Blog

Service Manager – Utilise Free of Charge for Covid-19 Helpline

Posted on by edge

During this difficult and challenging time, we have been looking at ways to assist our customers with the new issues that they are now faced with.

We have been able to successfully adapt our Service Manager module to allow your council to manage and track calls and requests from residents and to assign to volunteers.

We are offering our AdvantEDGE Server Manager free of charge to any clients that would like to use this via our RemoteApps platform.

If you would like to be setup for this, please log a request via Edith or emailing support@edgeITsystems.com

Here’s how the system has helped the clerk at Nailsworth Town COuncil, Katherine Kearns manage with the situation:

“Phew! Another busy day…

We’re using Service Manager to log calls to our parish COVID19 Helpline.

We’re using a web-based VOIPfone answer service to record people’s messages and these are logged to the Service Manager by our staff during office hours. We’ve set up categories for prescription collection, shopping, social chat and referrals to other organisations. We can assign the calls to our volunteer team leaders and email them out daily so they can be dealt with promptly.

Our volunteers’ details are also logged and we can use the Service Manager to keep a secure track of both residents and volunteers.

All logged calls remain on Service Manager so that repeat callers can be identified and we can build up a history of their needs.

It’s working really well for us so far, just two and a half days in.
Thank you to the Edge It Systems team for pulling this together so quickly when we need it most!”

Best regards

Craig

EDGE IT Office – Covid-19 Update

Posted on by edge

We hope you are all keeping indoors and safe.

Just a very quick message to reassure you that :

1. We are all working from home and have been for 2 weeks, so we are able to help you without any of our staff taking a risk. We are in close touch with each other and use our service desk to manage the jobs raised through Edith.

2. Our phone line remains the same and is answered over the internet.

3. There is no change to the way your data is stored so everything is backed up and secure in the same way as before.

4. We have been working for some time towards the paperless office and due to the way that everything is set up you can do everything that you would normally do with AdvantEDGE and Epitaph from home. If there is something you can’t do – let us know and raise a job on Edith that we can forward to development for consideration.

If you have any concerns please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Best regards

EDGE IT Support

Finance End of Year Preparation – Week 4 of 8

Posted on by edge

Most of you will now know that PK Littlejohn’s have deferred the sending out of the AGAR until they have more clarity from central Government. At this time the Government has not changed the timetable for Town and Parish Councils, so it is important that we carry on as normal at this time.

Here at EDGE, we want you to be in a position to finish your 2019/20 accounts by the 3rd or 4th week in April, so you can get on with the new 2020/21 financial year regardless of COVID-19.

Today, we are half way through the 8 week plan that we circulated in February, and the following should hopefully be completed by now:
1. Start of year position on 1st April 2019 checked against last years’ accounts and the finalised AGAR.
2. All bank accounts reconciled up to 29 February 2020.
3. Verified that most recent bank reconciliations do not include any unpresented items older than 3 to 6 months.

If you are struggling with your end of year preparation and require assistance please contact us now, so that we can book you in and start to get you back on track with the 8 week plan.

There is no charge for simple and straight forward end of year queries that can be dealt within 15 minutes, but more complex and time consuming assistance will be chargeable.

To be ahead of the game at this time, please consider doing the following:
1. Familiarise yourself with either the R&P or I&E version of the “2019-20 Checklist” document available online via “Support/ Manuals/ Finance/ End of Year”
2. Review your budget comparison report for anomalies where the income or expenditure exceed the budget
3. Reconcile your bank accounts on a weekly or daily basis until 31st March
4. Review your creditors and debtors to see if any need writing off
5. Identify any accruals
6. Enter your 2020/21 budget figures

Meanwhile we are going to send you another email today detailing the 2018/19 documents that we need you to upload to us so that we are ready to assist you in April.

Best regards,

Roland Potter
Product Consultant

Working from home during COVID-19 outbreak, use Microsoft Teams for £0

Posted on by edge

Whilst many of us are working from home for the foreseeable future, you can use Microsoft Teams to chat, video call and collaborate with your colleagues.

Here at EDGE IT, we use Microsoft Teams, and we have now dispersed our staff to work from home from Monday 16th March. We will be answering calls as normal on 02476 667337 using the VOIP app from Telavox, and we will be keeping in regular touch with one another via chat and scheduled video conference calls using Microsoft Teams.

The free subscription for Microsoft Teams is enough to help you through the COVID-19 outbreak and details are below:

https://products.office.com/en-gb/microsoft-teams/free

If you need any assistance, please contact our Help Desk and we can assist you at our normal, service on demand rate, or, if you have an IT support contract, there is no extra charge.

Best regards

Craig

Setting up EDGE IT RemoteApps on Android and Apple – Update

Posted on by edge

Due to recent updates with the RD Client application we have published a new set of instructions to allow you to access EDGE IT RemoteApps from your Mac, Android or Apple device.

A full step by step guide on how to install and configure the application can be found by clicking the following link: Setting up RemoteApps on Android and Apple

We recommend that you follow this guide as soon as possible, testing you are able to connect to the service. This will allow you to quickly and efficiently switch your place of work if required.

If you are using a windows machine, a full step by step guide can be found by clicking the following link: Setting up RemoteApps on Windows, or by reading our previous blog article on ‘AdvantEDGE & Epitaph – Coronavirus Advice and Planning’.

Best regards

Craig

Office 365 – Coronavirus Advice and Planning

Posted on by edge

With the recent floods and the ongoing health risk caused by the Coronavirus, we just wanted to remind all users of the ability to logon to Office 365 from home using your personal computer either windows or mac, tablets and mobiles.

One of the many benefits of your emails and documents being hosted online through Microsoft, is it that it gives you complete control and flexibility in where you choose to access you work. By signing into Office 365, you can quickly and easily logon as though you were in the office.

We strongly recommend that with the increased threat of Coronavirus that you forward this email to all colleagues and take steps to allow you to access your work from your personal devices using the following steps.

From any computer with an internet connection to access the Office 365 suite you can type ‘Office 365’ into a google search page or click the following link: www.office.com. When on the webpage click ‘Sign In’

Enter your email address and password:

Then from the home page you can then access Outlook (Emails), OneDrive (Personal files) and SharePoint (Shared files).

If you have any further questions or queries, please either email support@edgeITsystems.com or call our helpdesk on 02476 667 337.

Best regards

Craig

AdvantEDGE & Epitaph – Coronavirus Advice and Planning

Posted on by edge

With the recent floods and the ongoing health risk caused by the Coronavirus, we just wanted to remind all users of the ability to logon to RemoteApps from home using your personal computer either windows or mac, tablets and mobiles.

One of the many benefits of your software being hosted through the data center in EDGE IT, is it that it gives you complete control and flexibility in where you choose to access you work. By using Microsoft RemoteApps, you can quickly and easily logon as though you were in the office.

We strongly recommend that with the increased threat of Coronavirus that you take steps to allow you to access AdvantEDGE and Epitaph from your personal devices.

To create the “EDGE IT RemoteApps” icons on your desktop computer, click and run the following link: http://www.edgeitsystems.com/download/rdweb/EDGE_IT-icon.exe

If you would like to access RemoteApps from either your Mac, tablet or mobile please follow the attached ‘RD Client for Access….’ pdf.

When prompted please select the Run or Install option, and this will then install the icon onto your desktop.

Alternatively create a shortcut to open the following web page: https://rdweb.edgehostedservices.com/rdweb

Please note: As RemoteApps is a Microsoft solution we recommend Microsoft’s Internet Explorer instead of Chrome or other web browsers.

Locate either of the following prompts at the top or the bottom of the screen to install the “Remote Desktop Services Web Access” add-on and click the “Allow” button:

When prompted please login with the same details that you use in the office

When you open your 1st application the following warning message will be displayed:

You need to tick the box that says “Don’t ask me again…..”, click “Connect” and then after about 20 seconds of the following message, the application will open.

By following these simple instructions you will be able to fully logon to RemoteApps with access to your local printers made available to you.

Further to this if you use Microsoft Office 365, you will also be able to access Outlook, OneDrive and SharePoint by logging into www.office.com with your email address and password.

If your office needs to be closed, it is worth speaking with your telephones provider to see whether they can divert the office number to mobile numbers. We would suggest this is thought about sooner rather than later and have procedures and protocols written down in advance for if and when, you have to implement such events.

If you have any further questions or queries, please either email support@edgeITsystems.com or call our helpdesk on 02476 667 337.

Best regards

Craig

Sponsorship of the SLCC President 2019/20

Posted on by edge

 

 

EDGE are proud to be sponsoring Linda Larter in her presidency of the SLCC for 2019/20. Linda is one of our existing clients for our Epitaph software and InspectEDGE at Sevenoaks Town Council and we look forward to supporting her in any way we can during her presidency.

Click here to see the article about starting on her presidential journey.

Christmas Newsletter & Support Options

Posted on by edge

Hello,

We would like to thank you for your custom in 2019, and you can find details of the support options available during the Christmas break below our newsletter.

Please click Christmas Newsletter, or click “Go to this Sway” below, and then scroll down through our newsletter (which is powered by Microsoft Sway this year).

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year
Click to see some of our 2019 highlights
Go to this Sway

Christmas Support Options

Although we are closed from 1pm on Tuesday 24th December and re-open at 9am on Thursday 2nd January 2020, the following support options are available during this period:

  • Log your problem on EDITH via https://service-desk.edgehostedservices.com
  • Email support@edgeITsystems.com
  • If it is urgent call 024 7658 3880 between 9am and 5pm, except on bank holidays, to speak to the on call support staff.
  • If it is not urgent call 024 7666 7337, select 2 for technical support and leave a message which will be dealt with on our return on 2nd January 2020.

Please note that unless you are an Epitaph Enterprise client or we have made alternative arrangements for you, any services required during this period may be charged at a premium rate.

Our standard contracts do not cover the Christmas period and therefore we will respond to emails, voice mail and jobs on EDITH when we return on Thursday 2nd January.

If you need any, further information or have any queries about anything in this newsletter, please do not hesitate to contact Andrea Rowley or Chris Edge on 024 7666 7337 or email support@edgeITsystems.com

 

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Andrea

Warwickshire & West Midlands SLCC Branch Meeting Update

Posted on by edge

EDGE really love to get out to our local councils, so we can share best practice for the use of IT and our Council Administrative Software, AdvantEDGE. We were invited to our local SLCC branch meeting in Warwickshire by Elisabeth Uggerlose FSLCC, and we jumped at the chance to meet everyone and share our insights and wisdom. We hope that all the attendees benefited from the talk delivered by Chris Edge and if you are interested in finding out more about our products and services that we offer here at EDGE, please feel free to contact us on 0247 667337 or info@edgeITsystems.com.

 

*Article published in the September 2019 edition of The Clerk Magazine