New Design for QuickBooks 2013 & New Features on the Way for QB Online

“Over the past 20 years, we’ve addressed small businesses’ financial management needs by expanding the functionality of QuickBooks,” said Dan Wernikoff, senior vice president and general manager of Intuit’s Financial Management Solutions division. “With QuickBooks 2013 small businesses can complete their financial and accounting responsibilities as quickly as possible, letting them spend their time on other priorities, like serving existing and attracting new customers.”

Intuit also recently announced new and enhanced features for QuickBooks Online, and in an exclusive interview last month, Brad Smith, the CEO of Intuit, commented on the upcoming changes to QuickBooks Online. Smith acknowledged that the web-based version of QuickBooks had “lacked some functionality” considering the new growth in cloud technologies, but that the company was ramping up development efforts of that product as well.

He also noted that, under his direction, the company has recently placed more focus on retaining its leadership role in the small business accounting market, and also on strengthening its role as a leader in developing new small business technologies.

“We have reallocated our engineering resources to focus on the future and we believe the future is the Cloud,” Smith said. In addition to the major new revision coming this month, Smith said users can expect, “New enhancements every four weeks or so, many of which are based on feedback from accounting professionals” and small businesses.

Among the new features announced for the QuickBooks desktop version:

• The QuickBooks Ribbon: Easy access to commonly used menu items in forms
• Navigation Panel: Access shortcuts, favorite reports in one click, anywhere in QuickBooks.
• Batch Enter Transactions: Quickly and easily enter groups of transactions, or paste and save more than 1,000 transactions from Excel into QuickBooks.
• Send General Journal Entries: Email journal entries to clients directly from QuickBooks, and clients simply “click” to import entries automatically from an email attachment.

New Features for QuickBooks Online:

• Downloaded Transactions: This feature eliminates human error by automatically importing and categorizing new transaction information.
• Money Bar: Get paid faster by using Money Bar, which centralizes income forms, summarizes totals for due or past due transaction items, and guides users on next steps.
• Third-Party Apps: Browse through the Intuit App Center to find fully integrated apps that create tailored solutions.
• QuickBooks Online on-the-go: QuickBooks Mobile provides small business owners with complete access to their accounts wherever they are. This comprehensive and free companion app is now available for Apple and Android.

Pricing and Availability of QuickBooks 2013
QuickBooks Financial Software Pro and Premier, including industry-specific versions, can be purchased directly from Intuit on or around Sept. 24. QuickBooks Pro and Premier are scheduled to be available on Oct. 7 at participating retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy, BJ’s, Costco, Fry’s, Office Depot, OfficeMax, Sam’s and Staples. Suggested retail prices for 2013 editions are:

• QuickBooks Pro: For newer and existing small businesses: $249.95
• QuickBooks Premier, including industry-specific editions for accountants, contractors, manufacturers and wholesalers, nonprofits, professional service firms and retailers: For established and expanding small businesses: $399.95

(Click here to see our exclusive September 2012 cover story and interview with Intuit CEO Brad Smith.)