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ConnectedProduct news, support, and benefits in each issue

December 2013

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Connected | December 2013

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Inside this issueProduct

• Get social with Sage

• Important Sage 50 Accounting product update

• Common issue after installing Sage 50 Accounting Canada 2014 update

• End-of-year questions

Newsworthy

• Sage Listens RV Relay tours Canada

• Capture customers with your business website

• Exploring the role of credit cards in small businesses

• The Canada Games announce Sage as national partner

• Canadian small business owners using social media more than ever

• The value of certification

• Transparency in business

• Employee motivation made easy

Take a Break

• Quote of the month

• Sudoku

Connected | December 2013

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Common issue after installing Sage 50 Accounting Canada 2014 update

The 2014 update, which is Sage 50 2014, rolled out at the beginning of October. Some customers may have experienced difficulties working with this latest update. Here we would like to talk about some of the potential issues that clients might face after the update installation.

The most common issue is that some people may not even notice that they have installed Sage 50 2014. When they close Sage 50 2013, they get a popup saying “An update to your Sage 50 solution has been downloaded and is ready to be installed. Install the update to benefit from the improvements in the latest version. Do you want to install the update now?” The update is interpreted by some clients as a normal update to Sage 50 2013 but not an upgrade to Sage 50 2014. After installation and the data has been upgraded and opened by Sage 50 2014 once, they continue to use Sage 50 2013 to open data. The result is that they get the message, “This data has been updated to a new file format and is now incompatible with this version of software. Once you upgrade data to a newer version, it works with the new version only.” At this point, they may be confused and not realize that they have already installed Sage 50 2014. The easiest fix is to take a look at the desktop and see if a new icon, which is identical to Sage 50 2013 icon, can be found. If you can find it, take a look at the icon name. The name of the new Sage 50 2014 icon is Sage 50 [version] Edition. The year 2014 is shown. If you see that, you can start opening your data from now on with this new icon. Another way to confirm your Sage 50 2014 installation is to go to Programs and Features (Vista/7/8) or Add and Remove Programs (XP) under the Control Panel of your computer and see if you find a program called Sage 50 Accounting (again, no 2014 appears behind the name). If you see it, it means your computer has installed the latest version of Sage 50.

Get social with Sage

We want you to be part of the conversation! Like, Follow (or both!) our Facebook and Twitter pages and find out what other businesses like yours are talking about.

Join the conversation

Important Sage 50 Accounting product update

The Sage 50 Accounting 2014.2 Product Update is now available. The Product Update includes the federal and provincial payroll tax changes that take effect January 1, 2014. Only customers who are running Sage 50 Accounting 2013 or Sage 50 Accounting 2014 and who are valid payroll subscribers as of December 19, 2013, will successfully receive the payroll tax updates.

In addition, we strongly encourage all businesses running Sage 50 Accounting 2014 to download and install the Product Update as it also includes product enhancements.

Getting the product update If your software has not already prompted you to install the Product Update, please manually download it from the Sage 50 Accounting website. If you have paid for the CD delivery mail service, your CD will be mailed to you on or after December 23. Please allow for five to ten business days for delivery; however, due to the holiday season, this may take longer. It is recommended you download the file from our website.

Support notice for Sage 50 Accounting 2013Please note that Sage 50 Accounting 2013 will no longer be supported after March 31, 2014. All customers who subscribe to a support plan are entitled to the latest release; therefore you need to ensure that you are running Sage 50 Accounting 2014 as of April 1, 2014. Please review the Sage 50 support policy.

Connected | December 2013

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End-of-year questions

Get answers when you need them with an all-access pass.

Problem: No one likes sitting on hold. But since year end is the busiest time of year for so many of our customers, hold times tend to increase.

Solution: Save time and frustration and avoid long waits in phone queues by accessing one of our other help channels! As a Sage 50 customer, you have access to much more than phone support.

The new Sage year-end center is your all-access pass to the answers you need when you need them. No phone calls. No hold times. No waiting.

Get fast answers from Sage support, peers, and product experts at the busiest time of the year. Visit the new Sage year-end center to access:

• Live chat. Access support, advice, and training from knowledgeable online specialists.

• Knowledgebase. Visit this online portal for up-to-date product info, troubleshooting, and more.

• Sage City. Join Sage 50 support groups and ask questions, collaborate, share experiences, and solve issues with fellow customers, Sage team members, and product experts.

• Sage University. Choose from several training options to realize the full potential of your software regardless of your schedule.

Best of all, our self-help channels are always open, so you can get the answers you need when you need them.

Visit Website

Sage Listens RV Relay tours Canada

After a successful tour of 16 cities across the United States during the summer, Sage decided to expand the tour and head up to Ottawa, Montreal, and Toronto. The Sage Listens RV Relay was a literal and figurative vehicle for Sage executives to personally visit customers to build stronger relationships and also to help the team gain insights into new feature and service requirements to

Another common issue occurs with people working in a network environment. Most of the time, they follow instructions from Sage 50 2013 on their workstations and install the 2014 update. However, their servers, which host the actual data file, are still using the old connection manager. After upgrading to Sage 50 2014, they can no longer open data files because the connection manager in the server is not updated. The fix is pretty straightforward. You need to install the updated connection manager (which is version 3.0) to the server. Clients may want to know where to get the update package, as there is no silent download and autodeployment for server update. Not to worry! You can browse to the default update download location of the workstation already updated to Sage 50 2014 and get the installer package. Here is the location of the default download folder:

• Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\ Shared Documents\Sage Software\Simply Accounting\Download

• Windows Vista/7/8: C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\Sage Software\Simply Accounting\Download

After you find the update package, you can move it to your server and do the installation. If you do not need to install the full version but only the updated connection manager to the server, during installation, select Advanced for the type of installation and then perform a server-only installation.

For other problems related to this Sage 50 2014 update, you can always go to our Knowledgebase at https://support.na.sage.com/ for solutions. You may also find some of the articles listed below helpful in resolving your issues:

• Database engine timed out after installing 2014— article # 10086

• Cannot connect to database in EFT2014— article # 16740

• Connection manager could not start the database engine after installing Sage 50 2014—Article #16375

• Sage 50 2014 conversion issue: “Unable to open the company file.”—Article # 16375

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better support its customers. The tour featured customer visits and special events—all while promoting the “Shop Local” concept.

Sage recognizes that at the heart of the Canadian economy are the locally owned businesses that inject cash flow back into the communities in which they operate. Local businesses are the foundation of every community’s economy. For every $100 spent at local businesses, up to $68 stays in the community.

“We went on the road to help consumers better appreciate and support the merchants and companies based in their communities,” said Nancy Harris, who led the Canadian RV tour. “At the same time, we wanted to show our appreciation for our customers and help them maximize their software investments. This was an incredibly rewarding experience, as it’s not every day you get to gain insights from your customers on how they are meeting their challenges head on and how they’ve achieved their successes.”

Capture customers with your business website

Can you imagine what it was like before the advent of personal websites? Not something like “yourname.com,” but social sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and others. You probably have friends and business contacts that you’ve only talked to a handful of times person-to-person but converse with countless times over the Internet.

Businesses are very much the same. Because so many consumers are online these days, foregoing a corporate website would be detrimental.

But even though Canada is generally viewed as a pretty tech-savvy country, a number of businesses, especially startups, don’t have websites. This is surprising, as so many of these companies complete a lot of their processes online, like managing inventory, keeping track of finances with bookkeeping software, and many other responsibilities.

However, because Canadian consumers are increasingly taking to the Internet, companies need to make sure they’re keeping up with the latest trends.

Shopping online to become big this fallPart of the reason Canadian companies can’t afford skip having an Internet presence is because shopping online has become so common and standard. Take the recent report published by Ebates.com for example. The survey revealed that 65 per cent of parents spend about $100 on each of their children during the back-to-school season, and 50 per cent of these people are do their shopping online.

Respondents said they preferred making purchases over the Internet because they can avoid crowds and save time and money they’d spend getting to the location in the first place. So, if Canadian businesses forego creating their own website, they could be losing out on opportunities like this.

What is a web presence?So we’ve established that just having a website in the first place is a must. But it’s essential that you also have an interesting corporate page, packed full of fresh and engaging content, interesting graphics (but not excessive, because they’ll take too long to load on smartphones and tablets), and a reliable payment processing gateway.

However, you can’t stop there if you want to keep customers interested while pulling in new customers. Business Review Canada suggested investing in a business blog, as it’s relatively cheap or free way to inform about new sales or products/services and can allow a startup to establish its voice and personality. On top of that, the source also suggests establishing social media pages, paying special attention to Facebook and Twitter, given their high volume of engaged users.

Exploring the role of credit cards in small businesses

When you have to make a purchase, what do you usually use to complete the transaction? Sure, you could spend the time to count out the cash and coins or even write out a cheque; however, it’s much easier to swipe a debit or credit card. And many consumers find this simpler—they can look at the transactions on their bank or credit accounts as a running tally of their balances.

Connected | December 2013

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This can benefit company owners as well—these types of transactions are as easily tracked and recorded on their ends. By the end of the year and tax filing time, this can be simple on accountants who are finalizing numbers on financial software.

Why is it, then, that small business leaders are asking Canadian shoppers to leave the plastic at home on Fridays from now on?

Is “Credit Free Friday” catching on?According to The Globe and Mail, the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses (CFIB) recently launched a campaign calling upon Canadian consumers to use debit cards or cash every Friday. This, the news source said, is because federation wants to reduce the amount Canadian companies pay each year in processing fees.

CFIB President Dan Kelly told the news source that businesses have to contend with between $5 billion and $7 billion every year in these expenses, because retailers pay between 2 and 3.5 per cent of each transaction total in processing costs.

Financial expert Gail Vaz-Oxlade told The Toronto Star that while there are also fees associated with debit card transactions, they are notably lower. She said that for a $200 transaction, processing a credit card is about $5, while the same action for a debit card runs around $0.05. Obviously, for cash purchases, there are no extra expenses tacked on.

Benefits for company leadersThat being said, there are still a number of benefits that can be wrought from credit card use in businesses. For instance, the Canadian Bankers Association (CBA) reported that, unlike cheques or even debit cards, credit card transactions are automatic and guaranteed.

Plus, the more a company accepts credit transactions, the less of a threat of theft there is, the CBA pointed out, because there won’t be much for robbers to target in a register or vault. On top of that, the news source detailed that there’s a lowered chance for money loss because it’s hard for cashiers to make mistakes when a card is swiped.

If accepting credit card payments is something you’re interested in to stay ahead of the competition, you can now do so with a Sage solution that is integrated with your accounting system. For more information, visit: http://na.sage.com/sage-payment-solutions

The Canada Games announce Sage as national partner

Earlier this year, Sage was thrilled to be announced as the newest national partner to the Canada Games. With this announcement, Sage was the official Canada Games national partner for this past Summer Games in Sherbrooke and will continue to be so until the end of the 2015.

Held once every two years, alternating between winter and summer, the Canada Games represent the highest level of national competition for up and coming Canadian athletes. The Games are proud of their contribution to Canada’s sport development system in addition to their lasting legacy of sport facilities, community pride, and national unity.

‘‘The Canada Games Council is thrilled to be in association with such a globally well-respected company as Sage,’’ said Tom Quinn, chairman of the Canada Games Council.

‘‘The software expertise in accounting and business management that Sage provides will benefit current and future host societies as well as become a key delivery mechanism for templates and transfer of knowledge tools.’’

As the Canada Games Council works to provide the tools, resources, and partners necessary to streamline the important work of each host society, Sage resources will become essential to each edition of the Games as the partnership grows. Sage provided solutions to the 2013 Canada Games, which took place this summer in Sherbrooke, Quebec, and is currently engaged with the 2015 Canada Winter Games in Prince George, British Columbia.

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Overarching tipsSo when the remaining entrepreneurs who don’t yet have a corporate page finally get on board, there are a number of general tips they should follow. For instance, News Canada reported that a lot of the time, consumers more interested in visuals that companies publish, rather than advertisements full of text. The news source also suggested including contact information and hours of operation where it’s easily visible, as this will help drive search results.

We want to get connected with you and see how you’re using social media to benefit your small businesses! To follow us on Twitter or Facebook, visit: https://www.facebook.com/Sage50CDN and https://twitter.com/Sage50CDN

Social media interest rose by 17 per centAccording to the latest information from Bank of Montreal, 40 per cent of entrepreneurs were active on social media sites in 2012, a number that skyrocketed to 57 per cent this year. Of these companies, only about half of them use their pages strictly for brand promotion, but 38 per cent started accounts to directly sell their wares.

This could indicate space within social media for burgeoning small companies to advertise their product lines without too much competition at the moment.

Finally, the survey revealed that 15 per cent of owners use their voice on social sites to crowd source for ideas and other business suggestions, and 35 per cent participate on the platforms to see what consumers are saying about the brand.

The value of certification

In an ever changing and competitive economy, it’s increasingly important to stand out from the competition. One of the best ways to accomplish this is through education that leads to certification. Certification validates your skills, knowledge, and educational commitment— and most importantly, your personal achievement. Your drive to be the best in your field and to obtain various certifications enables you to stand out above your competition. It also helps boost your confidence in your knowledge of the subject. You are now able to speak with ease, demonstrating to your peers and clients that you are an expert. This can lead to higher earning potential and open doors that otherwise may have been closed to you.

The dedication to education and maintaining your credentials establishes you as a continuous learner who is fully committed to professional excellence.

Canadian small business owners using social media more than ever

It seems like almost everyone and their mother— sometimes literally—is on social media, from the big ones like Facebook and Twitter to those growing in popularity like Vine and Tumblr. This is a great way for individuals to keep in touch with family members who live far away, as well as keep tabs on friends from their school days whom they don’t talk to anymore.

However, Canadian business leaders are rapidly discovering that across many of these sites, there are a lot of opportunities for individuals to show their love and appreciation for their favourite brands as well. If companies have corporate social media accounts, their fans can share brand messages, new promotions, and positive experiences.

While it’s nothing new for brands to start their own social media pages to gain followers and drive more interest within new audiences, the trend is becoming much more popular in Canada. What does this mean for average small business owners? They need to start carving out their niche on these types of websites before the competition snatches up the consumer pool.

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Connected | December 2013

Sage University provides you with the ability to learn in an environment that is best for you. You can pick the way you learn.

• Hands-on Labs: Instructor-led, regional, classroom courses.

• Realtime: Live, online, instructor-led training courses.

• Seminar: Lecture style classroom courses available in a variety of locations across Canada.

• Anytime: Self-paced online training offering the convenience of 24/7 availability.

Once you have completed your learning, you can become either a Certified User or an Application Specialist.

• Certified User recognizes your knowledge of the fundamental features of Sage 50

• Application Specialist acknowledges your proficiency with all aspects of Sage 50

Find out more details about the learning opportunity that best fits your needs and test your knowledge.

Transparency in business by: Pierre-Luc Paquin

The concept of business ethics emerged not so long ago and has been given increased importance. With the democratization of communications, especially from the Internet and social networks, the whole process of information sharing has accelerated, and it is now increasingly difficult to hide private information from the public. People are more informed and want the best there is on the market. They will certainly not hesitate to let people know about their displeasure.

Today, companies must gain the confidence of people if they want to survive. And to achieve this, they must be transparent and honest. Whether that’s in their corporate values, sales process, or customer service, people must have confidence before buying anything. An example of a company adopting this strategy is the McDonald’s restaurant chain. Beginning last year, McDonald’s launched a major advertising campaign to its consumers to ask anything about the products they sell. This not

only allowed consumers to have better satisfaction in the brand, but it also clarified taboos around McDonald’s that could tarnish its reputation. For the company, it allowed it to publicly answer the questions of its consumers and to recall the values of the company. Was McDonald’s sincere in its effort, or was it just a well-staged publicity stunt? Probably a little of both, but ultimately, the consumer is the real winner of this situation because all are now more informed and know what to expect from the company in the future.

Transparency in business also allows future crisis more smoothly. Do you remember the food crisis with Maple Leaf that dramatically lowered the stock market value of the company? Every media outlet was talking about consumers who had been poisoned with the listeria bacteria. Instead of denying any wrongdoing, Maple Leaf accepted the blame and publicly apologized to the people. In the aftermath, Maple Leaf completely revised its corporate values and its production processes. This situation resulted in the company’s offering better quality products, using natural ingredients, and it has allowed it to regain the confidence of the population it serves. Ultimately, transparency in business is not a complicated concept. It’s an ideal that companies decide to adopt in all spheres of their activities, by clearly establishing and adhering to their corporate values, which will ensure their survival in the long run.

Pierre-Luc Paquin is a Sage Certified Consultant Platinum level, a Sage Certified Trainer and founder of LG4 Logiciel Comptable—a consulting firm specializing in implementing accounting software. Pierre-Luc has a bachelor degree in finance and general accounting and more than 8 years experience in sales, financial consulting, software implementation and risk management.

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Sudoku

Fill in the grid so that every row, column and 3X3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9.

“I have no use for bodyguards, but I have very specific use for two highly trained certified public accountants” —Elvis Presley

Employee motivation made easy

While tough love might work for many people, it’s not really a great motivator in the corporate world. Workers tend not to respond well to being chastised, threatened, yelled at, or otherwise publicly called out for not completing a project for whatever reason.

In fact, this approach often has negative consequences. When employees don’t feel respected or like they’re worthy or contributing to the team, they’re liable to look elsewhere for greener pastures. As tempting as it might be to try to motivate staff by telling them that poor results will emerge if a project isn’t finished or a contract isn’t secured, small business owners can’t afford to do this.

So, what does motivate employees and drive the best possible results? That old adage we’ve all heard “kill them with kindness,” does actually have some truth to it.

Show them how they contributeAccording to The Globe and Mail, one of the best ways to motivate workers is to encourage them and show them just what impact their actions have on the business.

The news source said that leaders can make it simple—they just have to tell employees why they’re doing the work they are. The newspaper explained that this can change employees’ entire outlook—they go from thinking some of their tasks are busy work and menial to knowing that everything they do helps out their team in some way.

Moreover, The Globe and Mail reported that when individuals know how they’re contributing and what the ultimate goal of the company is, they can start taking on more responsibility and making their own educated judgment calls. This can make key players much more productive and launch the business into success it hasn’t achieved before.

Think about incentive programsAnother thing company leaders might want to do is come up with a system of rewards. The good thing about this tactic is that owners don’t have to break the bank. For instance, perhaps the worker who makes the most sales in a month can earn two extra paid time-off days or will receive a gift card at the closing of the quarter.

Making a contest out of it can enable some healthy competition in the office and give employees enticing to work toward.

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Key contacts

Customer sales1-888-261-9610

Inquire, purchase, or renewSage 50 Accounting Product or Version upgrades

Sage Business CareAdd-on products and third-party services

Training courses1-866-867-0674

Customer support1-888-522-2722

• One free support case within 60 days of product registration.

• Technical support for customers currently on a Sage Business Care plan.

• Pay-as-you-go (offered as required).

Customer service1-888-222-8985

• Product updates (includes payroll updates)

• Returns

• Customer inquiries and complaints

• Order follow-up

• Credits and disputes

• Student version registration

• Issue payroll IDs to verified students

• Remove customers from mail and call lists

Key web resourceswww.Sage50Accounting.ca

http://Partners.SageNorthAmerica.com

www.SageU.com

The material is for general information purposes only. As market conditions are always subject to change, the information contained herein shall not be interpreted as any commitment from Sage or as legal or financial advice. Please consult with a qualified legal or financial professional if you have questions about your specific circumstances. Sage makes no warranties, expressed or implied, in this material.

©2013 Sage Software Canada, Ltd. All rights reserved. Sage, the Sage logo, and Sage Simply Accounting are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sage Software, Inc. or its affiliated entities. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. SPK 13-03400 12/13

Sage Software Canada, Ltd. 13888 Wireless Way, Suite 120 Richmond, BC V6V 0A3