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What to Look for in a Cloud Accounting Software Provider

14th Sep 2018
Brought to you by
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Pandle is cloud bookkeeping software made with real people in mind.

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Whether you’re looking to give cloud accounting software a go or are looking to change from your current provider, knowing which to choose can be a tough decision. There are many providers out there, all with different specialities and features designed to help you manage your clients’ bookkeeping.

In this post, we’ll detail some of the things you should consider when shopping around for a new cloud software provider.

Targeted to your needs

Picking any kind of software depends on what your needs are specifically. The size of your accountancy firm and the type of clients you tend to work with are both important points to consider. If you have a huge firm with lots of big clients with complicated needs, then big name providers may be best for you.

If you have a smaller operation with clients that have more typical accounting needs, then scaled down software will probably suit you more. Those with small business or freelance clients simply won’t need all the features that the big software names can provide.

There may be no point forking out for complex software the big names offer if you’re not even going to use half of the features. You might as well save some money and pick software more suited to your needs.

Support system

There are still plenty of clients out there who have never touched bookkeeping software and will struggle to make the changes that Making Tax Digital requires of them. Our survey revealed that almost half (48%) of small business owners believe MTD will be more confusing than the current system.

In these cases, it helps to have a solid support system that people can refer to if they need to learn how to use certain features or if something goes wrong.

However, a support system shouldn’t just rely on phone support because a lot of people prefer to find information out for themselves. Providing your clients with help in the form of how-to articles, videos and detailed answers to FAQs will help clients to feel well informed and reassured.

If bookkeeping software providers can offer you and your clients with this support system, then it’ll be less hassle for you to train clients and correct any mistakes they make.

Mobile functionality

As accountants, it’s good news for us to hear that a client is taking a more proactive approach to their accounting. Making it easy for clients to update records increases the likelihood that the records are accurate and up to date without missing receipts or transactions. 

Mobile functionality is key to this. It’s so much easier to update records and upload receipts if all you need is a smartphone to do it. It won’t matter whether you or your client is in the office, on a site or at home, you can update and manage records wherever and whenever you need to.

Cloud capabilities, plus a good mobile site or even an app can help clients take more responsibility for their own records.

A seamless experience

Having many clients to work with can be a bit of a pain to manage through some software. A cloud accounting package that allows you to switch seamlessly between each client account can save you time and hassle that is better spent elsewhere.

Software that adds value

As accountants, you want to ensure that your clients are getting good value for money. One way you can add value is to have your very own bookkeeping software. However, we know that it takes a lot of time, effort and money to develop software yourself. Using someone else’s is the next option but with Pandle, we can offer you something a bit different.

Brandle is our branded version of our Pandle Partner account. What this means is that you can use our software to manage client accounts but with the added option to brand it under your own company rather than ours.

Your Brandle account will be fully customisable to match your brand message. It will also be hosted on a domain of your choosing, which will help your marketing efforts, increase traffic and boost your search engine rankings.

If you want to make a bit of money with it, you’re also free to charge your clients to use it. This gives your firm another income source while boosting the value of your services.

Partner with us

As well as our Brandle account, we also offer a basic partner account that will let you use the software but without the branding option.

Whatever your preference, Pandle is a low cost, simple and seamless solution to all your clients’ bookkeeping needs. We originally offered it to small business owners but knew accountants would benefit from using it in their firms too.  

Pandle is easy enough for users to learn with the help of our Help Centre, even for clients new to all this.

We’re biased of course, but try it for yourself with a demonstration and learn more about our partnering options with our Pandle Partner guide.  

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