How to choose the best accounting software for your business

Choosing the best software for your accounts

The software market is swamped with apps, plugins, and websites that promise to make your bookkeeping dreams come true. We’re passionate about accounting software (as sad as that may sound) because it makes us more efficient and our clients’ lives easier. We’re more than bookkeepers, we’re software trainers and problem solvers too. We’ve compiled a list below of questions to consider when choosing software, to make the process as painless as possible.

What are the essential features you need?

Let’s start at the beginning. Software companies are exceptionally good at shouting about their shiny features, but ask yourself, do you really need them all or are they just “nice to have”? This can be distracting, so start by making a list of what you “need” and what would be “nice to have”. Refer back to this list whenever you feel your starting to be whisked away by beautiful ad campaigns and impressive deals.

What processes are eating up your time/your staff’s time the most?

Do you spend hours going through receipts? Do you print and file all your invoices every day? Do you spend countless hours calling your debtors and chasing payments? Make another list of all of things that take up the most time in your day that you shouldn’t really be doing. Moreover, what’s preventing you from doing your actual job and in turn earning money? Maybe you’re paying a staff member to perform a duty that could be more efficient with alternative software. It could free up their time to work on other projects. We have worked with Bookkeepers and Administrators who have felt overwhelmed because they aren’t working with efficient systems and it’s causing burnout. Solving this problem could lead to better mental health for your staff.

What do you dislike doing the most?

We all have tasks that we really wish we didn’t have to do and we avoid “eating that frog”. This can lead to procrastination and stress. It may be that the task at hand is monotonous or it could be outside your comfort zone. We’re all good at different things and it’s important to recognise that we can’t be perfect at everything. What you would love a software to be able to do that you can’t stand doing? For instance, if chasing payments is something that makes you nervous then consider a software solution. Yes there needs to be a human element involved at certain points, but if statements and reminders could be sent automatically then imagine the time (and stress) it would save. It could lead to faster payments too!

Which systems do you really wish would integrate with each other?

More often than not the more systems you can connect the more productive you can become as a business. For instance, when we moved COS to Google Workspace we no longer had to pay for Microsoft Office, Zoom, or Dropbox and it made connectivity so much easier for the whole team. It’s worth contemplating new integrations.  You could save time and money this way.

What to do next

If you’ve gone through the steps above and you’re looking for a bit of direction then we’d be more than happy to book a free software review with you. We can help you to answer those questions and potentially recommend software, no obligation. If you’re already using an accounting software and are worried about moving to a new software, we can help make the process as seamless as possible. We can help you to migrate data and train you and your staff on how use the new package efficiently. To book a review with Karen please click the button below.