ProOnGo Expense iPhone Version Updated

Hello Everyone

We made some big changes to our iPhone expense tracker that just went live to the iTunes App Store yesterday. Among the changes were some visual sorting for users to get a better idea of exactly how much money they are spending per expense category, as well as major improvements to our Employee-Manager workflow.

Here are the details:

• In the Graphs section, the Pie chart now shows spend by category; e.g., showing you what percentage of your expenses were for Meals vs. Entertainment vs. Travel (or whatever categories you have configured)
• In the expense list, if you use the Workflow features, the workflow state of each expense will appear in parenthesis after the dollar amount (Submitted, Approved, Denied)
• In the expense list, if you have a filter turned on, we now show at the bottom of the list a summary of how many expenses are shown vs hidden, due to the filter
• In the New Expense screens, once the picture of the receipt has been taken, it goes straight into the upload path rather than going into the image editor.  This speeds up the process of filing receipts.  The image editor can be turned back on via settings, for those that prefer to use it.
• Lots of performance and stability improvements.
• In the Sort/Filter section, we now have a toggle for Show/Hide expenses in the “Archived” state.  This new state will come in handy shortly as a way for non-workflow users to keep, but hide, expenses that are from prior reporting periods.  Previously non-workflow users had to choose between keeping such expenses in the New state, or the Deleted state, and that was not enough flexibility to handle prior-period expenses.
• In the expense list, we now show a network traffic indicator in the status bar, when the app is communicating with the server
• We added “clear” buttons (subtle gray “x” button in the right-end of an edit box) in various places throughout the app, including the username/password window, and the merchant name editor
• We now support creating very large expense reports via the Reports tab.  Previously, a user creating a report with 150+ expenses would likely see an error saying “URL too long”.  This error has been fixed.
• The “Settings” list options now match the exact order of what our BlackBerry and Android users have
• Fixed various bugs in Sort/Filter; we found a few specific cases where Filter and Sort settings were not being honored.

Check out the new version and see if you like the new additions. And as usual, send us an email if you have any questions or comments: Support@ProOnGo.com.

Filed under: Release Notes, expense management, expense report, expense reporting, expense tracker, expense tracking, iphone app, iphone expense tracking, iphone expenses

QuickBooks Pro Features Explained

Hey Everyone

Back in July 2010, we introduced QuickBooks Pro integration, which allowed users to export their expenses directly into their QuickBooks Pro account. Once a user imported their .IIF file with their expenses into QuickBooks Pro, the expenses showed up as a ‘New Bill.”

This kind of support was OK for companies who didn’t really know what accounting procedure they wanted to use for tracking expenses, but the method left out advanced expense-tracking procedures that seasoned QuickBooks Pro users craved for.

Well, now we’re happy to say that we’ve broadened our support to handle the three most popular ways to import expenses into QuickBooks Pro:

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(1) EXPENSE TRACK VIA WRITE CHECK

For small companies that have employees paying out-of-pocket for T&E and then getting reimbursed via paper check after-the-fact, a very simple way to reimburse those employees is to go to Banking->Write Check, and simply cut a check to the employee for the sum total of their expenses (say for $100.00) and then fill in the line items that sum up to that total so that the individual expense accounts (such as Meals & Entertainment, Travel, Incidentals, etc) have a running total of spend therein.

A few useful notes:

(a) We allow users to configure what account the checks are written from (e.g., “Bank of America Checking Account”).  This can be configured via the ProOnGo Web Portal->Settings->QuickBooks.  Default is “Checking Account”.

(b) Field 1 in ProOnGo is used as the expense account name so that the check is backed up by itemized expense account line items that sum to the total of the reimbursement.

(c) The “Client” field in ProOnGo flows through to the “Customer:Job” field in QB Pro.  Useful for companies that pass expenses through to clients or run reports to determine profitability of each client (not unusual).

(2) EXPENSE TRACK VIA CREDIT CARD  

Some companies prefer to think of their employees’ reimburseable expenses as a virtual “credit card”.  I.e. the employee is making purchases and the company owes the employee the sum total of those purchases as a reimbursement.

In this line of thinking, the employee “is” the credit card.  Users label their expenses using:

• Field 1 (Category) to specify the expense accounts against which the employee spent.
• Field 3 (Client) to flow into QB Pro’s “Customer:Job” field
• Field 4 (Payment Type) in ProOnGo Expense to indicate the Credit Card account name

So, a Credit Card account might be named “Max Reimbursements”, and would accumulate line items of expenses incurred by Max. Then, on some agreed rhythm, the QB administrator cuts Max Schmidt a check for the running total sitting on that “credit card” for that expense category and/or project.

(3) EXPENSE TRACK VIA VENDOR BILLS

Some companies treat their employees as Vendors, when it comes to expense reimbursement.  For example, if Max buys 3 computers on his personal credit card, and the company has agreed to reimburse him for buying these for the office, the QB admin could go to Vendor->Enter Bills and create a “bill” from Max Schmidt, billing the company for the total cost of those 3 computers.  The QB Admin could then go to Vendors->Pay Bills to issue a check to Max Schmidt for the total amount of those 3 computers.

This is the 1 style of QB Pro export that we’ve supported to-date.  Support has now been improved, though.

ProOnGo’s Field 3 (Client) now flows through to QB’s “Customer:Job”.  This is important if Max purchased these computers for work on a particular client and I pass the expenses through to that client (while simultaneously reimbursing Max), OR if I use any of the QB reports that track profit/loss on a per-client basis.

Filed under: News, Expense, expense management, expense report, expense reporting, mobile apps, quickbooks, QuickBooks Pro

New BlackBerry UI Launched

We just launched a new user interface for BlackBerry devices. As you can tell by the screenshot, we got a toolbar! This toolbar makes the navigating and creating expense reports easier than ever.

The new version should be available on BlackBerry App World in a couple days, or if you can’t wait, you can download this new version by navigating to www.ProOnGo.com on your BlackBerry browser.

As always, let us know how you like the new changes by sending an email to Support@ProOnGo.com or you can Tweet us (@ProOnGo).

Filed under: News, expense report, expense reporting, expense tracking, iphone apps, mobile apps, mobile expense tracker, ProOnGo Expense, receipt scanning, reimbursement

New Mobile Site Launched

A new mobile site has launched for iPhone and Android devices. The new site features a much improved user experience as well as a whole lot of information.

We’ve also added Getting Started Guides for brand new users under the Help and Support option on the site.

Check out the new design and tell us what you think by sending us an email at Support@ProOnGo.com or tweet us @ProOnGo.

Filed under: News, android, iphone, mobile app, mobile site

BlackBerry Version Updated

A new version of ProOnGo Expense just went live for BlackBerry devices.

Among the changes in this version:

• Some general bug fixes
• Re-order of Options menu – We made it easier to find your mileage reimbursement settings, time reimbursement settings and credit card sync settings
• Yell At Support – This option’s at the bottom – you can send us an email or choose this option if you’re having problem with the app and it will send us a diagnostic email.

Stay tuned next week for a big chagne: the addition of a navigation toolbar for BlackBerry devices! This is going to look very similar to our Android and iPhone versions and will greatly increase the usability of the application.

Keep letting us know how we can improve your expense-tracking by sending an email to Support@ProOnGo.com or tweet us @ProOnGo.

Filed under: Release Notes, blackberry apps, expense report, expense reporting, expense tracking, mobile apps, ProOnGo Expense, receipt scanning, reimbursement

New iPhone Version Goes Live!

Hello Everyone!

It’s the beginning of December and we’re quickly approaching the one year anniversary of the release of the ProOnGo Expense for iPhone. We’ve come along way since then, and we don’t plan on stopping the development train just yet!

This new version for iPhone features a major upgrade for our expense filtering system; You can now filter your expenses by multiple metrics

What you can do:

• Filter by client name and time period
• Filter by expense type and client name
• Filter expenses payment type and expense type
• Filter expenses by their workflow status
• Many, many other combinations

Keep in mind, when you create a report, the expenses included in the report will be the expenses shown on your Expense List home screen.

How we see you using this:

It’s the end of the week, you just finished up a project with a client and now it’s now time to send your expenses to your client.  Simply filter your expenses by client name and time period and then create your report, then your client is updated with your expenses.

Give us a shout about this feature (Support@ProOnGo.com) or any other feature you have an opinion on and as usual, and we’ll keep making ProOnGo Expense your favorite mobile expense-tracker.

Filed under: Release Notes, expense report, expense reporting, expense tracking, iphone apps, mobile apps, mobile expense tracker, ProOnGo Expense, receipt scanning, reimbursement

Samsung Releases Fixes for GPS for Android Users

If you’ve been having trouble getting your GPS to work properly on your Samsung Android device, Samsung has come out with a couple guides to get your GPS back on track. The guides walk users through how to update the phones with the appropriate software fix and how to use and install the GPS Restore Application.

Samsung Captivate GPS Fix Guide

Samsung Vibrant GPS Fix Guide

Thanks to MobileBurn for the tip.

Filed under: News, android, expense report, expense reporting, expense tracking, iphone apps, mobile apps, ProOnGo Expense, receipt scanning, reimbursement

iPhone Release Updated

A new version of ProOnGo Expense went live on the iTunes App Store yesterday and we managed to fix some bugs as well as added anew feature; we now have a “Start From Here” item at the bottom of each mileage expense.

If you drive from 102 Main Street, Gary, IN to 300 Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL, and your next sales call is in Milwaukee, you can open up the Chicago expense, tap on “Start From Here”, and it will create a new mileage expense that starts at exactly “300 Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL”.

So, someone who drives through multiple stops per day can stitch them together into a contiguous set of mileage expenses where they’re sure not to miss the opportunity to take credit for every mile driven.  Give us a shout about this feature (Support@ProOnGo.com) and as usual, keep telling us what you like and don’t like about ProOnGo Expense!

Filed under: Release Notes, expense report, expense reporting, expense tracking, iphone apps, mobile apps, ProOnGo Expense, receipt scanning, reimbursement

Your Company’s Own Expense App: ProOnGo Expense White Label

Rebranding ProOnGo Expense to fit your company.

Coming in early December, we will be launching the ProOnGo Expense White Label package. This brand new package allows businesses to rebrand ProOnGo Expense with their company’s log and color scheme, and we will upload this new app to the iTunes App Store.

How it works:

If you’re interested in getting a custom application for your firm, it’s a relatively quick and easy process thanks to the ProOnGo Expense Custom App Wizard.  All you do is:

1. Pick your splash screen color
2. Insert your Company Splash Screen image
3. Upload your app icon
4. Choose your color scheme
5. ProOnGo uploads the app to the iTunes App Store.

After you complete the wizard, you’ll be able to instruct your employees to the iTunes App Store market to download the company’s rebranded expense tracking application.  You can expect the White Label Wizard to go live in early December.

Are you a tech savvy CPA that would like to become a launch partner with ProOnGo’s White Label app? Contact us here!

Filed under: News, Expense, expense report, expense reporting, expense tracking, expenses, iphone, iphone apps, mileage expense, mileage tracking, mobile app, proongo, ProOnGo Expense, receipt, receipt scanning, reimbursement, travel expense management, white label app

Mobile Expense Reporting for Businesses

A few weeks back we launched our ProOnGo Businesses Packages. These packages allow businesses us to easily distribute ProOnGo Expense throughtout their company without needing to worry about individual subscriptions.

I want to take a moment and go over our Premium Business Package’s features and explain how these features can help out your business with expense tracking.

Up to 100 Users
With the a Business Package subscription, businesses don’t have to worry about signing up every single one of their employees with ProOnGo. They simply point to the ProOnGo Expense app in the device’s marketplace, and as long as they sign up with the company’s email address, the user will enjoy full benefits of a ProOnGo subscription

80 GB Receipt Storage
It’s important for businesses to have a back up of their receipts in case of an audit. Luckily, ProOnGo has businesses covered. We offer 80 GB or receipt images. That’s over 80,000 receipt images per year. All of this information is instantly recalled as soon as a business needs it.

Custom Excel Spreadsheet Integration
Most businesses contain expense report templates and as our Pro Subscribers already know, we’re able to take that template and have it automatically filled out with your expenses. Businesses will receive the same special. They just send us their expense report template and it’ll be fully integrated into the app within two weeks.

Credit Card Integration
We currently support American Express cards, but within the next coming weeks, we are rolling out our support to over 90% of banks in the United States. So businesses with ProOnGo Expense can have their employees’ business credit cards instnatly sync with the app, so no manual entry is necessary.

24-Hour Support Guarantee
We guarantee a response to your support request within 24 hours of your request. Call by phone (312-878-4585) or email Support@ProOnGo.com

Accounting System Integration Consultation
Need to import your employees’ expenses directly into your accounting system? We’ll offer a free consultation session to figure out how to import the expenses into your system.

5 Hour per Year Receipt Audit Assistance
When the auditor calls, we’ll be at your side. With a subscription to a Premium or Pro Business Account, your business will receive 5 hours of audit assistance to gather the receipts you’ll need.

Annual Backup DVD
Receive a DVD backup of all of your receipt images once per year.

If you’re interested in one of our Business Packages, but have some questions you’d like answered first, just shoot me an email and I’ll do what I can to help you out: Max@ProOnGo.com

Filed under: News, business apps, Expense, expense report, expense reporting, expense tracking, expenses, iphone, iphone apps, mileage expense, mileage tracking, mobile app, proongo, ProOnGo Expense, receipt, receipt scanning, reimbursement, travel expense management, white label app