Conference follow-up 2021
Thank you for attending the recent IAgSA Conference session with Farmplan. We were pleased to be able to showcase our upcoming Farmplan Business Cloud solution exclusively for IAgSA members. Due to this there is no recording available for this session. However there will be plenty of video/content available once the product is released for sale soon.
In the meantime we wanted to share with you some of the Q&A’s we had during the session. Thank you to everyone who put forward questions, we hope you found the session useful, but should you wish to speak with the team here please call 01594 545000 or email sales@farmplan.test
| Here’s some Q&A’s focusing on the set up and licensing of the product: | |
|---|---|
| Is access just restricted to a laptop or will you be able to access on tablets/phones? | The package is hosted on the internet so you will be able to access it with any device that can access the webpage. However we have not produced a phone app yet, so it may well be very difficult to use on a phone due to the size of the screen. |
| Can you invite users in with different levels of access? i.e. consultants can view but not amend? | Yes there are different levels of access, so you will be able to allow your consultants to view transactions but not amend them. |
| Is there a bookkeepers/Accountants platform for if we have several farmers using or will we need logins for each individual client? | If you set yourself up as a user on each of your clients businesses (using your email address) then when you sign in with your own email address you will see all the clients you have access to, on the same dashboard. There is no limit to the number of users. |
| As there will be intercom on Business Cloud does this mean telephone support will come to an end? | No, we’re committed to providing support via as many channels as possible, telephone support will still be available for all users alongside Intercom. |
| Can I upgrade from Business Manager at anytime? | Your best option will be to talk to the Sales team to check that the product will be suitable to meet your needs. Please note it is not an upgrade but a different way of working. If you do decide to move across you will also be best trying to move at the end of your Financial Year and definitely at the end of a VAT period. |
| Will you release a ‘demo’ to access to see if it will fit with our clients prior to definitely moving over? | There will be further material produced both on video and paper to support clients with their decision making, but as stated during the webinar, please feel free to talk to Farmplan on 01594 545000 for a chat about your options. |
| Our discount is currently 30% | Historically IAgSA discount had been 30% and will remain so for any existing agreement. However since 2018, any new product purchase is subject to 25% discount on retail price. A member is also eligible for 25% discount on the first 12 months of subscription based products, such as Farmplan Business Cloud, when purchased for themselves. |
| Here’s a series of Q&As relating the functionality and integration of the product: | |
|---|---|
| Which banks will this feed from and can you also access software via phone (like Xero/QuickBooks) for sending immediate sales invoices? | All main banks will be included. If you have specific concerns over a particular bank please let us know and we can check this for you. A phone app is something else on our roadmap but it will not be available yet. |
| Can you change an invoice when VAT period has been closed? | An invoice which has been included on a submitted VAT return will be locked. |
| Do you plan on linking to other software like Brightpay? | We are looking at linking with lots of other Apps, but will need to prioritise these based on customer feedback. |
| When entering a cash payment can you enter a different invoice date, so that for P&L the invoice shows in the invoice month not the cash flow month? | If you want the transaction to appear in a different month on a P&L report from the month of the payment then you will need to enter an invoice in one month and the payment in another. |
| Will there still be transaction numbers? | Transaction numbers can be seen in the View Transactions screen, but you will not see them when you are entering transactions. This may lead to a different way for filing paperwork such as alphabetical / in date order. |
| Sprays and fertiliser are purchased without the knowledge of what crops they will be applied to, so need to go into stock until they can be allocated using usage records from Gatekeeper or manual records. | The software does not currently have a stock system, so this will not be possible at this stage. However sprays and fertiliser could be posted to a Unassigned Enterprise initially and then moved to the appropriate enterprises using adjustments. |
| How are the VAT statuses ordered please? Exempt and zero rated and outside scope? | Currently have Standard, Reduced Rate, Non VATable, VAT Exempt, Zero Rated, Reverse Charge VAT and EU Services. We are doing more work on these. |
| Another feature that is very useful in other software – is the Files section. I use this to store HP agreements, bank statements, payroll and queries. These are then linked to transactions/journals. Accountants really like the one stop shop for year end audit. | Farmplan Business Cloud allows you to attach paperwork and notes to any transaction. There is also a Notes section where you can enter notes which are not linked to any transactions. You can also view any images not linked to a transaction in a separate screen. |
| Concerned that there is no bank reconciliation or unpresented cheques functionality. Can you download from Farmplan Business Cloud into Business Manager? | The bank feed is constantly checked against the bank figures in the program which eliminates the need for a formal bank reconciliation process. Any discrepancies will be highlighted immediately. |
| Is this a cash accounting package rather than accruals based? Thinking about accruals based VAT return and the part payment of invoices. Have a client still paying by cheque. Can I allocate cheque payments that then match to the bank feed? | This package can be used as a cash package or an accruals package. You choose what level of functionality you want when you are setting it up. (The cheque question is answered above.) |
| Will you be able to produce Gross Margin reports via Enterprise? | This functionality is being built now. |
| Where will documents be store that you attach? On C drive or cloud | All documents will be stored on the cloud |
| Will your original data from Business/Cash Manager be able to be imported into this software? Assume it will be? | It will be possible to import suppliers, customers and invoices but the software is quite different so you would not be able to bring all transactions across as they are. In any case we would advise starting a new year on the cloud package and using this opportunity to set up again rather than bringing lot of historic transactions across. |
Farmplan is an agent of Plaid Financial Ltd., an authorised payment institution regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Payment Services Regulations 2017 (Firm Reference Number: 804718). Plaid provides you with regulated account information services through Farmplan as its agent.