Expanding on the Bubble Tips that we added to key screens last year, we recently added helpful pop-up Tips to most of the buttons in SpendMap.
Just hover your mouse over a button to see a description of what it does..
For even more details on buttons, fields or anything else that you see on-screen in SpendMap, click the [Help] button on any screen.
We added helpful pop-up Tips to around 30 areas of SpendMap, to proactively guide new users in the right direction…
We posted a patch for version 14.84, so you’ll start seeing the tips the next time you update your system, which you can do any time using the menu Help > Check for Updates.
Ever notice how those Christmas nuts (in the shell) taste better? Having to do a little work somehow makes the victory that little bit sweeter.
It’s kind of like the free version of SpendMap. Sure, you’ll have to do some reading and maybe watch some video tutorials, but it’ll sure be sweet to have a totally free Purchase Order system up and running in the new year.
Or if you prefer your treats ready-to-eat, please call us to learn about the paid/commercial version of SpendMap, which comes with a full range of professional services like one-on-one training and implementation consulting. We would be happy to crack the shells for you so that you can just dig in.
Ho-ho-ho.
It may seem like a small thing but lots of people rely on the Getting Started Documentation, so we thought we should mention that it was moved to the top of the Online Help…
Marsha is implementing the free version of SpendMap at a university in Washington state and had this question about the Getting Started Documentation that comes with the free software, and how it relates to the rest of the Online Help…
“Since I have figured out that some items in the Getting Started documentation do NOT apply to the free version, I thought I would check to find out if these items in the “Network Installation Instructions” apply…”
Thanks for this great question, Marsha.
As it turns out, everything in the Getting Started Documentation is specific to the Free Version only, and does not apply to the Paid Version of SpendMap.
For clarity, the shortcut/icon called “Getting Started Documentation” will bring you to a section of the Online Help called “Free Version Guide”, which is but one of many sections in the overall Online Help System. See screen shot, below…
So while it’s true that the other sections in the Help apply to both the Free and Paid Versions of SpendMap (which offer similar functionality), absolutely everything in the “Free Version Guide” (i.e. the Getting Started Documentation) applies to the Free Version exclusively.
Sorry if this caused any confusion. Since the Free and Paid Versions offer the same functionality, it made sense to create a single Help System for both versions, and just add some additional/supplemental content for the Free Version to help you get started.
An update has been posted to correct a few minor issues in the free version of SpendMap, as well as various improvements to the Online Help.
At your earliest convenience, please select the menu HELP > CHECK FOR UPDATES from within SpendMap to update your system.
As always, this “patch” will NOT update your version number or change any features.
If you have any questions, please use the free support ticket system.
Regards,
– The Free-Procurement Project Team
PS. Have you told anyone about us lately? Please help spread the word. Thanks!
We’ve had a few requests for a step-by-step guide or video tutorial for setting up the free version of SpendMap. Mostly we’re seeing that in the responses to the survey that we send out a couple of weeks after people download the free Purchase Order system.
Yes, we thought of that when we were putting together the video tutorials and other resources for the free version of SpendMap. The problem is, each company will take different steps when setting up SpendMap, depending on their specific procurement processes and the features and modules of the system that they plan to use.
For example, some people just want to automate their Purchase Orders, while others want to automate Requisitions and approvals, POs, receiving, supplier invoice approval, and inventory control. And even within each module, there are many features that you may or may not need, depending on how you manage your Purchasing.
In our experience, most people only use 20% or so of the features/functionality in this type of system. The challenge is, the 20% that you need will be different than the 20% that someone else needs.
So unfortunately it just not practical to put together a generic, “one-size-fits-all” getting started guide that would work for everyone.
We did, however, create 20 or so video tutorials for you, which cover the most popular features that most people will likely need.
Also, the Online Help system has a Getting Started section for each of the primary modules, which appears as the first sub-section under each module…
You might also want to take a look at the subsection “Time to Implement” in the Getting Started Documentation that came with your free software…that will point you in the right direction.
Thanks for your input!
When you start using the free version of SpendMap in your business, it is very important that you implement a backup procedure. Your IT Department should be backing up your Purchase Order System when they backup the other applications on your PC or network servers.
We moved the backup and restore procedures into the Online Help system. To update your Online Help, from the Main Menu of SpendMap, select the menu Help > Check For Updates, then exit the system.
At the bottom-left of the Help window, click “Free version guide” and look for the new subsection called “Backup
and Restore Procedures”.
If you have any questions, feel free to log a support ticket.
The new support system is now online, so you can get free support for your free software.
I know, I know, you need the software before you need support. We’re almost there. Just working through a couple issues with the installer program, to make it as easy as possible for everyone to get the system up and running.
So in the meantime, while our developers are putting the bow on the package, the rest of us have had an opportunity to tie up some loose ends, like the new support system, finishing up a couple sections of the Online Help, and so on.
So the whole package will be a bit more polished, which I think you’ll all appreciate.
Hang in there everyone…we’re very close.
The Free-Procurement Project 