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Since our inception in August, 2000 we have worked with thousands of customers, each with
their own preferred method of learning.
Because of this type of experience, we have literally spent thousands of hours compiling various type of
"Help" documents and training materials to meet the needs of our customers; ranging from printed manuals,
in-program Help, Flash demonstrations,.PDF demonstrations, Audio/Video Training, and even articles that
address high-end QuickBooks tips and techniques (which are published in a
FREE Quarterly Newsletter).
Each year we spend over 100 hours just updating our manuals and in-program Help. In 2007 we spent well over 300 hours
developing a total of 8 Audio/Video Training demonstrations - 4 for Certified Payroll Solution and 4 for Construction
Application for Payment Solution; which only take a total of 3 hours to view - that's 1 1/2 hours per program.
We have found that the customers who take advantage of these FREE training mechanisms are
much happier with their software; they end up really "knowing" how the program works by exploring all
of the things that it can do; as they actually get to see the programs in action while the setup
procedures are explained and demonstrated. These same customers have felt like they have had
personal one-on-one training through the use of these videos and that the videos were much more
helpful than speaking with a Sunburst Support rep - due to the fact that they could really "see" the steps involved.
Those customers who do not avail themselves of any of the
training materials are often dissatisfied and frustrated because they do not understand how
the program works - they only know what they have been "told" to do when they call for
assistance on a specific matter. This is a very unsatisfactory feeling for both
the user and our support staff.
Sunburst Software Solutions, Inc. defines Technical Support as "Knowledgeable people assisting
the users of our software products". Our software programs have been designed to be very user friendly
and straightforward - requiring you to only enter the information that QuickBooks is incapable of holding and
teaching the program about your company and how you operate, therefore, our technical support services have been
designed to help you solve a specific problem that you are having with a product - rather than providing training,
customization, or other support services (such as QuickBooks training, training new employees, or what is really
considered to be IT Services/Computer Consulting) - so the
word "assisting" in this definition is extremely important.
- If you call us and we "teach" you to use our software, "walk you" through setup which has been documented
in the "Training Demonstration" or in the manual, train new employees that you hire, or provide QuickBooks
training - that is indeed considered training - and is billable to you.
(See Paid Training)
- If you call us and we help you with an error code or a problem you have with our software, answer a
specific question that you have about setup, or listen to your feedback about our software - that is considered
"technical support".
Our Support Policy does include provisions for Free Support, Free Training,
Paid Training, and Program Maintenance.
Our staff leverages 70+ years of QuickBooks, bookkeeping, accounting, software development, and
construction experience.
NOTE: These policies are for Certified Payroll Solution and Construction
Application for Payment Solution ONLY. For Wage Manager Support Policies, click
here.
The most important step that you would undertake to understand about getting help from
technical support people is the amount of detail that you will need to supply to them. Whenever you
get an error message, be sure to "write down EXACTLY what is says". Better yet, use ALT - Print Screen
to copy a screen to a clip board, and then use Paste (CTRL - V) to paste the screen into a Word document.
"It doesn't work" or "It isn't right" will generally not get your problem solved quickly and efficiently.
- Initial support: We offer FREE technical support covering installation, set-up, integration, and
implementation of the software with QuickBooks, valid for 30 days from the date of purchase OR trial request - while
these items are covered in the Audio/Video Training Demonstrations, we will be happy to answer any questions you might have..
For Certified Payroll Solution, we offer 1 hour of free initial support. For Construction
Application for Payment Solution, we offer 30 minutes of free initial support. If you
purchase both programs together as a package, we offer 1 1/2 hours of free initial support.
Prior to contacting Support and in order for our support team to better serve you, as well as for you to better
understand resolutions that might result from this contact, we strongly urge you to take the
time and go through the FREE Training Demonstration(s) provided on your installation CD or
online, as they will cover most if not all of your questions.
- Free full year product updates/enhancements: Sunburst Software Solutions, Inc. will maintain
your existing product under the following conditions. For the first year of use you will receive
free upgrades to your product; including but not limited to: changes to reporting/billing formats,
compatibility updates for the newest version of QuickBooks®, and any product enhancements that may
result during this time. You receive these updates by accessing the Web Service Center through the
doorway in your program and NOT through our normal website. Your Key is in the Help Menu->About->Login....
- Errors & Bugs: It is through our customer relations that the products evolve with
enhancements and upgrades. Known errors are documented in the
On-line Support Area; and those that are not, do, have a solution. We will find that solution for you!
Support applies to the first year of ownership for the product(s) you have purchased and continues by
maintenance agreement for any year thereafter.
- On-line Support Area: The
On-line Support area is designed for user self-help and contains links to: common problems, common error messages,
troubleshooting resources, newsletters, etc. In this area you will find the most up-to-date listing of all previously
encountered problems and error messages. The support area is fully searchable using keywords, such as an error
code or message.
- On-line Forum: For
basic ongoing free lifetime support use our Support forum. Through the use
of this forum you may ask questions, request enhancements, post problems about CPS, CAPS, Wage Manager,
or QuickBooks that you are experiencing. You do not need to use our products in order to use
this forum. Posts are usually answered within a business day.
- Detailed instructions to help you catch up on delinquent Certified Payroll Report Submissions:
We have provided free of charge, detailed instruction for you to follow so that you can generate
delinquent reports using Certified Payroll Solution.
As this can be a time consuming process, it is no longer considered part of your initial free support.
- Another great aid for troubleshooting "blank spots" on your reports and billing is provided in
the detailed documentation. Read these "resources" to know where each piece of information comes from
that is required on
Certified Payroll Reports,
Statements of Compliance, and
AIA billings. Links to these items can also be found directly within your software program by
choosing the Help menu-->Where Does Info Come From.
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Free Training
We realize how important it is for you to "understand" how your new software program works,
not only how it integrates with QuickBooks but exactly what it does and how it does it. Because
of this we provide a wealth of "Free Training Materials and Resources", not only
in our manuals and in-program help, but also in our
On-Line Support Area.
- Self-Paced Flash and/or .PDF Training Demonstrations: Flash and/or .PDF Training demonstrations
are provided on your installation CD or on-line. This training shows how Certified Payroll
Solution (CPS) and Construction Application for Payment Solution (CAPS) will
interface and utilize your existing QuickBooks data. These demonstrations take you
on a guided setup tour and an overview of how it all works, and will take approximately
20-30 minutes of your time. Additionally, Certified Payroll Solution also includes
a detailed training presentation on how to utilize the "Design Your Own Benefit Report" module.
The specifics of this training walks you through step-by-step, the entire process of creating your
own Benefit Reports, from design to printing.
Free Audio/Video Training (Plays with Windows Media Player) - NEW
We realize that each of our customers has their own way in which they like to learn new things and we have done our
best to accommodate each and everyone by offering:
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Certified Payroll Solution Audio/Video Training
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Certified Payroll Solution - Download & Installation -
Provides a complete overview of how to download the Certified Payroll Solution program electronically from the Web
Service Center, save it to the hard drive of your computer and install the program. 12 minutes.
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Certified Payroll Solution - Initial Setup Video - Walks
you through entering your license information, granting CPS permission to access your QuickBooks file, and the
initial setup of CPS and various certified payroll reporting preferences not handled by QuickBooks. 27 minutes.
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Certified Payroll Solution - QuickBooks Setup - A review
of your QuickBooks company file setup and the information that CPS "expects" to find there in order to accurately
generate your certified payroll reports. 25 minutes.
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Certified Payroll Solution - Running Certified Payroll Solution -
An overview of running your first set of certified payroll reports and the creation of one-time linked records to hold
additional information that QuickBooks has no means of tracking. This video demonstrates the setup of a state which
falls under the reporting requirements of the Federal WH-347, while providing a good general
overview of how the program works for all other states. 30 minutes.
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Construction Application for Payment Solution Audio/Video Training
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- Whitepaper/Technical Documentation: Available to download as a .PDF file from the
Demonstration page for each product. The whitepaper combined with the Demonstration will
provide you with a very thorough overview of the setup and use of Certified Payroll Solution and/or
Construction Application for Payment Solution.
- Quick Start Guide: Each manual provides a Quick Start Guide that provides you with
the specifics of the setup required in QuickBooks as well as our programs. Each item on the
Quick Start Guide refers you to a specific page in the provided manual for all the details.
- Comprehensive Manuals: We have made every effort possible to include a comprehensive
manual detailing setup, common problems, error messages, as well as QuickBooks tips and tricks to
help you utilize your accounting software to its fullest capacity. These tips are
provided as a "Free Added Bonus", are specific to the commercial
construction industry and are not available in other QuickBooks training manuals.
- Program Help: Additional QuickBooks tips, tricks, and useful memorized reports
that are found in either the CPS or CAPS Program Help file. In Program Help is easily
accessed from each screen by clicking on the question mark in the lower right corner of each screen.
- Free QuickBooks Training: There are very few resources for contractors on
"how to use QuickBooks in the commercial construction industry". We offer such resources
in our Free Quarterly Newsletter -
QuickBooks for Contractors and keep an archive of the articles from previous newsletters right
here on our site in the on-line support area.
- Once you have applied all the FREE information available for your review in the
Training Demonstrations either from the CD or on-line, your Basic Training Questions and
clarifications will be handled by phone, email or forum posts.
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It is understood that not all questions/problems can be addressed through free training avenues.
Therefore, additional training options are available through the purchase of Paid Training/Support Plans.
If you HATE reading manuals. Feel that Audio/Video and Flash Training Demonstrations are not enough.
Are Feeling totally overwhelmed by the software and want "personal training". Then interactive installation, setup,
and training for Certified Payroll Solution and/or Construction Application for Payment Solution
are probably for you. Interactive plans, using a combination of teleconferencing and
internet desktop sharing is available, however, this is NOT included in your
initial purchase price and is considered billable (see below for pricing plans). Contact us
to schedule an interactive training session; 24-hour advance notice is required.
1 hour training contract - good for 1 year: minimum call will be billed
at 30 minutes. $80.00
2 hour training contract - good for 1 year: minimum call will be billed
at 30 minutes. $155.00
3 hour training contract - good for 1 year: minimum call will be billed
at 30 minutes. $225.00
NOTE: Training plans may be purchased directly for our
Order Page.
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Maintenance:
We believe in maintaining your original program - it's easier for us and more affordable
for you, therefore, maintenance will be billed annually at the beginning of the month of your
original purchase, and will be effective for an entire year. Basic Maintenance includes,
but is not limited to: compatibility updates for use with new versions of QuickBooks,
changes to reporting/billing formats, changes to reporting/billing
mandates, and product enhancements. Your first year of maintenance is included with the purchase
of your product(s).
Product updates are available from our Web Service Center which can ONLY be accessed from
within the program by going to the Help Menu, choosing About, and clicking the Login button.
Maintenance pricing is as follows:
Certified Payroll Solution Maintenance: $75.00 per year and includes the above
plus 2 free support incidents.
Construction Application for Payment Solution Maintenance: $35.00 per year and
includes the above plus 1 free support incident.
You will be notified via email when an update is available. Updates on CD are provided for an additional
fee of $25.00 per year and is available upon request.
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Support Policy Last Updated on December 15, 2006 and made clearer on 9/05/07.
Technical Support provided by a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor - since 1999.
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