Small business software

When looking at accounting software for a small business it is easy just to focus on the accounting aspects. There are a number of packages that will deal with the accounting for a business perfectly well. However the question to as is will the software help you to develop and grow your bisiness?

These days business owners need every advantage possible and so software that can provide some or all of the following should be sought:

- CRM (marketing)
- Logistics (building and moving things)
- E-commerce (selling over the internet)
- Document management
- Integration with Outlook
- Remote access (capable of being used when away from the office)

For an example of software that does all this at small business prices look at Mamut Business Software.

Ten reasons a small business should look to outsource

Successful small businesses know that outsourcing various aspects is part of their key to success. They know how to get the best from outsourcers and know how to cut through the jargon and agree sensible commercial relationships to increase profits.

Ten reasons a business should look to outsource:

1. Do what you do best - spend the maximum time doing the things that add the most value. Outsourcing something like your finance function will free up time for you to focus on whatever is most important.
2. Cost savings - outsourcing should cost less than the in-house equivalent.
3. Quality of service - outsourcers should be experts in their field and so do a better job.
4. Faster delivery - in the case of financial information you will find it much easier to keep banks, investors, partners and suppliers on-side.
5. Keep your options open - outsourcing gives flexibility to adapt to the future.
6. Accuracy - correct and on time.
7. Business partnership - a good outsourcer should provide a range of skills that can be callled on when needed.
8. Space saving - less people in-house means less office space needed or space can be put to other uses.
9. Access to specialists - in-house someone has to be a jack-of-all-trades, with outsourcing specialist knowledge is available.
10. Dealing with red tape - outsourcing financial matters can mean others can deal with the meeting of time consuming regulations.

Sage and Outlook integration

Sage has been lagging behind other software such as Mamut in terms of adding a diary to their small business accounting software. Sage 50 Accounts 2009 addresses that with an in-built diary to help prioritise workloads, sets reminders for recurring tasks, automate diary events (such as following up promised payments) and integration with Microsoft Outlook.

Further details can be found here.