The Collabox is an ERP business management software that is accessible online and at all times. 100% Quebecois. About the Collabox
An ERP (company resource planning) complete adapted to a wide range of companies (1 to 700 employees)
Access “ à la carte ”By monthly subscription
A product 100% Quebecois whose head office is in Quebec but which has clients across Quebec and in France. CRM powerful that allows you to be in control of your sales and communications with your customers and colleagues A multiplatform tool and interconnected while being scalable in addition to being compatible with more than 35 systems.
Fully software in the cloud and in the internet since 1988 22 years old of existence and experience put to the benefit of our customers
Some companies use “service” loans in their daily operations. Are you one of those who have to charge for loaning services from one sister company to another? Collabox allows you to do this. This is what we call inter-company billing.
How inter-company billing works
First, if it is two corporations, you must have two Collabox accounts as two separate income statements are required. Otherwise, a single account is sufficient. From there, it will be possible to carry out your inter-company billing very easily.
Next, you need to create a service invoice in Company A and send it to Company B for which it becomes a disbursement.
In short, you must use the income and disbursement functions of your companies to properly manage your billing. Thus, a service loan is a revenue for the first company, while it becomes a disbursement for the second, and vice versa.
Collabox offers the possibility of obtaining a corporate SMS sending system for your clients, contacts or employees. The benefits are numerous and increase the efficiency of communication with your customers and employees.
Collabox has improved the functionality of the corporate SMS. Thus, the recipient can choose to receive the alerts directly to his personal account without having to check the corporate account in question.
Customer Communication
Give the corporate number to your clients and contacts for more effective communication. They will be able to reach you quickly and you will also be able to inform them about the progress of their project, send them order reminders or announce a new feature.
Internal use of corporate SMS
Use the corporate SMS number to manage your company’s internal communication. Assign all your employees to an appointment or assign them common tasks. Also, notify your team of a new project or other pertinent information such as an emergency, change in priority or change in schedule. Even faster than email!
Need to reach all your teachers, students or parents quickly? Corporate SMS is the ideal tool to do so.
How to write an SMS
You have two options for writing a text message via the Collabox. It is possible to write messages in advance and keep them in memory or to write a more personalized message live. Attention, the message has a maximum capacity of 160 characters.
The pre-recording of messages is done from the “SMS messages” tab.
Give a title and write a message that will be saved in Collabox.
Then, go to the tab “Send SMS” in the left menu.
Select a pre-recorded message or opt for live texting.
Then fill in the information relevant to the shipment. You can add distribution lists, for example a group of customers, a delivery route, a work team or a prospecting list.
It is also possible to send mass SMS to delivery routes. For example, to notify customers that there will be a delivery to their business or for marketing messages.
Delivery routes are set up from your contact list (CRM).
In the“Contact Form”, you have to check the SMS box to access this list.
Corporate SMS management
Collabox records all corporate SMS messages received and sent.
To access it, first go to the Tools menu and select Send SMS.
Then, several filter options are available to you. Search for a message quickly by customer, contact or employee. You can also filter the results by date.
Terms and conditions
To have access to the corporate SMS, you must contact us and Collabox will assign you a specific email number. A fixed monthly subscription fee and a usage fee per SMS apply.
Are you wasting a lot of time getting your service offers signed electronically? Collabox has introduced a feature that allows your customers to sign the service offer you send them directly in the email. Here is how to use this function.
Write a message
When your service offer is ready to be sent to your client or prospect, go to the “Email” tab of the form.
Then, write your message with a subject and a sending email. Note that your service offer is automatically added as an attachment.
Add the option of electronic signature
Below the message are several options in the form of check boxes. First choose who will receive a copy of the message, then select the “Signature Required” box.
When the customer opens the message, they will have the option to sign the service offer by clicking on a link.
Here is a preview of the Collabox signature visual.
When the customer has signed the offer, you will receive a notification.
In addition, the service offer icon turns green. This way, it is easily identifiable and you don’t have to open the document to check that the signature is present.
Collabox offers a bookkeeping service to help you perform!
Bookkeeping outsourcing with Collabox’s accounting module
BOOK THE SERVICE NOW!
Do you need support in your bookkeeping, but don’t want to hire a resource just to do the job?
You are using the Collabox accounting module and you have some bookkeeping tasks to do periodically?
Whether it’s 5 hours a month, 2 hours a week or more, we can do it for you with Collabox Bookkeeping Service.
Here are some examples of tasks performed by our team:
– Prepare and process tax remittances – Manage accounts receivable – Manage suppliers to track accounts payable – Do the monthly bank reconciliation – Perform billing related tasks – Prepare payroll files – Entering expenses (disbursements) – Produce different reports as needed
– Other services according to your needs, we are listening!
This service is charged by the hour
A minimum of 2 hours per month must be reserved.
At any time to know the terms and conditions, contact us and we will be pleased to answer you.
louise.lahaie@collabox.com or 418 907-9274, ext. 120
Are you the designated superuser in your organization and have a question or need help?
Here is our contact information:
Email
1- Send an email to info@collabox.com
2- For an emergency, use the following email address: urgence@collabox.com
Please communicate by email rather than by phone for your concerns regarding the operation of your Collabox since we need visuals to help you.
Content of an application
Here is the content to send us for an information request or to report a problem.
First, add a description of the current situation. Then, describe your wish in relation to this situation. In order to be well understood, always accompany your messages with screenshots that illustrate the situation or concrete examples with the URL link of the page. Finally, tell us about the employee who is experiencing difficulties. This will allow us to better respond to your requests.
Thank you for your cooperation, it helps us to improve our customer service!
Signing time sheets directly in Collabox or create signed PDFs.
Signing a timesheet in Collabox
To access this feature, you must configure each employee’s menu by checking this box:
Then you’ll see the links to the time sheet to sign. Note that this function is compatible with weekly and daily timesheets only.
Then click on the signature link and sign directly with the computer mouse. Add the full name and confirm the signature. That’s it!
Here’s an example of a signature.
Signing a timesheet on PDF
Please note that this option requires customization.
Go to the main menu and select the “Timesheet” icon.
Fill out your timesheet as usual, then look at the right side of your screen under the description of the day. You will see a “Print PDF” button.
Click on it to see the timesheet in PDF format.
Sign the PDF
Next to the “Print PDF” button there is a second one called “Sign PDF”.
Click on the button and sign the document. When printing the PDF again, as in the previous step, the signature appears.
Time entry completed
For companies that work with daily timesheets and have part-time or contract employees, a Collabox “Time entry completed for the week” feature has been added.
This box assures you that the employee has completed their timesheets for the week.
Tracking an organization’s projects and tasks sometimes requires the use of a Gantt chart. Collabox has added this functionality to its ERP system.
What is a Gantt chart
It is a visual graphic tool that highlights the start and end dates of the project. Thus, at a glance, the manager can see the progress of his projects in real time according to the planned deadlines. He can then identify the tasks to be carried out in order to accomplish his project in the allotted time.
Schedule and timelines
When you are subscribed to the Gantt chart and want to see your schedules, first go to the main “Calendar” menu at the top of the page.
Then select the “Project” tab.
Choose the period, the project manager and the desired employee. Then click on the “ok” button.
Then you will see the list of projects according to the chosen criteria. Horizontal bands are visible and show the progress of the project according to the deadlines.
Watch several videos on our Youtube channel and visit our Tips and Tricks section in the Blog to continue your Collabox configuration!
If you have any questions, please contact us and we will be happy to answer you.
A new feature has just been added to Collabox: the geolocated timesheet! This addition allows you to know where your employees enter their hours. This monitoring tool is super handy to know if the little latecomer in the office is entering his hours while still on the bus.
Whether you want to enable or disable this option for your organization, the path is the same, you will only have to check the box or not. To do this, you must display the settings of the organization by clicking on “Organization”.
To activate the function, all you have to do is check the “Geolocation of timesheets” box. However, don’t forget to save the changes!
Do you want to consult the geolocation data of your employees? Nothing could be simpler, since the report by employees tells you so. We even thought about giving you a Google Maps link to view the entries on a map.
To access the report, you must first click on the “Reports” icon in the navigation bar at the top of the page.
Then you must at least choose an option in the category “Report by employees” like “Include details of hours” in the example below. Don’t forget to check “Include geolocation”!
Here is an example of a report by employees of the geolocated timesheet entries. As you can see in the column on the right, the entries with a geolocation have a location link.
If you click on the link, you will see the position where the entry was made on the map.
You can display tasks and appointments simultaneously in your calendar
We know that it is not always easy to plan your work, even if you write down your deadlines in the production schedule . You can now better plan the schedule of your employees by taking into account both scheduled appointments and tasks to be performed. All projects are delivered on time.
To display tasks and appointments at the same time in your calendar, you just need to check the boxes Appointment and Tasks located at the top left of the calendar. You can uncheck one of the two at any time to view only what you want.
Conversely, if you have tasks that don’t require a calendar display, you can simply remove them. When creating a task, check or uncheck the following box.
To differentiate tasks from appointments, observe the outlines of the rectangles. In the horizontal calendar, the rounded edges correspond to an appointment; sharp edges, to a task. The reverse is true for the vertical calendar. You can also put the appointments and tasks in the color you want.
When you create a task, specify a due date and a completion date. It is this completion date that will be displayed in the calendar. This option was implemented on December 20, 2017.
Watch out for data conversion!
Tasks created before December 20, 2017 did not have a completion date. For this reason, they will appear in the calendar on the due date. This is the default conversion determined by the Collabox. You can still go and change the deadline manually. Just movela task with your mouse directly in the calendar (“drag and drop”). To do this, hold down the left click of your mouse on the task you want to move. Move then your mouse to the right date. Drop the task into the calendar. The new date est recorded! Note 1 : It’s exactly the same principle for the appointments : they can be moved by “drag and drop” too.
You can see below that the task has moved for all the people assigned to it. This happens automatically when you move a task.
You can also modify the completion and due dates of a task by updating it with the page Updating a task assignment . The fields to be modified are in the red boxes. To differentiate the completion date from the due date, see the caption below the following image.
July 4, 2018 update
The deadlines of the tasks are displayed in the calendar independently of the time scheduled for the completion of the task. They are recognizable by the small clock icon located at the top right of the box. The moment of accomplishment of the task, it does not have any.
In addition, the deadlines have a small green check mark in each box to indicate that you are not late .
The timesheet is an indispensable tool for any business that needs to measure and bill hours to clients. Collabox offers you the possibility to choose between 4 types of reflected timesheets:
For those who like to keep their habits
With a trendy aesthetic
For those who need to see the big picture
The most accessible from phones
1. The Standard
The first type of timesheet is designed for people who like to keep their habits. Its design is reminiscent of traditional timesheets, while offering the advantages of digital. Detail your different tasks! Take a look at the standard timesheet
Example of a standard timesheet
2. The techno
Among the timesheet types, this template is the only one to offer a new “drag and drop” design that will appeal to techies. The more modern aesthetic of its new graphical interface retains all the standard timesheet options you love and use.
Example of a techno timesheet (“click-and-drag” design)
3. The weekly newspaper
With this timesheet, enter your hours per week rather than per day. It is perfect for generalists who want to register tasks with large blocks of time. It is also ideal when working on a project where the steps do not need to be detailed.
Example of a weekly timesheet
4. The express timesheet, the most accessible from phones
Although timesheets all complement each other on desktop or mobile, the express timesheet is best suited for the interface of phones. And as the name suggests, it complements itself very, very quickly. Fill it in just 3 clicks!
Note: At any time you can switch from the express timesheet to the detailed timesheet (standard or techno) by clicking on the blue link Detailed timesheet .
The same day is already selected for you by default. To start your time recording, go to the first step with the button Following.
Express timesheet: home page
1) Select the project you worked on.
Express timesheet: project selection
2) Choose your service.
Express timesheet: choice of a service
3) Enter the number of hours worked. Don’t forget to save!
Express timesheet: registration of hours worked
You can then repeat these steps to list other projects you worked on during the day. Note: The entries in the express timesheet will be concurrent in the standard or techno timesheets, that is, they will all start at midnight. This data conversion is perfect if you don’t need to know when or how long your employees have been working on a particular project.
Have you made your choice? Contact us to change your timesheet, we will be happy to tell you how to proceed!
