office help


PC tech support Ever notice that some tech support isn't very supportive? Mine is different. It takes place in your office. Being there in person allows me to find solutions that remain invisible to tech support people on the telephone. It also allows me to identify a wider range of problems, from software and hardware limitations to computer configuration to staff skills.

MACINTOSH COMPUTERS: I have experience installing Bootcamp, Fusion, Iworks and other programs for Macintosh. An example: A client wanted to run CAT scan software on a Mac, but the software was made for Windows PCs only. No Mac version existed. I installed special software to make the Windows software run on his Mac.

PCs: I have experience installing Windows, Microsoft Office, Adobe, Flash, Kodak Imaging, Practiceworks, Pervasive SQL Server and Invivo among other software packages. I also diagnose PC problems. An example: Slow downloads of CAT scans and X rays frustrated a dentist, and nobody in the office had figured out how to speed it up. Liaising with his computer hardware person, I identified the source of the slowdown. After updating the hardware, downloads sped up considerably. Another example: A prosthodontist installed brand new three-dimensional imaging software on his PC. Important parts of the software did not work. I figured out how to modernize the PC so that it would work with the high-powered software. Then the software worked beautifully.

I-PADS and I-PHONES: I use i-pads and i-phones on a daily basis. I have helped clients learn to use them. I have set them up to print to wireless printers in clients' offices. I have set them up to be found when lost. They can even take dictation and type up text for you.

MICROSOFT OFFICE: With over 15 years of experience with Microsoft Office, I may be able to help with any difficulties that you are having. For example, letter writing was a constant frustration for a dentist and his staff. His multi-page letters included a dizzying number of details. The letters contained multiple sections, each with a different format. It was impossible to always remember to include the necessary details. I set up the computer to make a customized Microsoft Word letter. The system automatically does the following: It prompts you for often-forgotten details. It automatically formats the various sections of the letter. It allows you to type whatever text you like and customize the letter. It even searches the letter for certain medical terms, and automatically puts definitions in a footnote. With the new system, letter-writing got faster and easier, and letters needed fewer rewrites.

EXCEL SPREADSHEETS: A construction company had tens of thousands of dollars in bills per month from hotels where their construction crews stayed. Hotels often slipped in a higher-than negotiated rate for one or two employees, where it might go unnoticed. The hotels also billed repeatedly, not only for new nights, but also for nights already paid for. Taking the hotel bills at face value could cost the construction company big bucks. The solution: Using folios, I created Microsoft Excel spreadsheets detailing which nights and which employees each check covered. Then the CFO could easily spot inflated rates and double billing.

MS OFFICE TEMPING: Sometimes a business needs a temporary substitute for an employee who is on leave or on vacation. They need someone who knows Word and Excel, and who can hit the ground running. That's me.

MICROSOFT OFFICE COACHING: A computer that would not behave constantly vexed a busy office manager. I worked with her one afternoon per week, teaching her advanced techniques for Windows and Microsoft Word to ease her specific headaches. Greater mastery over her computer made her life easier.

PRACTICEWORKS: I have installed practiceworks and the programs that work with it (Pervasive SQL server and Kodak Imaging). I have configured Practiceworks to remind the staff to execute certain tasks on check in or check out. For example upon checkout a reminder pops up to collect an updated email address. I have set up Practice Works to export text files and comma-separated-value files, which can then be used by other applications. I even fixed an error that ocurred when Practiceworks sent email reminders. The existing software froze partway through each batch, failed to send the rest of the emails, took time, irritated the staff, and kept many email reminders from being sent. I wrote a program that solved these problems.

For a free needs assessment by phone, you are welcome to call 610-584-8394.

Best regards,
Laura Swart, M.A.
Office EMT