If your query isn't answered here, click on the Support tab above for more BenchMark FAQs.
Q. How do I get my free proactive marketing letters to prospects and proactive letters to clients?
A. On the Report selection screen go to “Select the type of report:” Scroll down and select “Marketing letters (no credit used)”
Then select the letter for either prospects or cleints
Q. How do I get an even more comprehensive BenchMark report on my own practice (the TGBU report?)
A. On the Client Details page (image 1) select “Accountants” in the Sector performance activity, and complete all the required areas. On the Report selection screen (image 2) choose “Accountants Report” from Select the type of report and then the Select report drop down box will show “The good the bad and the ugly”
(1) 
(2) 
Q. Can you please explain what type of reports there are?
A. See the Report selection page in the Select type of report drop down box:
My reports – your customized reports where
you have edited the report template with the built in editor.
Non-Sector Specific Reports – the standard suite of reports including the
One Page Performance Improvement Plan, Short Report, and Long Report.
Free Non-Sector Specific Reports – containsthe cut down
version of the One Page Performance Improvement Plan that shows one point
of the discussion topics, also contains marketing/cross selling letters.
Q.How do I login to BenchMark? I was not supplied with a user name or
password with the CD?
A. When you register at
www.avn.co.uk, you choose your user name and password.
Q. I would like to see some example reports before I use one of my credits
Q. What do I get for 1 credit?
A. You can print any report for one set of data for that accounts year. Once the data is in you can print as many reports as you want without using any more credits.
Q. I know I’ve missed the recent offer of 30 additional credits - will there be any more offers in the future?
A. There will be offers in the future and we will make you aware by email and the website.
Q. Can you tell me how many credits I have?
A. In BenchMark, simply click on View available report credits. This will take you to the blue screen.
Q. I have BenchMark installed on more than one computer. Do I need credits for all of them?
A. Your credits are based on practice. All users within your practice share the credit. Therefore if one person subscribes to BM other people with user name and passwords for the website can use BM.
Q. I’m trying to login with correct details but it keeps falling, why?
A. The software will only work when you have a live connection to the internet. If you do but it is still failing then it may be that our servers are temporarily down, please try again in 15 minutes, or try the website for any news.
Q. Are you registered with Data Protection and how do you ensure data is confidential?
A. We are registered with Data Protection. The data you send to the BenchMark server only contains your clients’ financial data. It does not contain any clients names, which are only stored on your own computer. The client reference (which you enter yourself and which should not be the client name) is only used to assist you in locating data sets. AVN cannot match a client reference to any data
Q. How much is a BenchMark subscription?
A. The cost is £300 + VAT per year.
Q. I can’t benchmark any industry other than accountants on the client details page. Why?
A. In the drop down box Sector performance group select “My industry is not available from this list” - this title covers everything other than accountants.
Q. When I import draft accounts from IRIS to BenchMark do they appear as draft also?
A. Yes if they are draft accounts in IRIS they will be draft in BenchMark. Once you finalise the accounts and then import them to BenchMark they will be final.