Every year we survey our clients to see what they think of our performance. While we do this, we ask a few questions about what software our clients are using. Then what they want to do with this software. So we asked them about what accounting systems they use?
It is a good time to look at it as a new year beginning.
As Australian accounting software standards have not changed much in 35 years, all major accounting programs do the same job. The significant difference was that few offer cloud. Now, most do. They all have their devotees. The difference tends to be a user preference.
This is what we got.
We were quite stunned by this result.
Running through them in turn.
MYOB has always been the most popular accounting system in our marketplace. It is easy to use. I find it too rigid in use for my taste, but many consider this a positive advantage.
Xero is expensive. It does have a bit of a learning curve. It is rapidly growing in popularity.
Quickbooks/Reckon used to be my personal favorite. I find it clumsy to use. I am not keen on their support. It is good, they always seem to answer my questions, but they often leave me unsatisfied. What I do like is its flexibility in reporting. It does seem to need more training than other software packages.
The last column, *NONE* is what caused us the most discussion. Today more people are no longer using any accounting system. What is happening is that online bank software has been getting better. Many SMB retailers now find that they can service their accounting needs with our software, and these bank links free. As such, they are dropping the accounting software. I am sure this trend with continue.
Like always let me know your thoughts.
