Red Wing Software — TurningPoint Accounting Software

From the April/May 2010 Review of Small Business Accounting Systems (Locally Installed).

Red Wing Software was founded in 1979 and continues to offer high-quality accounting and financial software products designed for small to mid-sized businesses. TurningPoint Software, the more robust of Red Wing’s products, is a modular accounting product that provides a powerful system specifically designed for mid-sized companies.

BASIC SYSTEM FUNCTIONS:
I downloaded and installed TurningPoint in about 15 minutes from the Red Wing website with no problems. Setup wizards make setting up new companies a breeze. The program’s main screen contains a grid listing all system modules. Function keys are at the top, and frequently used functions such as access to Outlook, Excel, Word and Access can be found at the top of the grid. The left side of the grid is an expandable menu with available selections appearing on the right side of the grid. Journal entry screens are free of clutter and contain function buttons on the right side for adding, editing, deleting, listing or finding transactions. All data-entry screens contain lookup options and function buttons for quick entry. Unnecessary fields can also be eliminated, displaying only the needed functions within each screen.

There are currently no industry-specific templates available in TurningPoint, but when setting up the program, users can choose the type of chart of accounts that best suits the business, allowing for more accurate transaction posting.

CORE ACCOUNTING CAPABILITIES:
Journal entries must be entered using a batch system, and can be entered individually or as a multi-module posting. The Change Posted feature allows users to modify previously entered batches. The transaction inquiry allows users to search for specific system transactions. In AP, both paid and unpaid bills can be entered, as can credit memos. Recurring invoices can also be set up in AP. Invoices can be easily voided prior to paying. The AP transaction entry screen allows for the entry of customer sales information, credits and account adjustments. Recurring invoices can also be entered, and customer payments, deposits, pre-payments and write-offs can be processed.

Sales tax rates are set up for each taxing entity. All taxing entities must then be added to a sales tax group that will display the available tax jurisdictions that are included in each tax group. This feature is useful for invoicing those that have multiple taxing parties. TurningPoint provides no formal audit trail functionality, but the Journal Report does provide limited audit trail information. As well, the program does not currently offer multi-currency capability. The program has multi-warehouse capability, and multiple locations can be tracked by setting up sub-accounts in the GL Setup – Account Structure screen.

DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS:
Quotes can be printed or easily converted into sales orders. Real-time sales information can also be processed in the AR module. Users can view on-hand quantities of all products, and change sales details such as cost or discounts, if necessary. There is no point-of-sale functionality within TurningPoint, but users will be able to directly link to UPS Worldship for shipping management capability.

All customers can be added on the fly when invoicing. Users can also enter unlimited shipping addresses, handle mass updates when changing customer information, and choose the type of statement that each customer will receive. Vendors can also be added on the fly when entering invoices for payment. Users can drilldown for originating transaction entry, view purchases by vendor and easily process 1099s. Employee management capability is handled by the add-on Payroll module.