We’re in the business of optimizing client systems to accomplish business goals, but what those specific business goals are can be very different per client. Of course, you can’t hit the bullseye if you don’t know what it is and neither does your team, so what’s your target?
Here’s the scenarios we regularly see—and all are valid:
- For new/start-up businesses, the goal is often akin to The Rule of 40, optimizing as much for sales growth as for profit—so, besides general cost consciousness, focus on CRM and sales conversion to accelerate sales and market capture.
- More established clients, especially publicly traded ones, are optimizing for quarterly profitability to align with their SEC filings and keep the stock price up. Be extra careful to capitalize and depreciate fixed assets in these situations.
- Sometimes companies are positioning themselves for sale or acquisition and need to maximize profit in the short term. While we don’t recommend deferring expenses of equipment replacement and maintenance, there are changes to be made at the margins to position the business to show better value.
- Then there’s the opposite, when a privately held business will be passed down to heirs and the departing management is trying to ensure everything is in the best possible situation prior to their departure. Capital investment is often prioritized, as well as how the retiring ownership will be paid out.
- Finally, there’s the most common scenario of “Business as usual. Let’s run a good and profitable business for the foreseeable future, taking care of business along the way.” While not easy, this is the easiest target to hit with diligent management practices and strong financial controls.
It’s critically important to consciously decide what your business goal is, to then optimize for it as, of course, you can’t hit a bullseye if you don’t know that the target is—and we’re standing by to help steady your aim!
Regards,
Kevin E. Stroud
kestrou@nexlan.com
NexLAN, LLC
https://nexlan.com
AccountMate Can Relieve the Burden of Staying on Top of Sales Commissions
It’s mind-boggling to see a list of the many unique ways that different companies want and need to be able to commission their sales teams, to help drive sales.
I fact, you can see a list right now! Here in our article, Oh No, They Want to Change the Sales Commission Plan Again.
Tracking those highly complex commission structures accurately and easily is the challenge.
- Has it become a huge ongoing project for your accounting team to track, pay, and report on commissions on time?
- Do your executives want better commission forecasts, and analyses of where the commission structure is working best and most profitably?
- Does your sales manager want the sales team to be able to see real-time self-serve updates on commissions in the current period?
- Have you been reluctant to implement requested changes to the sales compensation plan, because you dread having to update your commission calculation process?
We field questions about this regularly. Especially from our clients who are in the wholesale distribution and manufacturing industries, which are innately complex when it comes to product inventory—which leads to natural complexities in commission plans.
Happily, AccountMate excels at automating all the number crunching and scenarios.
NexLAN has automated sales commission calculations and reporting for many clients; in some cases tweaked on an annual basis each time the commission plan changes. We love a good challenge, so hit us with your commission headaches and we’ll let you know how AccountMate could automate those headaches away.
So that you can spend your time doing something more productive than answering salesperson questions at the line-item level when the commission they got paid doesn’t match the commission they expected.
AccountMate: Live Online Training on the Payroll Module Sept. 21-25
The annual Payroll Module course will be September 21-25, 2026. Whether you’re new to this module, or you use it and now you want to fully master it and optimize your company’s use of it—it’s time to get this hands-on class into your calendar.
You’ll learn how to set up the module; how to set up master records; the payroll process workflow; payroll transactions and making corrections to payroll transactions; payroll reports; tax forms; GL integration; closing the tax year; and payroll tax subscription.
Course Overview | Course Outline | Course Schedule
$1900/all | $525/single session | Ineligible for Active Lifecycle free seats (free seats are for the Core Modules class, offered three times per year)
Registration closes seven calendar days prior to the session date. To register, contact NexLAN.
Acumatica—New in 2026 R1: Shop Floor Kiosk
The Shop Floor Kiosk is a simplified, focused workstation that lets shop floor employees capture production data easily.
The Shop Floor Kiosk is a workstation pared down to just the functions and data entry screens that your production workers need to record their work. They simply select their name to login to their home page, which has only the actions that fit their role, work center, and current tasks. This provides real-time data entry and improves inventory accuracy and production scheduling with minimal training on the full Acumatica system.
With the Shop Floor Kiosk, shop floor users can:
- Start work quickly with a focused, low-training interface
- Select work using flexible workflows to choose from scheduled dispatch lists (“pull”) or select production orders directly (“push”)
- Clock in to and out of production operations to capture direct labor data in real time
- Report production results, including completed quantities, scrap, and finish times
- Issue materials through backflushing, with lot and serial numbering supported
- Access operation details, required materials, and related documents, such as steps, images, and attachments, directly at the kiosk
How it works
The landing page of the Shop Floor Kiosk displays a list of all production operations currently in progress on the shop floor. An operator clicks Sign In and selects their name from the list of active production employees. Their home page opens displaying the tile icons available for the operator based on their role.
Workstation tiles:
- Work in Process: (followed by the number of the operator’s ongoing operations): When the operator clicks this tile, the production reporting page opens for their current production order, where they can clock out of operations or report the operations’ completed quantities and scrap.
- Work Centers: The operator clicks this tile to view a list of active work centers. By clicking any work center’s ID, the operator can view its dispatch list and then select a production order operation to start work on.
- Production Orders: When this tile is clicked, a list of production orders opens with the Released, In Process, and Completed statuses. If there are no such orders in the system, this tile is unavailable.
- Recent Activity: The operator clicks this tile to open a chronological list of actions they have performed in the Shop Floor Kiosk. Supervisors can view activities across production operations to keep an eye on the entire shop floor.
When the operator selects an operation to begin work, they’re directed to the production reporting page, which offers all available reporting tasks for the selected production operation.
On the Production tab a color-coded representation of their progress in the operation is shown as they report labor time when they clock in and out of production operations and report completed units or scrap. Workers can input completed units as they are created or can report them after clocking out of the operation.
Materials for the operation are selected on the Materials tab or can be configured through automated backflushing linked to labor transactions.
On the Steps tab users may find detailed operation checklists to outline machine setup, safety instructions, or other labor notes.
Workers can review files such as CAD drawings, training videos, or other reference materials on the Files tab.
When the shop floor worker reports completed units for the production operation they can assign attributes to the units, such as measurements or inspection results, and can assign Serial or Lot numbers as well. When scrap is reported, reason codes can be assigned to track why scrap was created.
For more information on the Shop Floor Kiosk and how it can streamline your production processes, check out this 2-page overview from Acumatica and then send us an email to schedule a demo.
To see a highlight of other features added in the 2026 R1 Acumatica release, visit the webpage Introducing Acumatica Cloud ERP: 2026 R1. Most clients’ systems will update within a few months of the March 23rd release date, though if you’re itching to start using the new 2026 R1 features, we can get your update started early!
The Acumatica ERP Podcast
With ERP technology advancing faster these days, how do you stay informed and ahead of the curve? Aside from reading this newsletter of course—we recommend The Acumatica ERP Podcast, launched this past winter. It’s an easy listen for high-level strategy and business-scaling ideas that leverage the growing capabilities of cloud ERP.
The podcast mixes event news and recaps such as from the Acumatica Summit conference, with executive sit-downs including with Acumatica CEO John Case.
For example, Episode 10: Vista Equity Partners on the Evolving ERP Landscape is a discussion with Chad Martin, Operating Managing Director at Vista Equity Partners, (Acumatica’s private equity owner) on topics like:
- The top scaling challenges that emerge as companies grow: visibility and coordination
- How the ERP and cloud software landscape will likely evolve over the next couple of years
- Why Acumatica has been prioritizing features like payables automation, financial close, and demand planning when building AI-powered workflow automations into the product
Keep current on what’s new, and what’s possible for your business. Listen at The Acumatica ERP Podcast playlist on YouTube or stream at the podcast’s official web page.
AccountMate Tech Note: Understanding the Recalculate Vendor Data Feature
When vendor balances are incorrect due to data inconsistency, AccountMate’s Recalculate Vendor Data feature is available to correct the vendor data.
Article #1143: Understanding the Recalculate Vendor Data Feature discusses the conditions that necessitate vendor data recalculation and the requirements that must be met before performing a recalculation. This document also discusses the recalculation procedures, the AccountMate tables that the recalculation routine validates, and the issues that cause the recalculation process to fail.
AccountMate Tech Note: How AccountMate Handles Automatic Leave Tier Update
Monitoring the employee’s anniversary dates may be a daunting and tedious task, especially if the company has a large number of employees. AccountMate has an Automatic Leave Tier Update feature that updates each employee’s leave tier on their anniversary date. This feature provides a more convenient way to update employee leave tiers and facilitates accurate accrual of employee leave benefits.
Article #1283: How AccountMate Handles Automatic Leave Tier Update discusses the procedures for setting up automatic paid leave tier updates and how AccountMate calculates the paid leave next tier anniversary date. This document also enumerates the reports that display paid leave tier information.
Acumatica Technical Tips
Can I Track Vendor Issues In My CRM?
Q: In our CRM we can make cases for our Customer issues, but we would like to be able to create and track cases for our Vendor issues as well, is this possible in Acumatica?
A: Starting in Acumatica 2025 R2 you can now create and manage support cases for Vendors. To enable this do the following:
- Go to Support > Preferences > Case Classes.
- Select the Class.
- On the Details Tab select Require Vendor.
Now when you create a case you are able to select a Vendor business account when you use this class.
To learn more about Vendor Cases, check out our article, Track Your Vendor Open Issues with Support Cases.
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Can I Have All Invoices For A Customer Send On One Email?
Q: We love being able to send our Invoices directly out of Acumatica, but is there a way to send multiple invoices in one email per customer instead of one by one?
A: Starting in Acumatica 2025 R2 we can now select to have multiple documents in one email to the same customer by selecting the Send Documents in One Email checkbox on your Printing Processing screen. For example, in the Print/Email AR Documents screen, when selecting all of the invoices that you would like sent out, selecting the Send Documents in One Email box will group all invoices for the same customer and send them out in one email.
Note: The system has a max of 100 documents per email. It will then create another email with the same limitation.
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Can Acumatica Calculate Estimated Margins On My Sales Quotes?
Q: When we are in our CRM module working on opportunities and possible Sales Quotes, is there a way for us to see the current expected margin levels?
A: Starting in version 2026 R1, you can see estimated margin amount and percentage on your opportunities and sales quotes in the CRM module. This gives you immediate insight into deal profitability, helping you evaluate discounts during negotiations and assess potential margins earlier in the sales process. On the Opportunities and Sales Quote forms, the estimated margins are calculated for each line item on the Details tab. In the Summary area, the order’s total margin values is shown.
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Can Multiple Quotes Be Sent In A Single PDF File In An Email?
Q: We utilize the emailing functionality in Acumatica to send out sales quotes, but our customers would like to have all of their quotes put into one PDF instead of multiple documents. Is that possible in Acumatica?
A: Yes it is, starting in version 2025 R2 you can combine multiple documents into one file. This functionality appears on the following screens:
- Print/Email AR Documents
- Process Invoices and Memos
- Print/Email Sales Quotes
- Print/Email Project Quotes
- Print/Email Orders
On the Print/Email Documents form, first select the Send Documents in One Email check box, then select the Combine into One File check box. The system creates a single PDF file with the selected documents and attaches it to the email.
AccountMate Technical Tips
How Do I Amend An AP Invoice That Has Been Posted To A Credit Card?
Versions: AM11 for SQL and Express (and higher versions)
Module: AP
TIP: When you post a credit card payment, AccountMate automatically generates an AP invoice for the credit card vendor. This invoice is called a “charge transaction.” You cannot amend a charge transaction invoice using the AP Invoice Transactions function. The validation message, “Invoice # [xxx] is a charge transaction.” is displayed when you attempt to do so, and you cannot proceed. To amend the charge transaction invoice, you must amend the original transaction that created it. Charge transactions are generated when posting credit card payments using either the Post Credit Card Payment or Post Credit Card Billing function. Therefore, you can amend the transaction using the Post Credit Card Billing function (Amend mode).
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How Do I Record An Overpayment From A Customer?
Versions: AM11 for SQL and Express (and higher versions)
Module: AR
Q: One of our customers paid us more than they owe us. How can I record the overpayment?
A: Enter the amount paid by the customer in the Apply Payment ► Paid Amount field; then, enter the payment for the invoice(s) in the grid. Each invoice’s Apply Amount and Adjustment amount (if applicable) must be equal to the invoice balance; it cannot be more than the balance. Alternatively, you can click the Auto Apply button and let AccountMate automatically apply the payments for you.
Since the paid amount is greater than the applied amount, an open credit will be generated when you click the Save button for the overpayment. AccountMate will display the message, ”The unapplied payment will generate an open credit”, and ask you to confirm. Click Yes to continue and save the payment.
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How Do I Correct A Wrong Wage Expense Account On Paid Payroll Checks?
Versions: AM11 for SQL and Express (and higher versions)
Module: PR
Q: I discovered after printing payroll checks that I used the wrong GL account ID for earnings codes. I have issued the checks to employees. How can I correct the GL accounts IDs without voiding payroll checks or posting adjusting entries in GL?
A: No worries. Use the Amend Wages Distribution ► Amend Paid Wages Distribution function to change the GL Account IDs.
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How Do I Remove A Bin From A Warehouse?
Versions: AM 11 for SQL and Express (and higher versions)
Modules: IC, PO
Q: How can you set up AccountMate not to use a specific bin?
A: You can set the bin to inactive in Warehouse Maintenance if it applies to all items, or if it is specific to an inventory item, then do not set up the bin for the item.
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