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New Jayhawk Software Phone
Number
To reach
Jayhawk Software for information or technical support, you
need to start dialing our new area code. (The old area code will no longer work after November.)
Please be sure to update all your contact records to
the following:
Jayhawk
Software Division
P.O. Box 826 (mailing
address)
501 N. State St. (physical & shipping)
Iola, KS 66749
Phone: (620) 365-8065
Fax: (620) 365-7980
E-mail:
info@jayhawksoftware.com
Web Site: www.jayhawksoftware.com
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Sales Tax on Purchases
Due to the recent
change in Kansas Sales Tax Law, Kansas’ customers will be
charged sales tax unless you have provided us with a tax
exemption form (copy enclosed for Kansas customers to return
to us) (see article about SB 322 in August KRWA Clarifier).
All customers outside of Kansas are responsible for
their own sales/use tax; tax has never been added to your
invoice and we will continue to follow this procedure.
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JUBS Version History
We have had many
inquiries from our users about how their version of JUBS
compares to our newer versions or wanting to add a feature to
our older versions that is now included in our newer versions.
We also get calls when our customers are having
problems with an old version of JUBS once a newer Windows
version is installed.
(See last issue of The BILLetin Board.) Since we are
going to discontinue program changes and module add-ons to our
oldest Windows version (see next article), we wanted to give
you a brief history and description of our JUBS versions.
We have also printed on the newsletter address label what
version of JUBS you have purchased.
DOS
version – 1980 – First release of JUBS
Win95
2.x version– Jan. 1997 – First Windows version
of JUBS released. Very similar features and options to
DOS version but a “Windows look.”
5.x
version – July 1998 – Second Windows version;
updated and expanded printer setup so it would work with
Windows 98 and later versions of Windows. Also increased
charge code capabilities and added several new modules not
available in previous versions.
Series
300/3000 version – July 1999 – Third Windows
version released. Included many features in this system
that were custom programming or separate modules that had to
be added to older versions. There are also two different
editions of the Series 3x – the Standard and Deluxe.
The changes in this version enabled us to price this system
more affordably for small, single utility service districts
but also able to meet the needs of large multi-service utility
districts.
NEW
JUBS version – 2002
– Code-named Beef Jerky (see later article).
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Notice
to Old JUBS Version Users
The Win95
version (AKA version 2.x) of JUBS will not have
programming changes or add-on modules available after January
1, 2002. Since there have been two other JUBS versions released since
then, and five years have passed since it’s release, we have
made this decision to help expedite the development of our new
version and encourage upgrading to a newer version to help
prevent problems. Additionally,
Microsoft has also announced that it will not support its
Windows 95 operating system after December 31, 2001 (O.S. the
Win95 JUBS version was designed to use on). Users may continue
to use this version if the system continues to work for you as
it is and we will continue to answer “how to use it”
support questions. Customers
may want to consider upgrading to our newer version to prevent
problems if you purchase a new PC or operating system since 3
or 4 versions of Windows have been released since it was
created. An upgrade discount will be given towards the purchase of our
new version, so call in now for more information!!!!
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Monthly
Balancing Problems may be caused by Inactive Accounts
Due
to some districts having difficulty balancing at the end of
the month, we have researched this issue and found the cause
often to be Inactive accounts. In JUBS version 5.x and
Series 3x, the Inactive checkbox was designed to be checked
only after an account no longer has monetary activity taking
place (since most reports do not include Inactive
accounts). Some of our customers are marking accounts
Inactive when they still are getting Late Charges applied,
having final payments posted, etc., which is creating a
balancing problem. If your district works with Inactives
in this manner, we will provide a change for your JUBS that
will change the reports to include ALL accounts (Active
and Inactive) for $75.00, which includes shipping and
handling.
The update will add an
Inactive Customer List, Inactive Monthly Report, and change
other reports so that Inactive accounts are included.
The inactive accounts still will not appear in usage
entry or allow bills to be calculated or printed as JUBS has
always done. Also,
the upgrade will not affect how past due notices or
late charges are handled.
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Bill Card Postal
Regulations
Due to a change in
postal regulations, we have created a new bill card format
that complies with the regulations.
The Post Office requires the customer name and address
to be placed below any other printed information on the right
side of the card. Some Post Offices in certain states have already enforced this change; others are enforcing the
policy now. Please
contact us for more information before you order your next
pre-printed bill cards. [Also, see more information
on bill cards
web page.]
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pcAnywhere Benefits
Want something fast instead of waiting on the mail or UPS, and to not have
to worry about how to install an update when you get it?
Quite often, something has happened in your billing
system and you must have support immediately! pcAnywhere is a tool which provides you with a quicker and easier, yet
secure way to get support, updates, or program changes.
The remote
support allows us to send updates and/or modules, transfer
files, download your data, check PC or printer settings, and
see problems as you see them.
The best part of pcAnywhere is it saves the customer
and us valuable time as opposed to blindly walking through a
situation via the phone.
You can order pcAnywhere from us for just $115 plus $5
shipping. The
only other requirements are a modem in your PC and access to a
phone line. Order yours now so you can
have it installed and ready for the next time you’re swamped
with billing duties--and then suddenly you need immediate
assistance with your JUBS.
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JUBS Dealers Wanted
If you know anyone
that would be interested in becoming a dealer, please have him
or her contact us or let us know so we can contact him or her. An ideal candidate would be an Accountant, Auditor, or
Computer Reseller that works with Utility Service Districts
and is familiar with PC applications.
Becoming a dealer costs nothing, but provides the
customer and dealer with several benefits.
We have established customers in many areas that would
like to have a local Jayhawk Representative.
This gives you, the customer, a knowledgeable person
close enough they can come on-site to help support JUBS, and
it provides the dealer with a great-selling, established
product to offer to a growing market of utility customers
wanting a better Utility Billing System. We would like to recognize and thank two of the GREAT
dealers we have: Guylon
Gregory in Mississippi and Wallace Maynard in Florida.
Let us (and them) know they are appreciated when they
have gone out of their way to help you out sometime.
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Quick
Tip - Backing Up
Jayhawk
Software has a ZIP
Backup module that is a quick, easy way to backup all your
JUBS data or program on multiple floppy disks. Our Zip
Backup Module is available for only $50 to users with an SSA.
There are several files in your JUBS folder that should be
backed up on a regular basis. Please call and inquire about
the ZIP Backup module if you are not backing up, or if you
need to verify that you are backing up the correct files.
We strongly recommend you use several different
backup media “sets” (floppy or zip disks, tapes, etc.) in
a rotation so your data is kept secure.
You should backup daily (or after doing a
day’s work), before calculating bills, before
applying Late Charges and before an EOM Reset
(keep the EOM backup in a safe place for archival purposes –
do not over-write and reuse the media).
For example, label five sets of media Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday and reuse them each week.
Then have a media to use before billing and before L/C
that can be reused each month.
Lastly, you should have a media for each month that you
use before EOM Reset and never erase.
It is also recommended that at least once a week your
backup be taken off your premise (so if a disaster would
destroy your office, it wouldn’t destroy your data backup).
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Congratulations!
Newsletter
Development Survey $25.00 Winner
Vicki, Shawnee RWD #4 - KS
Kansas
Municipal Util. Conf. $50.00 Winner
Cheryl, City of Kingman - KS
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Update on NEW Version
of Jayhawk Utility
Billing System
We
want to take this opportunity to THANK YOU for
returning the development sheets from the last issue of
BILLetin and for using our Jayhawk Utility Billing System.
Over 70 surveys were returned with information you shared, in
addition to what you have personally discussed with us
pertaining to the new JUBS system. (The new system is
code-name is Beef Jerky because we plan to keep a supply of
jerky on-hand to help maintain our sanity during development
:-) ). In the last newsletter, we listed some
features we are planning to add or improve. Here are
several more features we plan to add:
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Multiple
Service Deposit Tracking |
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Create
Custom Documents by exporting JUBS data to Word |
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Modifying
the Charge Codes so they are More Flexible and Easier to
Understand |
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Better
Handling of Renters/Landlords |
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Add
Bill Printout Options (Full Page Statement or Postcards) |
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Easier,
More Accurate Tracking of Adjustments made Manually |
| Pop up Reminder to
Backup when EOM Reset or other Critical Billing Procedures
are performed |
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