You’ll use them a lot. Why not get them ready ahead of time?
When you first started using QuickBooks, you probably wanted to just jump in and start creating invoices and purchase orders. But even if you didn’t take a QuickBooks training course, you probably learned that it was a good idea to prepare the software so you didn’t have to stop and add related data as it went.
You can do a lot of your setup tasks by going to Edit | Preferences and working your way down the lengthy list of options. You can also save time and unnecessary diversions by entering as much data as possible in the Customer and Vendor Profile Lists.
To do this, click Lists | Customer & Vendor Profile Lists, and then click the arrow to the right. The list of all possible related lists will appear. When you select one, you’ll be able to add and edit data options that you’ll use when you’re creating records and transactions.
You can create lists of people, jobs, etc. types for use in records and transactions.
QuickBooks lets you do this “on the fly” (as you go along), but it’s easier if you at least start with the people and things you know. This isn’t a difficult task, but a QuickBooks class could help you create an effective set of profiles.
Let’s start by selecting Customer Type List. To add a new one, you can either right-click in the window itself or click the arrow next to Customer Type. Then click New.
Let’s say you’re a building contractor, and you want to be able to distinguish between commercial and residential customers. In the New Customer Type window that opens, type Commercial in the box next to Customer Type and click OK. Repeat the process and enter Residential in the box.
If you want to be able to slice and dice your customer data even deeper, open the New Customer Type window again. Type Northern Suburbs in the Customer Type box and check the Subtype of box. Click the arrow to open your list of existing types and select one of the options:
You can set up subtypes under your primary Customer Types.
Consider the possibilities carefully when you’re creating Customer and Vendor Profile Lists in QuickBooks. It’s very helpful to be able to have these options available to assign to records and transactions, but be sure your types aren’t too broad or too narrow.
