Welcome to the 2nd Edition of the Advanced Connect Newsletter

It has been a busy month for Advanced with the Customer Conference taking place on the 13th September 2011, which saw the launch of OpenAccounts v7, OpenPlanning v5.0, OpenPeople v8.11.1 aswell as previews of forthcoming releases for OpenLogistix and HR Pro.

We also presented at the Software Europe & ICAEW conferences and took part in discussions at the CxO Finance Dialogue event. Next month looks set to be just as busy with the HR Performance and Softworld Exhibitions taking place.

Advanced Connect Customer Conference Review

New products, new services, new brand

Thank you to everyone who attended the 2011 annual customer conference. With over 200 delegates on the day and a packed agenda the event was a great success.

This year’s event saw the launch of OpenAccounts Version 7, OpenPlanning V5, OpenPeople v8.11.1 aswell as previews of forthcoming releases for OpenLogistix and HR Pro.

The day started with refreshments in the main exhibition hall with over 10 stands offering services discounts, new products and many a prize draw.

After a brief overview of where Advanced and it’s solutions are headed over the next 12 months, delegates broke out in the product specific update sessions – going through the product roadmap, new version releases and how customers can feed into this process.

The afternoon was packed with 30 minute industry expert workshops which ranged from general business issues to new product demonstrations and legislation updates.

The penultimate session was presented by Richard Newman a body language expert who went through how small changes in how you stand and present yourself can make the difference between a ‘thumbs up’ and a ‘thumbs down’.

The day was rounded off by a few words from our Managing Director, Simon Fowler, and the much anticipated prize draws. Congratulations to all of our winners:

Customer Connect Prize Draw

• PlayStation3 – Grahame Knight, Carshalton College
• Kindle – Roz Hubbard, Virgin Trains
• iPod Touch – Dawn Pilbeam, Walsall Housing Group

Conference Feedback Prize Draw

• 1st Prize – iPad, Sponsored by Version One
  Jenny Weeks, Plymouth Marine Laboratory
• 2nd Prize - £250 Red Letter Day, sponsored by Real Flair Ltd
  Tony Gamble, Cats Protection
• 3rd Prize – Android Tablet, sponsored by Software Europe
  Laura Goodall, Buro Four

We will base decisions on next year’s conference on feedback received from customers. To have your say on where next year’s conference is to be held click here.

To download any of the presentations on the day, find out more about the exhibitors on the day and to register for next year’s conference on the 18th September 2012 visit the conference website

Customer Resources

Minimise the impact of employment legislation on strategic HR – read our white paper

In an increasingly litigious employment environment, HR managers can’t afford to drop the ball even for a moment. From the BBC being brought to rights over ageism, to holiday entitlement disputes being dragged before the European courts, employers are at greater risk than ever of being sued and publicly condemned for failing to do right by the people who work for them.

This white paper discusses how now more than ever it is time that HR professionals turned to IT in its strategic capacity, as a time saver, rule keeper and resource-saver.

In times of austerity, and in recovery, the benefits are seen time and time again to outweigh any costs.

To read more download our white paper.

Automatic Enrolment & NEST – read our briefing paper
The measures introduced in the Pensions Act 2008 radically reform workplace pension provision, starting from October 2012.

The three key components of these reforms are:

• A new legal requirement for employers to automatically enrol their eligible jobholders into a qualifying pension scheme AND to make minimum pension contributions for them.
• A new national workplace pension scheme called NEST (the National Employment Savings Trust). NEST will be a qualifying pension scheme (as will be suitably designed private pension schemes) and will be open to any employer who wants to use it, either for some or of all of their employees.
• A compliance regime enforced by The Pensions Regulator.

This briefing paper discusses what employers need to do to comply with the new requirements coming in to force, both from a payroll and on HR perspective.

To download the Briefing Paper click here.

To find out what Advanced are doing to prepare for these new demands, download the presentation from the 2011 Customer Conference.

Product Highlights

Reward & Salary Planning by OpenPlanning
Are you tired of wrestling with spreadsheets? Is your reward planning & budget process so painful you can only manage it once a year?

OpenPlanning enables HR and payroll managers to establish the true value of an organisation’s people costs, from recruitment fees through to salaries, bonuses and training costs.

Data can be analysed and using the system’s modelling functionality, the impact of ‘what if’ scenarios can be determined to aid decision making.

For more information download the OpenPlanning brochure.

Or download the presentation from the 2011 Customer Conference here.

OpenAccounts v7
One of the many highlights at the 2011 conference was the launch of version 7, with several new modules and increased capabilities within existing modules it sees the product being developed even further. A new user interface was also revealed based on .NET technology which will be available from Q1 next year.

Forensix, a new module, aims to eliminate any fraudulent activity around the “procure to pay” cycle.  It includes sophisticated alerting based on a whole series of different criteria which will enable organisations to monitor suspicious activity.

Rent Accounting provides organisations with a property database and the capability to generate invoices, analyse void periods and link to service users, aiding organisations in the monitoring and provision of rented accommodation and property.

Finally, an extensive Carbon Accounting analysis module allows the calculation of CO2 emissions based on user defined rules such as engine size, miles travelled etc. The module will capture costs incurred that have relevance to carbon emissions (e.g. purchase employee expenses) and convert such costs into carbon equivalents. Organisations can then report on these figures to monitor actuals against budget.

If you would like to see the new functionality in action, we are holding regional seminars in November where the new modules and features will be demonstrated in more detail along with the opportunity to understand the upgrade process and see some of the exciting 3rd party partnerships that have now been put in place.

Planned dates include :-

• 27th October – Stirling
• 10th November – London
• 22nd November – Northampton
• 24th November – Manchester

OpenPeople v8.11.1
Version8.11.1 which is out in October 2011 will be OpenPeople’s standard half year release. The headlining functionality includes a much demanded PDF exporting tool from the OpenPeople system and the ability to record Occupational Sick Pay (OSP) in hours and also create OSP mail merges. There are also improvements for those wishing to replicate OpenPeople user defined screens within eOpenPeople with the inclusion of web forms. OpenPeople will use its proven workflow tool eBis to manage the process of updating the back end via a web based environment.

Download the product summary

For more information on OpenPeople v8.11.1 please contatct your account manager on 01582 714 810 or via email connect@advancedcomputersoftware.com

OpenPlanning v5.0
OpenPlanning is our leading planning product. Version 5 is the 7th updated release of the solution and with it comes some exciting new functionality. The latest release delivers a host of features aimed at streamlining the user experience of the product even further. It includes the ability to build models using a graphical front end and to integrate organisation and hierarchical structures into the solution direct, speeding up the overall model building process. This accompanied by a new filter function called Matrix, which may decrease worksheet volumes of up to 75% will be available in the coming weeks.

Upgrade packages start from £1,500. For more information on the packages contact your account manager on 01582 714 810 or via email connect@advancedcomputersoftware.com

Professional Services

Soft skills, new for Autumn 2011

Soft skills are personal attributes that enhance an individual’s interactions, job performance and career prospects. In a recent survey by Virgin Media Business, it was revealed that the biggest priority when looking for prospective employees in 2011 is ensuring they possess the right interpersonal and communication skills.

But what about your current employees? Do they have the skills which will enable them to work more effectively and represent the organisation in the right way?

Time Management
Do you ever feel overwhelmed by how much you have to do, or feel you allocate too much time to tasks that aren’t business critical?

Effective Communication
Whether dealing with customers, colleagues or suppliers, communication is key - but being an effective communicator takes real skill.

Dealing with Difficult Situations
At times we all encounter difficult situations whether it is an unhappy customer, unacceptable behaviour from a colleague or unsatisfactory service. How we deal with these situations is key to their resolution, but do you have the skills to effectively handle them?

Dealing with Change
Change - how important is it? Should we alter the way we do to things at work and in our personal lives in order to be more effective or should we make changes just for change’s sake?

Advanced Business Solutions are now able to support your organisation by providing your employees with the skills and tools they need to develop further.

For more information contact the Training Services Team on 01582 714 830 or via email abs.training@advancedcomputersoftware.com