Have you ever heard the phrase, “work smarter, not harder?” At Achieve Business, we think that’s a great motto, and it’s every bit as applicable to bookkeeping services as it is to running a café or building a house. While the real effort of running a business hasn’t gotten any easier in recent years, new technologies are constantly being introduced that can at least help us reduce the time we spend on repetitive, drudgerous, and fiddly administrative tasks.
And yet, either through lack of awareness or an aversion to change, many businesses fail to take advantage of these tools. As a result, they end up spending untold hours (not to mention dollars) on work that could be easily and quickly eliminated with the right tools. In this article, we’ll be looking at how software integrations can streamline your bookkeeping, giving you the room you need to focus on the areas of your business where your time and unique skills are most needed.
What Is Software Integration for Bookkeeping?
When it comes to bookkeeping, there are a small handful of programs that are commonly used by Australian businesses today. The three main ones are: Xero, a New Zealand-based program; QuickBooks, from the USA; and MYOB (an acronym for “Mind Your Own Business”), the Aussie equivalent. While each of these programs has its own unique features, they are all designed to do the same thing; help businesses stay on top of their bookkeeping. They allow the user to perform important bookkeeping and accounting tasks like send invoices, create reports, track GST and VAT, and set up payroll for staff.
However, it is likely that you also use a variety of other programs for your business. For example, ServiceM8 is widely used by trades businesses in the field and in the office to manage jobs and staff, take credit card payments, issue invoices, and record signatures, among other tasks. Rather than manually transferring all the data from ServiceM8 to Xero, you can integrate the two programs so that all the information captured in ServiceM8 flows automatically into Xero.
What Are the Benefits of Integration?
The most obvious benefit of this kind of software integration is that it saves you a lot of time. Transferring names and numbers, PDFs, invoices, and other data from one platform to another is a lengthy and laborious process. The hours you could devote to these chores could be better spent meeting with new clients, providing top-notch customer service, developing your range of products and services and generally performing the myriad of other tasks that go into the full-time job of running and growing your business. The other option is paying administrative staff to do this work, money that could be invested elsewhere.
Another problem with having multiple programs and systems that are used for all the different areas of your business is that you are far more likely to introduce human error, especially when you have many pages of documents and figures to work through. Integrated apps and add-ons use automated processes that eliminate the risk of human error and keep all your important business data on one centralised platform, thereby improving the overall accuracy of your bookkeeping. If you do come across an anomaly somewhere along the line, it is generally much easier to trace it back and see where and how the error occurred.
In short, bookkeeping software integrations can allow you to improve accuracy, boost productivity, and eliminate unnecessary spending all in one fell swoop.
What Kind of Software Can Be Integrated?
There are literally hundreds of apps and add-ons that can be quickly and easily integrated with your bookkeeping software. ServiceM8, as we’ve mentioned, is popular for trades workers, but virtually any POS or record-keeping software can be integrated.
Why Choose Achieve Business?
We have been helping Melbourne businesses gain control of their bookkeeping and achieve their business goals for over 20 years. All of our dedicated team members are fully qualified, highly experienced, and committed to helping you find solutions to your bookkeeping challenges.
Contact Us Today
Bookkeeping software integrations are fast, easy, and affordable. To speak to one of our team members about our software integrations for your business, visit the contact section of our website and get in touch by phone or email today.
