Accountancy Software Bradford

Once you have fixed a view of what your business needs it is time to look at what products are out there. You will invariably have to buy your software through a reseller, but before you go to scope out prices and packages there is plenty of preparation you should do to get an idea of what will suit their business.

First you should find out which is currently the most commonly used software in your industry and what, if any, packages are tailored for your type of business. Although most vendors will say their packages are suited to all businesses, many have strengths in supplying and servicing different sectors so it is worth identifying who the people are for your sector.

Microsofts’s Veda Snyman says there is also nothing to stop you calling up the vendor and asking for customer references and case studies from businesses like yours.

Criteria

There are also useful sites online such as specialist website www.accountingweb.co.uk and the site from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (ICAEW) which lists accredited packages which have been evaluated using a series of common criteria.

Only then are you ready to go to a vendor. For most growing businesses this will mean going to a reseller or value added reseller who will sell, supply and install the package you decide to buy.
At this stage you should have an idea of a short list. For any software you are considering you should talk to users and, if the software's still on your shortlist, get a demo. Make sure the demonstration includes the most common processes your business needs so you can see it in action. If your supplier has arranged for you to visit a site that uses the software don't just to listen to the sales spin, chat to the people at the keyboards. Ask how easy the system is to use and how often it crashes.

Find out what functions a product can offer that will simplify or improve your current processes.
And don't limit yourself to this style of thinking. Avoid simply asking the sales person what the software does. Think about what functions you'd like your system to offer and then find out whether there's software to match.