Review of CMS Professional Payroll - 2010

Cougar Mountain Software - CMS Payroll
800-388-3038
www.cougarmtn.com

From the Sept. 2010 Review of Professional Payroll Systems

Cougar Mountain Software continues to be a staple for the small business owner. The POS module, designed to work in tandem with the core accounting suite, can also be used as a standalone product. But it functions much better when used with CMS, providing smaller businesses with an excellent front/back office solution.

BASIC SYSTEM FUNCTIONS

Cougar Mountain has maintained its easy-to-navigate user interface for years and continues to do so today. The home screen is clutter free, with icons representing each CMS module installed. The POS entry screen is also easily navigated, with a customer lookup option at the top of the screen. Sales can be entered by customer or as general transactions without using customer information. Lookup screens are available for each item, and a series of shortcut keys provide quick item processing. Below the entry screen is a series of tabs with various options such as Customer, Detail, Tender, Paid Outs, and On Account. Items can also be scanned for even quicker processing.

CMS offers a solid selection of modules that work in conjunction with the POS module, including Inventory and Data Exchange. Also available are the core accounting modules (GL, AP and AR). Add-on modules include Job Cost, Multi-Location Inventory, Bank Reconciliation, Payroll, GL Report Generator, BarTender Label Generator, Purchase Order and Specialty Shop.

Unique codes can be easily created for each register, and each salesperson authorized to access the register will receive a unique password. Salesperson controls are set by individual and include the maximum check amount they can accept, maximum discount they can give, and a checklist of all features.

One of the terrific things about CMS POS is its extensive customization capabilities. The Set up Sales Entry screen allows for customized header prompts, tender types accepted, column detail to display, and register close out options. New in the 2011 version is Cougar Dtails, a sales dashboard that will pull data from both Order Entry and POS modules to display in a comprehensive dashboard, with users able to display sales summary, sales by product or sales by customer. The Single Point Server option, available for one to four users, can keep multiple locations on track by allowing all authorized users to access company data.

CMS POS allows multiple transaction types to be entered from the same screen so special orders and discounts can be easily processed at the same time as the regular order. Multiple pricing for all inventory items is available and can be assigned using price type, such as list, margin and markup, with alternate pricing also available.

The optional Multi-Location Inventory module easily handles multiple warehouse management. CMS Total eCom is available for retailers who wish to integrate their web store into their regular retail business. CMS POS will also easily handle catalog and mail order products. 4.5

SPECIALIZED FEATURES/SERVICES

Utilizing the integrated eCommerce module adjusts inventory when online sales occur. The eCommerce function also offers four hours of website creation and shopping cart design to add online sales to existing brick and mortar stores. CMS POS accepts multiple tender types including cash, check and credit cards. Debit cards can be accepted, as well.

Using CMS POS with CMS Back Office makes it easy to lookup customer information, including a comprehensive customer transaction history, aged analysis and credit/collection information. Retailers can track customer purchases and reward return customers with special pricing and product discounts. 4

TRACKING/REPORTING