Intuit — Lacerte DMS & ProSeries DMS

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We’re all familiar with the unparalleled success that Intuit has had with the QuickBooks product line and the ProSeries and Lacerte tax applications. That success is being leveraged to extend document management capabilities to those product lines. The two document management applications are virtually the same, with the exception of the integration with their respective tax packages. This is consistent with Intuit’s stated philosophy of addressing the different needs of different customers.

Usability -- 4 Stars
The primary value of these applications results from the direct integration with the tax software. This begins with the automatic creation of the client’s tax document folders template when the client information is imported from the tax package. The software offers a very simplistic and easy-to-use interface.

Document Organization -- 4 Stars
The Lacerte DMS and ProSeries DMS utilize the traditional client/folder model for organizing documents and files. The default folder structure includes Correspondence, Permanent File and TYYY (YY=Tax Year). You can modify the default structure to accommodate the specific needs of your organization for all of your clients or for individual clients.

Integration -- 5 Stars
As previously noted, the primary benefit of these DMS products is the integration they have with the Lacerte and ProSeries tax products. When you import client lists from the tax software, you can choose to bring in only designated client types, i.e., individual, 1120, etc. When you print the tax return, you have an option to file directly into the DMS, and it will be placed in the appropriate folder. Integration with Microsoft Office is provided in the form of a “Save to DMS” button. This will prompt you to identify the client and folder in which you want to store the file. You can also drag and drop from your Windows Desktop into the DMS. A proprietary print driver allows you to print any document or report to the DMS.

Intuit has also released Intuit Document Management System for QuickBooks Accounting, a solution for accounting professionals and small business owners using QuickBooks who want to store files electronically and access them instantly from their PCs. With the Intuit DMS, customers can automatically import their customer, vendor and employee lists from QuickBooks to easily create a well organized filing system. The software is now available for purchase in single-office licenses and being offered for $299.

Annotation -- 5 Stars
These DMS products offer a proprietary PDF viewer that includes a number of annotation tools to highlight, apply stamps and images, and add notes to the document. You can then choose to eliminate the annotations from the file when you e-mail it.