Accounting software is having its iPhone moment. Until several years ago, accounting programs were complex and unwieldy, designed for accountants and bookkeepers rather than the business owners themselves.
Like the first smartphones, desktop accounting software was packed with powerful features that could reveal all sorts of interesting insights into a business’ operations. However, many small businesses have felt more comfortable tracking their sales, expenses and staff wages in a collection of spreadsheets. Although updating spreadsheets is labour intensive, at least the owner could create something meaningful that they could control on their own.
It took the arrival of online accounting software, limited in feature but far more user friendly, to encourage business owners to use the programs themselves. And businesses are beginning to move. Xero and Intuit have reported that a large percentage of their sales are to businesses using accounting software for the first time – in other words, they are migrating from spreadsheets.
Digital First has created The Beginner’s Guide to Online Accounting Software to explain to businesses why accounting software is such an improvement on spreadsheets. It covers the basics of accounting, innovations brought about by online accounting software, and reveals some of the processes behind how the software works.
Have a read of the Guide and leave a comment in this blog post below – any and all feedback, negative or positive, is welcome.
And of course if you have any clients or colleagues that would like to learn about online accounting software feel free to share.
