Ten reasons to move your desktop accounting software into the cloud!

Business owners need their accounting software to be accessible, easy to use, and up to date to ensure they can make the best business decisions with the right information. As more businesses are learning to work remotely, moving over to Xero or QuickBooks gives business owners and their teams an advantage with the many flexible benefits they bring.

Here are our top 10 benefits for making the change…

1. Remote access from anywhere with an internet connection.

A business owner’s life is busy! and so, you need to be able to access your data on the go. Teams can log in from anywhere that has an internet connection and see the same information at the same time. Now there’s no need to be tied to the office or a specific computer to be able to access and process your accounting data. Cloud accounting provides the flexibility needed wherever you choose to work.

 

2. Save time with automation

With so many time saving features within Xero and QuickBooks it makes bookkeeping a Joy.  Bank feeds not only save hours of time, but they also create more accuracy by eliminating manual data entry leading to typos and human error. Sales invoices can quickly be sent to clients on the go and can be automated if it’s a reoccurring invoice. Chasing payments becomes less time consuming with one click payment options and automated payment reminders – you even get updated when the customer has viewed the invoice.

 

3. Share and collaborate

Xero and QuickBooks allow you to share information with your accountant, business advisors and collaborate with your team instantly. You are able to have multiple users entering and viewing data at the same time 24/7. You choose who to invite and the level of access they can see. Training and support is now a breeze as we can login and walk through the data together and discuss any problems in real time.

 

4. Real time information

Both Xero and QuickBooks have great dashboards which show the bank position, and outstanding invoices due from clients and suppliers to be paid, helping you to see the cashflow position. As sales invoices are created within the accounting system “on the go” and purchase invoices can be uploaded via systems like Hub Doc and Dext the bookkeeping is now more current. No more waiting for the month end to be fully processed to get meaningful information.

 

5. Paperless and better for the environment

With HMRC’s requirements for making tax digital, both Xero and QuickBooks support data capture to ensure you stay compliant with keeping your records digital. Images can easily be uploaded using their mobile apps, or alternatively by connecting through an add-on partner such as Dext and Hub Doc – these applications will extract the data from the image and push this through into your accounting records. Storage and fading receipts are no longer a problem and no need to print out those invoices sent via email!

 

6. Mobile access for teams on the go

Instantly access your accounting data from your mobile or tablet. Teams can take photos of their receipts and upload into the system as soon as they receive them. With mobile apps available for IOS and Android you can pay your bills on the go or raise that quote or sales invoice without waiting to get back to the office.

 

7. Integration to other cloud applications

With hundreds of cloud add-on partners to collaborate and connect with, this allows your business to grow while streamlining your processes and systems. There are add-on partners which are industry specific and can help with many areas of your business from CRM, Ecommerce, Human Resources to Stock Control.

 

8. Security

 Both Xero and QuickBooks back up your data and protects it with multiple layers of security and so there’s no need to be backing up onto memory sticks or remembering the last transaction number and version.

With a two-step authentication at login this gives an additional layer of security into your account. Users can be set with different levels of access permissions to ensure the best user role is assigned when inviting them into your organisation.

 

9. Save Money

One easy monthly subscription price, and no more software upgrades is a huge advantage to moving into the cloud. Time is money and with automation and less manual data entry the time previously spent on these laborious tasks can now be spent on other areas of your business and growth.

 

10. User friendly

Xero and QuickBooks welcomes you with a dashboard showing a snapshot of your key financial information. This includes how much money is in the bank accounts, who you need to pay and what is outstanding from your customers. Built with the business owner in mind the systems are intuitive and with many reports and features to save time, it makes accounting easy.

 

At Lewis Brownlee we are passionate in supporting business owners to understand your numbers better and to be able to manage and grow your business with current information and great systems.

If you are considering moving your accounting software into the cloud please get in touch for a free chat and we would be delighted to give you a demo of how Xero or QuickBooks can support your business.

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