Good morning everyone,
This is a small practice and is in need of a value for money 'practice management systems' and am intrigued as to what the majority of practices are using.
Please inform me.
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Replies (12)
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Seeing as nobody has answered ...
I wrote my own Access database, which has lots of features that fit in with my own practice, and procedures, but I can suggest the following:
BTC - they do a reasonably priced CRM, and the people on here who use it seem to be very happy with it
Outlook: with a little bit of adaptation Outlook can be used quite successfully.
Excel: many small practices just get their data organised in Excel
There are many other CRM databases that come with a slightly higher fee, and some of these are cloud based.
As you mention you need 'value for money' I guess you want low cost. I don't think you will get anything good that is cheaper than BTC. The only other alternative is to develop your own, which isn't as horrific as it sounds, once you start researching the choices.
Hopefully, other members will have more suggestions for you.
EDIT: when I started my practice I used an old version of Sage ACT and it was pretty good and very adaptable. I am not sure how good the current versions are though!
Practice Management Systems
Thank you very much ShirleyM for your sound and honest advice.
I was beginning to wonder whether there was anyone out there who could help a 'Learner'. And I'm glad I had a response.
I will digest your comments and take action on your suggestions.
I think people forget that they were there once.
Thanks again ShirleyM.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Fai Ally
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I would recommend Credenza for Outlook. I've used the Outlook Business Contact Manager as amended for data fields needed and use Credenza for managing files, times, bills and audit trail for each engagement. Quite useful and about £10/mth.
Cheaper than BTC...
...and easier to use. I trialed BTC but settled for Amphis Customer. It has all the functionality I need without being over complicated. Have a look, it's free to try for 30 days and integrates well with Outlook.
**please note: I have no connection to this company other than as a customer.
CapsuleCRM
Hi there,
If you are looking for contact management with the ability to link easily with other services like Google and online accounting services then I recommend Capsule.
If you want something specifically for accountancy practices with accountancy-specific data fields, reports and job control, then look at HQ for Accountants.
Hope this helps.
Adrian
BTC
I use BTC Software. The Practice Management module is bundled with their Self-Assessment solution at no extra charge.
Very easy to use and set up standard letters for automation, etc. Recommended.
CRM only
If you've already got a self-assessment solution that you're happy with, then you might want to have a free trial of Convallis CRM.
BTC
Don't use it yet, using an excel spreadsheet which is starting to get unwieldy.
Lots of positive comments on BTC and I will be moving to it for Practice Management (for tax products as well - currently use Taxcalc).
Your very own cloud-based system
I agree with Adrian that Capsule is great for contact management, and it's free to try for up to 250 contacts and 2 users.
Off-the-shelf systems do have their limitations and if you feel like you are trying to squeeze a square peg into a round hole, then you might consider getting something built to your exact requirements.
Why not commission a cloud-based accountancy practice management database to your own specification from Outerbridge? We are accountants, and we can also spell ;-)
Practice Management Systems
We use ACT as the kernel of our business. It interfaces well with Office which means that copies of letters and emails can be easily created & automatically stored in the client file. Template letters and emails for specific activities and mailmerge are a cinch. ACT easily tracks WIP automatically producing progress reports and some tasks can be automated - eg, annual chase letters etc apart from the benefit of ACT controlling the diary and appointments.
Also used to record time spent on activities, reports created can easily be transferred to Excel by the click of an icon if required.
Files can also be attached - for example many of our payroll/cis clients have excel templates for monthly input. The templates are kept in dropbox for their easy access and sharing - we have attached these files to the client ACT record and that's how we access them.
You will need to have an ACT consultant to tweak the layout and get you up to speed (we can recommend a good one) and it's the sort of system you can easily grow from standalone to multi-user.
We'd be lost without it and it means that we can still chose the best software (VT,BTC & Moneysoft) without being locked in to a single supplier and easily maintain a consistent client output.
P
Logical Office
We use logical office at £40 per user per month.
Brilliant workflow and good CRM too. Trialled ACT for CRM but it slowed my computer right down and the workflow bit was not too hot.
I already had BTC tax software and have added PM Express for £13 a month. Looks like it will do everything I want and more.
The tax software is extremely easy to use as well once you've got the hang of it (which isn't exactly difficult)