Using these handy hints will help you work faster and smarter in Pastel Xpress.

1. Exporting has never been simpler

Xpress users are able to export information from the explorer to MS Excel. These include details from Customer, Supplier, Inventory and General Ledger accounts.

To export, go to the explorer by clicking on the Explorer icon and select Explorer. Drag the fields that you would like to export and drop them in the grey area above the Explorer.

Then right click anywhere on the explorer and select the option Export to Excel. A new excel file will open containing the information as requested. This document can be customised further using standard MS Excel functionality.

2. Working in multiple windows

Do you sometimes find it tedious to open a window while working in another? Use the Cascade function to open multiple windows at the same time. You can now, for example, leave a report open while performing an enquiry or adding a general ledger account.

Open the different program functions as you require, select Windows | Cascade and choose the window you wish to work in.

3. Matching payments or credit notes to original invoices

If you did not match a payment, credit note or return and debit documents to the original invoice while processing, you are still able to match these transactions by making use of the Match Open Item utility.

You access this feature by going to Process | Match Open Item. Select the relevant customer or supplier and the period in which the transaction occurred and you can then allocate the payment/credit note/return&debit to the original document by dragging it from the Unallocated section and dropping it to desired invoice. Click on the disk icon to save the change made.

4. Adjusting selling prices

There may be instances when you need to increase the selling price of a range of inventory items. You don’t have to do this manually since Pastel Xpress has a utility that can change your selling prices at the click of a button.

To do this, go to Edit | Inventory | Adjust Selling Prices and enter the percentage that you would like to increase your selling prices by. You can choose whether to adjust the exclusive or inclusive price. You can also round the prices up or down if you wish.

5. System changes audit trail

Did you know that you can track any changes made to your system setup as well as an audit of critical functions such as the year-end procedure? You can either view per parameter or all changes that took place. This option also allows you to delete any older audit history by date.

6. Printing in balance forward format

You may sometimes find that for your open item customers, your statements include transactions processed in previous periods or financial years and may not want these transactions to display. To show the outstanding balance and current transactions only, set your statement to display in balance forward format.

To do this, go to Setup | Customers | Control and click on the Statements tab. Tick the option Always Print in Balance Forward Format.

7. Bank Manager imports

The Bank Manager module in Pastel Xpress Version 11 includes two additional banks for South Africa, Mercantile Bank and the Bank of Athens. Should you bank with an institution that is not listed in the Bank Manager module, you can format a MS Excel file in csv format to show the transaction date, description and amount. This file can then be imported into the Bank Manager module.

8. Log a support incident from within the Pastel program

With Pastel Version 11, you are able to log an incident for the support department to respond to. Click on Help | Log a Support Incident, which will take you to the Customer Zone login screen. Enter your serial number and customer number and click on the Login button. Click on the My Account menu on the left and select the option Log a Support Call. Complete the information required and click on the Log a Support Call button to send your query through. Your query should be responded to within two hours.

9. View overdue customers at a glance

To quickly see which customers have invoices that are overdue without having to view any reports, use the Explorer display to show this information on the Pastel Xpress welcome screen.

To set this up, click on the Explorer icon and select Explorer. Under the To Do List on the left hand side, tick the option for Overdue Customer Invoices.

10. Using cost codes

Pastel Xpress allows you to allocate cost codes to different projects/cost centres. This function is useful for tracking the income generated and expenses incurred for specific projects/cost centres. Pastel Xpress also comes with reports to show the income vs expenditure per cost code for specific periods. To create a cost code, go to Edit | Cost Codes and enter the relevant details for that cost centre.