A few steps to improve the bank import/reconciliation process
Idea suggested by Kevin Doran 10 years ago
Seeing as all of us probably use the bank import/rec tool on a regular basis, i'd like to highlight the following areas I think would improve the user experience:
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When being presented with a list of invoices/bills to allocate a receipt/payment against, listing the ‘reference’ would be helpful. See this post. Done
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When allocating a statement line against an open invoice/bill, once the allocate button has been pressed the screen should refocus at the bottom of the page to save having to scroll all the way back down before being able to press the ‘add transaction' button. Done
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Before pressing the ‘add transaction’ button you’re presented with the text: Receipt/Payment of £X will be allocated as followed. After the £X it would be helpful to see a copy of the text from the statement line itself. In progress - Will be resolved by moving the explain area to under the transaction being explained
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Once the ‘add transaction’ or ‘reconcile’ buttons have been pressed, the refocus should be on the next unexplained statement line as opposed to the top of the statement. Done
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‘Filter explained’ should stay that way once a statement line is reconciled against an invoice/bill that’s already been paid. See this post. Done.
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Consider making allocation a one click process (toggle feature) See this post. Done
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Create a 'matching' feature (for want of a better word) to avoid having to delete statement lines (example: for transfers between accounts where it’s already been explained via the account it left, explaining it again via the account it was received onto would create a duplicate therefore a deletion is required. I’d rather ‘match’ the transfers against each other to save deletion/duplication. Another example would be payments/receipts that cover more than one invoice/bill.) This will be part of the bank import overhaul - too big task with the current design
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Deleted transactions shouldn't disappear completely and should come with the option to be reinstated if needed. (screenshot example to follow - won't let me upload at the mo). Done.
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When creating a look-up rule, once assigning the rule to an entity it should automatically pick up the account/VAT/project via the details entered within the customer/supplier details screen to avoid having to duplicate. See this post. Rejected - see justification below.
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Have the ability to merge numerous imported unexplained statements into one. This will be part of the bank import overhaul - too big task with the current design - this is a seemingly simple task, but there can be conflicts with other improvements - such as auto-explain on import.
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Accountant/client unexplained transaction area (a method to deal with query transactions) See this post. The new design will allow you to see all unexplained transactions at bank account level (so not for a particular statement). I have noted the request to export these, and the request to add notes per transactions.
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Improve the invoices suggestions for the allocation process. This is a momentous task algorithmically - if there are 100 unallocated invoices, to find a pair that tally would require nearly 5000 comparisons. We will be researching this soon, but if we can improve most likely this will happen with the new design.
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Stop the page from refreshing. The new design is based on what is technically known as single-view (AJAX), there will be no page refreshes with the new design
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Show reverse running total when only partly explaining a transaction. Rejected - unclear what is being requested.
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Clearly be able to see the line transaction when explaining it. In progress - will be resolved by moving the explain area to under the transaction being explained
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Move to the next page after explaining the last transaction on the current page. Done
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Scroll to the transaction being explained (with long statements). Done
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Hitting 'Mass update' on any page should not send the user back to page 1. Done.
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Automatically apply auto-explain rules upon import. Part of the new design, looking into a way to integrate to current design
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When choosing an entity - mark those who owe money (say in red) and those who are owed to (say in green) - this will help picking the right entity. Accepted
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When pressing Reconcile, the page shouldn't reset to page 1. Done.
Whilst the likes of point 11 are likely to be a bigger job than some (but something I think all accountants at least would benefit from not to mention their clients) i'd presume quite a few of the others would be easier to implement and would really help speed up the process.
Kev