What should you consider when getting an accounting system?

Of course, the answer to this question depends mostly on the specific needs and priorities of your business, but there are several critical criteria each system has to meet to be worth the money you’re investing. Here are few thoughts on what you should be looking for:

1. An integrated invoicing module. Regardless of the core operations, your accounting software should complete (inventory management, for instance), and if possible, you should always acquire a system that offers at least some basic billing and invoicing functionality. This way, you will spare yourself the trouble of purchasing additional software or migrating data to another system.
2. Customization. There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ accounting system (in fact, this is one of the most diversely targeted software category), and the reason for that is that each company runs specific finance calculations and adheres to a different set of rules. If you’re unable to find a specific system that matches your business model (and that will hardly ever happen), look for a flexible program you can adjust to your operations, and which is able to grow in line with your business.
3. Ease of use. There is nothing simple about accounting procedures and calculations, so the least your new accounting system should do is to give you an intuitive environment to work in. This means information should be arranged neatly and functions should be available on a single dashboard, and you should complete operations within minutes following a navigation pattern you already know.
4. Security. As we already pointed out, Best accounting software play around the business’s most sensitive data, namely the numbers it depends on. In order to ensure that making calculations and sharing data within the system is bulletproof, choose a reputable vendor, and check security mechanisms in advance.
5. Connectivity. At the point where you’re buying an Cloud accounting software, you will already have an array of software pieces to put up with it. In order to avoid changing your entire software infrastructure for the needs of a single program, do things the other way around – get a system that integrates with the tools you have, or, in the best scenario, offers open API for you to connect it with any system you want.
6. Mobile usage. Mobile-ready accounting systems are no longer a luxury only enterprises can afford, so why not choose one for your needs? Most popular vendors nowadays offer native Android and iOS apps for their users, where operability is just about the same as with the desktop version of the system.
7. Pricing. The software logic applies again: The more a ERP system can do, the more it will cost, so if you can afford a fully-featured and ahead-of-its-time suite, go for it! You should know, nevertheless, that quality accounting systems can be purchased on a fraction of that price, and some of them are even available for free.
8. Reliable support. Most accounting software vendors pride themselves with knowledgeable and fast-to-respond teams, but the truth is you won’t know how efficient they are before you’ve actually had an issue to submit. To prevent some bitter disappointment for the money you’ve invested, test support in advance.

Regards,

Eccountant