Check Reader related issues - Version 10

[dpchristie]

Hello.
We just upgraded from v9 to v10 and bought a check reader at the same time. All went pretty smoothly when entering contributions except for the following issues that I noticed from the Check Reader screen:

1. If a person wrote more than one check, the check reader function doesnt work correctly. It will accept the first check and allow me to enter the information. When I scan the 2nd check, it brings up the data from the first check and wants to overwrite it. I tried to click on the fund column for the second row, but it wouldnt let me. In the end, I had to put the second checks aside for those who wrote them and entered them manually (without the reader) later. This is a big deal as we often have people who put in multiple checks off the same account for whatever reason.

2. When you scan the check, the first field that highlights is the "amount" field. When you enter the amount and hit tab, it moves to the "amount" field on the first row of the table. From my thinking it should move to the fund field because you already put in the amount. So I had an extra click on each contribution because I had to click back to fund. Once I entered the fund number, then it properly populated the amount column.

3. I also noticed that there is no display of total unposted funds on the check entry screen like there is on the many contribution entry screen. This would be a nice addition.

4. This one is a question. Can multiple account numbers be associated with one envelope number? Reason I ask... A married couple shares an envelope number, but each has their own checking account and writes checks off both accounts. When I scan them and it prompts for an envelope number, can I assign multiple checking accounts to one envelope, or will the second one overwrite the first?

Again, apart from these minor things, everything else seemed to work fine. Please give me some input on these items... Maybe you could at least fix #1 and #2 on a maint release.

Thank you for your help...

Pastor Dave Christie
Associate Pastor
New Beginnings Worship Center
Bellevue NE.

[NeilZ]

Hello.
We just upgraded from v9 to v10 and bought a check reader at the same time. All went pretty smoothly when entering contributions except for the following issues that I noticed from the Check Reader screen:

1. If a person wrote more than one check, the check reader function doesnt work correctly. It will accept the first check and allow me to enter the information. When I scan the 2nd check, it brings up the data from the first check and wants to overwrite it. I tried to click on the fund column for the second row, but it wouldnt let me. In the end, I had to put the second checks aside for those who wrote them and entered them manually (without the reader) later. This is a big deal as we often have people who put in multiple checks off the same account for whatever reason.

This is a normal function. A lot of churches use the check reader to read the normal offerings, both in and out of envelopes. Normally these checks are for the same amount, and are donations to the same fund (IE: Operations, Building, Music, etc). This info recall allows the person doing the check entry to pull up the previous data, verify the amount on the check is the same as the amount previously given, then accept the check without having to retype all the data.

What it boils down to, is you're not overwriting the previous information, you're just being given a chance to reuse the data from the previous check entry if you want.

As you can see, when there are multiple checks you'll have to change the fund on the first line yourself. At my last location, we used to do all the special offerings manually, as it was faster in those cases. We also had an educational campaign to let the congregation know that they could write one check to cover all their weekly pledges. All they had to do was annotate that in the memo of the check. This resulted in fewer multiples.

2. When you scan the check, the first field that highlights is the "amount" field. When you enter the amount and hit tab, it moves to the "amount" field on the first row of the table. From my thinking it should move to the fund field because you already put in the amount. So I had an extra click on each contribution because I had to click back to fund. Once I entered the fund number, then it properly populated the amount column.

Again ... this is following the functionality as noted above. The system expects the amount to change weekly, not the fund.

3. I also noticed that there is no display of total unposted funds on the check entry screen like there is on the many contribution entry screen. This would be a nice addition.

Nice idea ...

4. This one is a question. Can multiple account numbers be associated with one envelope number? Reason I ask... A married couple shares an envelope number, but each has their own checking account and writes checks off both accounts. When I scan them and it prompts for an envelope number, can I assign multiple checking accounts to one envelope, or will the second one overwrite the first?

No, only one checking account can be assigned to an envelope. I'm not sure if its possible with the current configuration of the database to add additional checking accounts against one envelope.

[dpchristie]

I got your response as well as a response from support, so let me make sure I understand.

This is a normal function. A lot of churches use the check reader to read the normal offerings, both in and out of envelopes. Normally these checks are for the same amount, and are donations to the same fund (IE: Operations, Building, Music, etc). This info recall allows the person doing the check entry to pull up the previous data, verify the amount on the check is the same as the amount previously given, then accept the check without having to retype all the data.

So, If I get 2 Checks from Joe Smith...

1. Check# 1001 - $150.00 Tithe
2. Check# 1002 - $40.00 Kitchen Fund

I can scan the first one, and enter $150.00 for fund #1, then, I can scan the second check, the info from the first will pop up, I can change the 1 to a 10, and enter $40, hit Save, and all will be good. Correct?

Quote:
2. When you scan the check, the first field that highlights is the "amount" field. When you enter the amount and hit tab, it moves to the "amount" field on the first row of the table. From my thinking it should move to the fund field because you already put in the amount. So I had an extra click on each contribution because I had to click back to fund. Once I entered the fund number, then it properly populated the amount column.


Again ... this is following the functionality as noted above. The system expects the amount to change weekly, not the fund.

Ok, so, being this was our first week using the reader, next week when I scan a check, it will populate the line with the previous weeks info? This would make this make more sense as it was coming up blank for me being it was the first week. Our main contribution fund is #1 (General tithes and offerings) but we had no previous data.

Quote:
4. This one is a question. Can multiple account numbers be associated with one envelope number? Reason I ask... A married couple shares an envelope number, but each has their own checking account and writes checks off both accounts. When I scan them and it prompts for an envelope number, can I assign multiple checking accounts to one envelope, or will the second one overwrite the first?


No, only one checking account can be assigned to an envelope. I'm not sure if its possible with the current configuration of the database to add additional checking accounts against one envelope.

Ok, here is where your response conflicts with the email I got back from tech support. Here is a quote I got from them:

"You can certainly have multiple bank accounts associated with a single envelope number."

So maybe this changed in version 10...

Anyway, thanks for your help. I really appreciate it.

[Zorak]

Ok, here is where your response conflicts with the email I got back from tech support. Here is a quote I got from them:

"You can certainly have multiple bank accounts associated with a single envelope number."

Using the check reader system to enter Contributions *will* allow you to save multiple bank accounts for an envelope number. You can not, however, have multiple envelope numbers attached to one account number.

[NeilZ]

Ok, here is where your response conflicts with the email I got back from tech support. Here is a quote I got from them:

"You can certainly have multiple bank accounts associated with a single envelope number."

Using the check reader system to enter Contributions *will* allow you to save multiple bank accounts for an envelope number. You can not, however, have multiple envelope numbers attached to one account number.

Aha ... is this new for V.10 ?? I seem to remember that we did not see this in V.9, as we had one couple that 'rotated' their checks, and I had to assign the envelope each time.

[NeilZ]

I got your response as well as a response from support, so let me make sure I understand.

So, If I get 2 Checks from Joe Smith...

1. Check# 1001 - $150.00 Tithe
2. Check# 1002 - $40.00 Kitchen Fund

I can scan the first one, and enter $150.00 for fund #1, then, I can scan the second check, the info from the first will pop up, I can change the 1 to a 10, and enter $40, hit Save, and all will be good. Correct?

Exactly.

Ok, so, being this was our first week using the reader, next week when I scan a check, it will populate the line with the previous weeks info? This would make this make more sense as it was coming up blank for me being it was the first week. Our main contribution fund is #1 (General tithes and offerings) but we had no previous data.

Correct

So maybe this changed in version 10...

Evidently, it has. I've not worked with V.10 & a check reader at my new location.