpdesk@aptora.com.
Call our main support number at 913-322-4666.

Aptora Hosted

If you are a customer on our hosted solution for Aptora products and are experiencing connectivity issues, please email helpdesk@aptora.com and cc hosted@aptora.com with the approximate date and time of the issue. The more information you provide with regards to what you were doing and if others were also experiencing an issue will help us to troubleshoot.

If you need assistance in resetting your password or accessing your hosted products, please email helpdesk@aptora.com or call 913-322-4666.

If you are having trouble connection to your Aptora hosted products after our normal support hours, please call or text 913-201-6503. Our after hours support team will be available to assist you. This line is for connectivity issues only. All normal support questions will be answered during normal business hours, Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM CT to 4:30 PM CT.

Training

Research has shown there is no better substitute for ongoing training with your ERP software solutions. Our training team has over 30 years of experience in accounting and software implementation. They can help you line out best practices and approaches to implementing Aptora products to compliment your business model. There are two different training options you may invest in, Live Online Training and Onsite Consulting.

Live Online

The investment for our Live Online sessions are $125.00 per hour, with a 20% discount when you purchase a five (5) hour block for $500.00. You may purchase and schedule hours by emailing trainer@aptora.com. Purchased hours may be scheduled in a minimum of thirty (30) minutes to eight (8) hour blocks and expire one year from the date of purchase. These hours may be used to cover many topics and tasks:

Training
Consulting (as the rate of 2 to 1)
Design of custom reports
Research and development of existing features and processes (as the rate of 2 to 1)
Accounting Reviews
System Configurations

Onsite Consulting

If you are looking for more in-depth and intensive training with your staff, you may find the investment in Onsite Consulting is the way to go. Our Onsite Consulting gets a trainer to your location to help you with software implementation, training, and even business consulting for two or more consecutive days. This investment starts at $6,000.00 for two days and $2,000.00 for each additional day. Sounds pricey, right? The investment in training for your ERP solutions can prove just as valuable as the training you invest in your technicians. To discuss the options for an Onsite Consult, please email trainer@aptora.com.

Data Services

With more than a decade of extraction and data manipulation experience, our data services team can help you extract and formulate data to be imported or migrated into Total Office Manager. If you are currently in the migration process and have questions about your data, please email trainer@aptora.com.

Our data services team specializes in the following areas:

Merging two or more databases
Removing financial data to start a new company file
Formatting of price sheets for import into Total Office Manager
Correcting data anomalies
Swapping items from inventory to non-inventory and vice versa
QuickBooks financial migration
Various list migrations from software like ESC, Service Titan, mHelpDesk, Service Fusion, Successware, Sage, ServiceCEO, and Wintac (just to name a few)

General Concerns or Complaints

Please speak with your account manager (contact information below). They are here to serve as your liaison with Aptora. Their job is to create and maintain a very close working relations between our two companies.

Still don’t feel you are you getting the help you need? Want to express your frustrations and need to speak with a member of management? They are here to help you. Please don’t hesitate to send an email to supervisor@aptora.com. You may also call 913-322-4666 and request to speak to a supervisor. Our receptionist will locate one for you to speak with. If they are not available, they will get a message to them to give you a call as soon as they are available.

We never want you to feel like you don’t have someone at Aptora that will not listen to you. We want to make your experience with our products and company the best it can be. Too often we hear customers don’t know who to call when they are frustrated. Our management team is here to listen. If we broke it, we want to fix it. If we suck, we want to hear about it so we can make sure we take the necessary steps to improve.

Programming and Development

If there are features you would like to see implemented in the system, we recommend scheduling some time with one of our team members to go over what you are looking for. Through a series of conference calls, we can make sure the software has or doesn’t have the functionality you desire. If it is determined custom programming is the avenue for you, we will work together to design the desired programming specifications you seek. This work is fee-based and pricing will be discussed once all R & D has been completed. Please email trainer@aptora.com to discuss options for any custom programming design.

Feature Requests

Do you have ideas that will make our software better for everyone? Please submit your feature requests here. Be sure to vote and comment on them. The more activity the requests has, the more likely it is to get implemented. Read more about how our features get added here.

Account Managers

Your account manager is available to assist you in everything from the purchase of new products, support renewals, referrals, and when you feel you just aren’t being heard. You may reach out to them by email or phone. If you are unsure of who your account manager is, please don’t hesitate to contact helpdesk@aptora.com to get this information. Account managers are:

Jonathan by email jonathanf@aptora.com or by phone 913-276-2170
Timothy by email timothyc@aptora.com or by phone 913-276-2171
For our Canadian clients, please contact Roger by email rogerh@aptora.com or by phone 913-948-7596. Roger does live in Canada.

Time Tracker Plus – Part 2 of 2: Usage

Introduction

Time Tracker Plus – Part 2 of 2: Usage is a continuation of Time Tracker Plus – Part 1 of 2: Setup. Please refer to this prior to reading.

Usage of Time Tracker Plus

A detailed step-by-step overview of how to use the app is below.

User Log In Screen

When the Time Tracker Plus app is started, it will always display a keypad. The user will enter their PIN that was designed during setup – either within Total Office Manager or Aptora Mobile II. PINs can be changed in Total Office Manager if given permission by the Admin. Go to User List/Security and enter your new pin in the “Enter Time Clock Pin” and “Re-enter Time Clock Pin” box.

Note: Clearly and definitively press each key for the PIN to register. Then click ‘Submit’.

Timeclock — Time Tracker Plus Pin – Total Office Manager

Clocking In

After the user’s PIN has been entered, the app transitions to a screen that will give the option to select the work order and/or the topic selection (if yes was toggled to during setup in Aptora Mobile II).

Work orders that are available for selection will be those assigned to the employee, assigned to the employee’s Reports To, or all work orders for that day. Users can select a work order, even if they have not been assigned to that work order.

Users can select a Topic and add Notes – like they can in Total Office Manager’s Timesheets/Time Tracking form. The notes on the timesheet entry show up in Total Office Manager. This eliminates double data entry.

Make the appropriate selection(s) and then press ‘Clock In’. A screen will appear acknowledging the click. A running clock will now begin and a timesheet entry has been entered into Total Office Manager. Then the app will return to the keypad for the next user.

Time Tracker Plus - Clock In Screen — Time Tracker Plus – Clock In Screen

Time Tracker Plus - Clocked In — Time Tracker Plus – Clocked In

weekly TimeSheet Timeclock

Clocking Out

The user will continue the “running clock” during the time that they are clock in. When it is time to clock out, the user will open the app and re-enter their PIN. After clicking ‘Submit’, a screen will appear acknowledging the click. Then, an new screen will show the total estimated time worked and a section for notes to be entered.

After entering any notes, Press ‘Clock Out’ to end the running clock and record an end time on the timesheet in Total Office Manager.

Time Tracker Plus - Log Screen — Time Tracker Plus – Clock Out Screen

Weekly Time Sheet - Time Tracker Plus — Weekly Time Sheet – Time Tracker Plus

Deactivating A Device

The app is licensed by the device and not by the user. You are limited to how many devices they app can be used on, but you are not limited by the number of users. In order to release a device from the license, you must deactivate it. To do so, complete the following:

Log into Aptora Mobile II as Admin. Go to More | Settings | Time Tracker Plus Settings
Select the “Devices” from the dropdown list at the top of the form.
Deactivate the mobile device that you no longer wish to use Time Tracker Plus on.

Admin Functions

If you need to change the URL or the Admin PIN, enter your ten number Admin PIN.

The Admin account cannot be used to clock in/or or edit time clock records.

Time Tracker Plus Versus Geo Time Tracker

The Time Tracker Plus app was primarily designed to be used as a fixed time clock. It can be used in the field, but it was not designed to replace GEO Time Tracker.

Key difference include:

- It does not have offline mode or tracking the user with GPS like GEO Time Tracker does.
- There is no En-Route functionality like GEO Time Tracker.
- Users are never logged in like GEO Time Tracker. Each clock in/out action takes the app back to the home screen with a number only keypad.

Please speak to your sales representative if you need additional information about the two programs.

Key Points to Remember

This an app. There is no browser version. We offer both iOS and Android versions.
The app is licensed by the device and not by the user. You are limited to how many devices they app can be used on, but you are not limited by the number of users.
Users should not clock other users in or out. One user cannot select the name of another user.
The app does not include any reports. Use Total Office Manager for reporting.
You can create more log topics by going to Company | Lists | Log Topic List in Total Office Manager.
When creating Log topics for employee timesheet entry, remember to check the following box.

timeclock edit log topic

Tips

Use this app to track shop time on jobs. For example, sheet metal workers and fabricators could clock in and out as they build duct work.
You could mount a mobile device at a long-term job site. Workers could clock in and out each day.
Consider buying software that prevents users from getting access to any other screens on your mobile app. There are apps that “lock down” you mobile device and limit usage. You could prevent users from getting into anything but Time Tracker Plus.

Running Multiple Instances of Total Office Manager

Introduction

This topic will cover opening and running more than one instance of Total Office Manager at the same time.

Usage

When setup, each time the Total Office Manager desktop icon is double-clicked, a new instance of Total Office Manager will open.

Setup

Simply add what we call an argument to the Total Office Manager shortcut target. In this case, the argument is “/m” (less the quotes). For instance, edit the Target line in the shortcut properties from

“C:\Program Files\TotalOfficeManager\Total Office Manager.exe”

“C:\Program Files\TotalOfficeManager\Total Office Manager.exe” /m

Notice the /m argument added to the end of the target. Now, each time the user double-clicks the Total Office Manager icon, another instance of Total Office Manager starts

Step-By-Step

Right-click on the Total Office Manager desktop icon and select “Properties” from the pop-up menu.
Click the “Shortcut” tab if it is not already active.
At the very end of the text in the Target field, add exactly one space, then add /m.
Click the OK button to save and close the Properties form for the shortcut.

Tools & Utilities

Using the Company File Information Form

Form Access

How to Read and Understand The Information

File Properties

Users Logged In

Record Counts

Database Stats

Tips

How to Troubleshoot Database Connection Issues

Connection Basics

How to Reconnect Total Office Manager

Additional Troubleshooting Steps

If The Server Cannot Be Located

Mobile Form Builder Tips

PDF Design

Formatting Tips

Mobile Form Design

Training & Implementation

Related Content

Introduction

List of Carriers

Introduction

Warning

Usage

Troubleshooting

Power on Procedure

Using Hyper Terminal to View the Identifier’s Output

Related Content

Introduction

Form Access

Additional Ways to Create a Phone Message

Total Office Manager

Aptora Mobile II

Usage

Receiving a Message

Information Center

Status Bar

Field Definitions and Menu Commands

Menu Options

Tips

Related Content

Advanced Record Search

Advanced Search Access

“Search By” Pane Definitions

The Condition Pane

“Filter By” Pane

Usage

Important Notes

Field Definitions

Tips

Related Content

We Are Here To Help!

Technical Support

Aptora Hosted

Training

Live Online

Onsite Consulting

Data Services

General Concerns or Complaints

Programming and Development

Feature Requests

Account Managers

Related Content

Introduction

Usage of Time Tracker Plus

User Log In Screen

Clocking In

Clocking Out

Deactivating A Device

Admin Functions

Time Tracker Plus Versus Geo Time Tracker

Key Points to Remember

Tips

Related Content

Introduction

Usage

Setup

Step-By-Step

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