Regardless of whether your trades business is in Sydney or Perth, you need powerful accounting software to thrive. Accounting software allows you to stay on top of your bills, customer invoices, inventory, and other mission-critical assets. It also provides valuable insights into your financial health so you can make smart decisions about job quotes and cash flow.
However, not all accounting software is created equal. You must find one that suits your company’s processes and platforms. If you use job management software, your accounting system must be able to integrate with it to streamline company workflows. In contrast, implementing incompatible software can result in inefficient processes.
That’s why you shouldn’t just install any run-of-the-mill accounting program. Here are the four essential integration features you should look for in your accounting software:
Data aggregation
When managing a distributed workforce, your team shouldn’t be pulling financial information from various sources. Doing so only slows down your workflow and leads to costly errors. For example, if you were to lose customer invoices on your job management platform, you would have to recreate them, which would waste time. Worst of all, poorly integrated accounting software can cause misunderstandings between departments and prevent managers from making informed decisions. These issues can often delay projects and timely payments.
It’s therefore important that your accounting software is able to store and process data in a centralised database. This enables users to access relevant financial data without having to log into multiple systems or go through several reports. Additionally, having centralised access to the same information makes it easy for back-office staff and field technicians to coordinate their efforts.
Minimal data entry
Manually entering transactions into your system can slow down your entire operations, translating to lost revenue. To resolve this issue, look for accounting software that automatically imports receipts, invoices, and bills from sources like email and online work portals. This not only saves your business time doing administrative tasks, but it also eliminates human error. That means you can avoid issues like price objections due to incorrect invoices.
Automated workflows
A well-integrated accounting software should be capable of automating workflows to streamline operations. For instance, when you complete a work order for a client, your software should automatically trigger the creation of an invoice. The software can instantly follow up unpaid invoices via email to ensure timely payment. The best accounting software even provides automated workflows for processing, approving, and paying supplier invoices.
By leveraging these capabilities, you can minimise delays and errors in the accounts payable or receivable workflows. This is because employees don’t have to manually pass information to the appropriate collections officer, purchasing staff, or approval manager. Instead, accounting software forwards documents to the most appropriate personnel based on pre-established standardised workflows.
Mobile compatibility
Accounting software must have mobile compatibility to accommodate tradies who are constantly on the move. While there are many mobile accounting apps available today, you should pay close attention to the overall user experience. Beware of accounting apps that are unresponsive, feature a cluttered interface, or don’t work with your company’s mobile field service app. The ideal app should be able to process expense reports and service rates in mere seconds so technicians can invoice clients on site.
What are the top accounting software picks?
If you’re looking for accounting software that offers all four integration features, here are our top suggestions:
- QuickBooks – This all-in-one cloud accounting software features a user-friendly interface and robust inventory management tools. You can save time by automatically importing invoices, bills and receipts from sources like email services, QuickBooks Invoice Manager, or online work portals.
- MYOB – Whether you’re looking to automate your data entry, manage inventory, or expedite invoicing, this software will help you track and organise everything. MYOB even facilitates multi-currency transactions for when you’re dealing with international suppliers and business partners.
- Xero – With a mobile app that allows you to input expenses even when on the go, Xero is a great option for SMBs with a distributed workforce. If your technicians need access to their accounting data from anywhere, this cloud-based software will deliver what they need.
No matter which one you choose, you can’t go wrong with WorkBuddy. This flexible job management system can seamlessly integrate with any accounting system. For more information on how WorkBuddy and accounting software integrations can help your business grow, book a demo today.
