Australian Accounting Software |
| Date Added: May 13, 2010 10:41:03 AM |
| Author: aceicon |
| Category: Computers and Internet |
| One of the biggest challenges SME’s faces is gaining control of their technology and accounting and information systems are now so critical that the wrong solution to their operations that it can cost a business lost customers and profitability. Previously like most technology you bought multiple products for each area of your business. Today accounting software is a little like the new multi-function photocopiers where they perform many different tasks that many years ago would have been different devices such as fax, scanning and printing. Typically a SME will have different software packages to do different functions such as Client management, email and accounting. They may also have separate ecommerce and point of sale solutions. On top of that they may even have specialised solutions for a specific business process or custom written software. This means a lot of double entry and duplication especially in the customer area where they could easily purchase from the counter, back office or online. SME’s don’t have the financial resources to have humans re-key data multiple times and just leave information in separate chunks of data. This means no consistent way of getting decent reporting from any system. So they rely on their accounting data only for decisions but there is no real easy way for them to reconcile what their customers have spent with them to their overall financial results. They often resort to spreadsheets which have no reliable way of ensuring that the master information balances. To add to the complexity many small businesses operate from different locations. This could be as simple as the owner working from home to having sales people on the road or multiple branches. So what is the answer to solve these challenges and allow a SME a foundation to growth? SME’s looking to the future usually need to consider if they will purchase a solution that either is web based or local application based sync so you can run remote locations. There are some solutions that provide the best of both worlds where the location application automatically connects to ecommerce and remote data locations. The best way for a SME to figure out what they need is to decide on what core functions they need to perform such as CRM, Point of Sale, Ecommerce and accounting. Then look for solutions that meet their core needs. If their business operates outside the physical office or shopfront then they need to consider a solution that handles these requirements. Whilst there are literally hundreds of solutions in the market place , there are only a few that really offer a complete solution. If the solution can also be customised to suit the SME then any short comings in the overall package can be solved with additional development. Many solutions are hard coded and don’t allow customisation or custom changes are expensive. Whilst a lot of the brand name vendors offer solutions they can be often a small version of their Enterprise edition and can be costly to purchase and implement. There are several SME solutions that offer comparable functionality at significantly lower price. The best place to start is by searching the internet , many vendors have comprehensive websites which offer good information. Start by building up a spreadsheet of key requirements with what is vital or nice to have rankings, then communicate a clear outline and list to any suitable vendors. This will save a lot of time because it will allow them to tell you if they can help you. SME’s often request demonstration copies of the solution whilst this is a good idea it is better to get a thorough demonstration of the product first. This will give you the key features of the product and allows the SME to see it in it’s best environment. Once you have narrowed it down to 2-3 options it is then a good idea to see if you can have access to a trial copy for a period of time to finally assess it. The key factors to a final decision should be - Overall cost including implementation and technical support - Ongoing costs - Quality of implementation and training - Availability of technical support SME’s will try to reduce costs by cutting corners on initial training and implementation, this is a dangerous start to their new selection. If the product is never implemented correctly it may never work to efficiency levels promised and cause more pain in the long run. The bottom line is that finding a new solution for a SME can be challenging but some planning and a good documented understanding of their requirements will make finding the best solution a lot easier. For more information you can visit Australian Accounting Software that specializes in accounting software. |
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