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By Scott H. Cytron, ABC
As general manager of BQE Software, Inc., in Torrance, Calif., Will Breiholz manages the daily activities of the company, which includes creating and maintaining a dominant presence in the Time & Billing software marketplace. He was honored in 2006 as one of the CPA Technology Advisor’s “40 under 40” thought leaders.
Scott Cytron: What did you do before BQE?
Will Breiholz: I worked in commercial real estate, as a tutor for SAT testing and in a variety of other jobs I don’t care to mention. Most recently, I was a project manager at NTN Communications, an interactive, entertainment technology company in Carlsbad. I really enjoyed it there. We developed some of the first online fantasy sports games. I joined BQE in 1996.
SC: Tell me about BillQuick’s abilities and how it interfaces with the accounting industry. Is it also applicable to other industries or are you limited to accounting?
WB: BillQuick is a very full-featured Time & Billing software program, widely used by the accounting industry to track time and expense, manage engagements and bill clients. It’s best known for its ability to bill very quickly. You can bill hundreds of clients with a single mouse click, hence the name – “BillQuick.”
The software’s best feature though, is its analysis tools with Write Up/Write Down, Utilization, Realization and other areas. Knowing which clients make you the most money, how profitable your engagements are and how valuable each employee is, are key to successfully running your business.
BillQuick is applicable to other industries. In fact, it works in the entire professional services domain, including architecture, engineering, IT consulting, legal, home health care, business consultants and other areas. The list goes on and on.
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Will Breiholz, BQE Software |
SC: What makes this different from other Time & Billing programs?
WB: What sets BillQuick apart is its ease of use and what we call “roles.” In the 2007 version, we introduced roles. Each user has a “role” in BillQuick. This allows BillQuick to wear many “faces.” For example, the program looks different when opened by a Time Card user compared to the Billing Manager. The Time Card user sees one button when opening BillQuick – a Time Card button. The Billing Manager is directed to the Billing Screen after a Reminder has popped with notification of what bills are scheduled and the current Aging amount. Roles have made BillQuick much easier to learn and faster to deploy.
Another unique feature is BillQuick’s remote accessibility. Whether via the Web, e-mail, PDA or cell phone, today’s road warriors are always connected to BillQuick.
SC: How does BillQuick interface with other programs, such as QuickBooks?
WB: BillQuick integrates with four accounting programs: Intuit’s QuickBooks, Microsoft’s Office Accounting, Sage’s Peachtree and MYOB (Australian version). The integration is bi-directional and seamless.
Integrating BillQuick with a general ledger makes for a complete, best of breed solution. BillQuick also integrates with Microsoft Outlook.
SC: When users contact you with suggestions on improving your software, what are the top three requests they make?
WB: The first area is with Payroll, either offering it ourselves or partnering. Next, customers want improvements in Human Resource management, and because of these requests, you can look for BillQuick HR to arrive this summer; it is currently in beta. The third area is in Resource Allocation. Currently, Resource Allocator is in its second release. Big things are coming in version 3 this fall.
SC: Did Vista affect BillQuick at all?
WB: Being a Microsoft Certified Partner helped us plan for it early. We were compatible over a year ago; BillQuick 2006 was Vista compatible.
SC: How do you think accounting software vendors can be more prepared to respond to the needs of the marketplace?
WB: Vendors should align their systems so they can compete with the “hosted” model of the future. If you’re not offering it now, you’d better be soon. You should also make a concerted effort to connect with your users and prospects. If a prospect decides not to buy your product, find out why. If a user thinks the software can be improved, find out how. User feedback is your most valuable asset.
SC: Here’s the last question, and one I frequently ask. If you were deserted on an island and could have only one technology, what would it be and why?
WB: Combustion technology. I’d build a motor and get the hell out of there!