Someone once told me that buying new accounting software is like having surgery, you know you need to do it, but put it off as long as you can. Once you have surgery it hurts even more and you start asking why you did it, but a month or two later you look back and think ‘Why did I wait so long? This was the best decision I ever made!’
Having been both on the software reseller side and the company side, I have begun to understand the 7 deadly sins of purchasing a new accounting system
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It looks so nice. – It’s easy to make software look easy and friendly, but does that cute pink interface really work in the real world? A screen that looks like a paper check feels like it would be easy to use, but try cutting 50 checks, one at a time in that pretty interface. Not so pretty anymore!
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It has dashboards. – Every product today has dashboards. They call it business intelligence. But how intelligent is a generic dashboard that does not show what you need to run your company? There is no “One Size fits all” dashboard. You need easy tools that let you configure your own dashboard with what you need to run your business. Slice and dice your data, how you want it and in real-time!
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It has great security. – Most applications today have multiple levels of security. The problem is the security is in the desktop application. We are in a BYOD (Bring your own device) world. We all want to use Excel and report designers to get at the data when and how we want it. Most of these tools will bypass the applications’ security leaving your company exposed. Security needs to be bound to the data, not the application!
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It does everything. – It is easy to demo software to make it look like it can do anything. Always do your homework and document your company’s must have requirements. During your demo, be sure to see that all those requirements have been met!
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It’s too expensive. - It is human nature to first evaluate what something costs before evaluating its value. Business tools should always be evaluated on the impact they make to the company first. What is the ROI? How will this solution leverage my company’s growth? Would you spend $10,000 to save $500,000?
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Data Conversion is a breeze. – Anybody that says data conversion is a breeze is simply living in another world. One of the most important factors in implementing a new system is to take advantage of its capabilities, but using old data structures can be limiting. For example, if the old system is limited to a simple chart of accounts structure, then converting it as is can limit the new system. Instead of converting you should be re-aligning your old data along the structures of the new system’s capabilities. Take advantage of your new efficiencies to grow your business faster!
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I love my servers. – Get your head in the clouds. Accounting software should be agile, in the cloud and run in a browser interface. You don’t make money managing hardware, infrastructure or software. The cloud can let you have access to your information anytime, anywhere and on any device. Having real-time insights so you can make more informed decisions on your businesses!
Today, with a little effort, it is easy to get great software. Expand your options and look beyond your comfort zone. It’s a brave new world in software!
Do your due diligence
Can you answer the question “How well is your accounting solution performing?” Is it keeping up with your workload and growth? Take a look at Gravity Software® (Gravity). Gravity is a robust mid-market accounting software written on the Microsoft Power Platform (aka Dynamics 365 CRM). You get to pick and choose which modules you want for your business.
Better manage your business by bringing the applications that run your finances, sales, service and marketing together in one solution. When you’re fully integrated, you can easily manage consolidated data, instead of trying to maintain separate information silos.
By adopting an accounting solution with an integrated platform like Gravity, you get real-time insights so you can make better informed decisions on your business. Get your business connected by scheduling a demo today! My business is connected. Is yours?
Gravity Software
Better. Smarter. Accounting.
