Five Signs your Business and Accounting Software is Outdated

Business and Accounting software is meant to be durable. If you purchased a quality suite of software, it can hum along for years—even decades—doing exactly the tasks you purchased it to do. That said, many innovations have become commonplace among better software packages, and could save you effort you didn’t even know you were wasting. So how do you know when your software is outdated?

1. You can’t export data easily

Modern software systems will allow you to export reports and data into a variety of useful formats with the click of a button. Want to see that statement in a PDF? No problem. Need to break down that chart of budgets in an Excel Spreadsheet? One click, and you’re done.

If your data export routine consists of copying and pasting, multi-step workarounds, or file conversions by third-party software, then I’m here to tell you that technology has left you behind.

2. The idea of applying updates keeps you up at night

This one goes out to all you IT professionals out there, or simply those who are doing that job because no one else knows how. Wouldn’t it be great if your business and accounting software could update itself easily, instead of inducing a nightmare of downloaded .ZIP files, backed up registry entries, and accidentally overwritten folders and modifications? Guess what? It can.

Though most business and accounting suites don’t offer simple update functionality, the truly modern ones now provide painless update mechanisms to bring you software fixes and new functionality while you kick up your feet and finish your coffee. These systems also respect modifications and customizations, meaning you don’t have to explain to your CEO why her favorite dashboard suddenly won’t appear on command after an update.

3. Your reports can’t be customized

Static reports are a relic of the past. They’re for people who like to kill trees and look busy. Modern software reporting allows you to sort and choose only the information you need to see. Why pull down a fifty page quarterly summary of all your customers when all you need is one week’s information on a single client? The joys of contemporary software can bring that information to your screens in seconds.

4. You can’t take it on the road

You can choose to receive emails when your personal bank account reaches a certain balance, or to be pinged with a mobile notification if a book you’ve reserved is available at the library. If you want to find out when your biggest customer has placed an order, why should you need to be sitting at your desk, glued to your monitor?

Current business software solutions offer a variety of mobile dashboard and mobile alert functions to make sure you’re connected to critical business information everywhere you go.

5. Your software can’t multitask

A surprising number of business software interfaces are still one-screen wonders; you can only work on one function at a time, and switching functions to check something out for someone on the phone requires that you save and close whatever you’re working on first. What is it, 1989?

Modern solutions allow you to work with multiple functions at a time, in tabbed interfaces or screen-within-a-screen panes that help you juggle each job you’re called upon to do.

It could always be this nice

If you feel like your software might be stuck in the stone age, talk to your software provider about recent advances you can use right now.