Posts by admin

In his article for SmallBizDaily.com, Nathan Abadi approaches technology from a relationship-centered perspective. Wise business leaders understand the value of this paradigm, summed up in the phrase, "Customers might not remember the details of the sale, but they will remember how you treated them."

A quality CRM package helps you maximize excellence in customer care. It helps sustain the interactions that add up to a client feeling like they're an important part of your business family. The critical part of this effort is in the human interactions; however, your CRM package can create a data-foundation that facilitates these conversations with each client.

Abadi gives an example of this kind of considerate approach, taking a moment to make sure everyone is on the same page about what CRM actually is. Ideally all points of communication will be filtered into your Customer Relationship Management package — each phone call, email, and social media interaction. This client-centered database helps the business owner and sales staff to understand what customers want. (And, not to put too fine a point on it, the only things you can sell are what they want to buy.)

From the overview, Abadi starts exploring detailed applications of how your CRM software benefits your small or mid-sized business. Logically, this begins with leads. One of the most dangerous problems for a growing business is losing track of leads. You can't tell beforehand whether the person who handed over a business card or the one who posted a curious comment on your website will be the next loyal customer. High-quality CRM tools make it easier to aggregate and keep tabs on the wide variety of contacts you make each week. And the automation features can handle rote tasks, freeing up your time for the higher value activities that lead to increased sales.

For an even more specific example, Abadi turns to email marketing, an important field which strong CRM solutions will support. Of course there are constraints to what the software can do in this area. There isn't a program for writing compelling email marketing materials. But the computer can provide insight about how well a campaign is running, which efforts are getting results, and which prospective or returning customers are the most engaged.

The next CRM benefit Abadi explains is the connectivity to mobile devices. While your staff are at their computer terminal in the office frequently, they will have a phone available nearly always. A robust CRM tool will allow you to take advantage of that. Not only can information about leads and prospects be added to the system via smartphone, but your agents can also call up lead lists, purchase details, and service reports from any location. This amounts to reduced time lost in going to and from the office, which means more time spent on value-added tasks, like strengthening customer relationships. Along the same lines as mobile connections, Abadi also touches on how social media can feed into your CRM system and enhance your understanding of your clients.

The final aspect of CRM implementations that Abadi addresses is the important decisions about hosting the solution. As noted in other business software articles, some of the most important details for the purchase are not right in the package. Hosting is similar. The decision between whether to set up your new system on your own servers or to subscribe to a cloud-based solution should fit your company situation. If you need a more controlled on-site installation or a more affordable subscription service, the best CRM products will be able to accommodate you.

That concept bears repeating, since the number of available CRM offerings gives you a wide variety to choose from. Finding the best combination of features and flexibility can require some time. But in the end, securing the best match for your unique company will bring the most rewarding ROI.

At aACE Software, our own clients have shared their agreement with this idea, ranking aACE as a 5-star product for its ability to customize and thereby satisfy various business demands. Whether your growing company is in professional services, wholesale distribution, or light manufacturing, aACE can provide a solid CRM solution. And this comes integrated with robust accounting and ERP tools as well. Our comprehensive yet affordable solution may be exactly the opportunity you're looking for to accelerate your business. Take the time now to explore our website and learn how the aACE advantage can benefit you.

"I worked with the aACE Software team to deploy aACE Business Suite and it has met my client's needs extremely well. Their needs assessment was incredibly thorough and they worked to customize the suite to meet my client's requirements. The result was noticeable efficiency gains and a smoother end-to-end business process. I would recommend aACE without hesitation." ~ Christina Savage, Business IT Services Director & Project Manager, Christina Savage LLC

Avalara, a leading name in tax compliance and automation, has released a free whitepaper that discusses how accountant offices can thrive in the current market. This 22-page analysis is divided into four sections:

• How / why accounting firms need to redefine themselves
• How a firm can add value by addressing compliance issues
• How a firm can acquire new clients
• How a firm can transition to take advantage of new opportunities

Even though the main audience for the whitepaper is accountants (specifically, those in public practice, with limited tax compliance experience, but who want to establish or improve compliance services via automation), others can benefit. Learning more about key tax compliance issues and how accounting services are shifting to meet the needs of small and mid-sized businesses can give insight to other entrepreneurs. Likewise, the market forces causing change in the accounting industry will eventually influence other fields.

More directly, an SMB can benefit from business operations software designed to leverage the expertise of tax compliance automation. aACE 5 is a software package that integrates accounting, CRM, and ERP into a customizable, cross-platform solution. aACE benefits not only the controller who is surprised by the AMEX bill every month, but also the CEO who is tired of not knowing what the company's true cash position is, and the owner who feels like she is steering a ship in the dark.

Browser our website to learn more about our aACE+ Avalara integration, plus other valuable features.

"One of my personal favorite features is the Data Log. With this feature, our team members can now see a complete account of the history of a transaction as it moves through our system. Not only does this provide us with visibility that we had never had before, but I'm pleased to say we have also greatly benefited from the increased accountability that comes with logging that all of our users have access to. And accountability, for us, has meant more consistent adoption of the processes that are important to the success of our organization." ~ Andrew J. Porter, ERP Manager, Gable

Veteran entrepreneurs can offer some very helpful advice on running a business. And if that military businessman has earned $14 million within five years, other savvy entrepreneurs will stop and listen.

In her article about exactly this kind of skyrocket business venture, Kaleigh Moore explains where Nine Line Apparel came from and how they got into the upper listing of the Inc. 5000 so quickly. According to the company founder, Tyler Merritt, the right set of tools has been crucial. You might expect advice like that from an active duty military man, since in a crisis situation, having the right gear can make all the difference. For his business, the right gear for Tyler included these three core technology solutions:

1. Inventory Management Solution — Quick growth brought fast challenges for keeping track of their products. And this struggle was amplified by working in the apparel industry because returned goods and varying sizes of the same item all had to be accounted for. Once they found a product that could keep pace with their rapid growth, the time spent addressing emergencies was transformed into time to focus on more important tasks.

2. Shipping Solution — Tyler quickly recognized that out-sourcing order fulfillment was the best way to keep up with the accelerating demand, not to mention the extremely variable time he had to run the business — as an active duty soldier, he even had to leave the company for his wife to manage alone while he was deployed. They found a shipping tool that facilitated their outsourcing requirements and things quickly became less stressful.

3. Online Retail Platform — Flexibility was a key aspect for Nine Line Apparel's online sales tool. Because of the company's booming success, Tyler had to retire his home-grown selling platform fairly soon. In its place, they implemented an eCommerce solution that allows them to easily create custom integrations for their store. These customizations make it possible to refine their business processes for increased efficiency.

Of course it takes more than a few tech purchases to create a steep growth curve. And to be precise, Nine Line Apparel's tech upgrades were in reaction to the growth, not necessarily a cause for that growth. But once the convoy was rolling, they needed the new tools to help make sure it could continue. The company's astonishing success arises just as much from Tyler's company mission — apparel branded to reflect a strong patriotism and donations to military charities and disaster relief initiatives — and his staff, who are extremely talented and insistent on turning every assignment and challenge into a successful mission.

So even though it's clear that buying the same tools as Nine Line Apparel won't magically transform other SMBs, it doesn't diminish the fact that your own growing business will need reliable, capable technology in these three areas.

When you're searching for software to support and boost your business, review sites like Capterra can be an efficient starting point. The collected user reviews on accounting, CRM, ERP, and other solutions provides a simple way to find options you can pursue. Our five-star rating at Capterra is something we're proud of at aACE Software. So if your company is ready for the cross-platform tools to accelerate your business velocity, check out our reviews and browse our site to learn more about our business management software for Mac and PC.

"I had done my research about aACE and the references were consistent: aACE had the experience and know-how to get this done." ~ Wendy Donenfield, CPA and Controller, M & R International

When a small or mid-sized business gets an eCommerce site up and running, it feels good. You have just exponentially expanded your reach to clients. That's definitely a victory to enjoy.

But data shows there are some eCommerce trends you should be aware of – things that will help you maximize your profits when selling online. By all means, enjoy each success as your company grows. But we also recommend making a note of these 4 developments, analyzed by Larisa Bedgood at Business2Community:

1. Prioritize your returning customers: These customers have already started making a commitment to your company. That's worth cultivating. Especially since this group is typically less than 1/5 of your total clients, but their spending can amount to 1/3 of your online income. Make sure your CRM tools can keep track of these VIP clients.
2. Personalize the shopping experience: With that robust CRM software, make sure customers are seeing material that's most relevant. As with any sales process, a vital aspect is building a relationship. You strengthen that relationship by delivering customer-centered recommendations and discounts.
3. Promote satisfied reviews - The most persuasive comments on a product are often the words of prior customers who are happy with their purchase. The trouble is that satisfied customers don't usually take time to communicate how pleased they are. You'll need to get creative here, developing incentives that work for your customers and your industry. But make sure your site has a place to publish reviews and testimonials.
4. Present engaging content: One way to get customers to return to your site is to provide interesting material. Taking your site from merely selling to also educating is an excellent way to strengthen customer loyalty. How you do this needs to be crafted to your industry and clientele of course – what appeals to a light manufacturing buyer will be different from what engages buyers in warehousing and retail fields. (And yes, this closes the loop back to #1.)

Whether you're just starting out in eCommerce or have a thriving online store, these tips can help you take your business to the next level. And if you're searching for business management software for Mac and PC, contact us today to learn more about aACE's eCommerce integrations.

"aACE has also worked well with 3rd party software we run on the web and integrated our online store with the aACE program. We are very happy with the product and service we've received from the aACE team!" ~ Sabrina Fabian, The John Birch Society

While cash flow is crucial for your business, hounding your clients for money owed can be tricky. Like Aesop's fable about the goose who laid golden eggs, we don't want our efforts to secure profits now to ruin future income.

Over at CorpNet, Anna Helhoski suggests these 5 best practices for invoicing to help balance immediate needs and future possibilities:

1. Clear paper-trail – Follow up verbal agreements with documents that specify costs, timeframes, and payment details. Make sure your invoices include all the information that will make it easy for your client to process payment (e.g., itemized lists, costs, taxes, totals, and payment instructions). Keep track of these documents by attaching them to the client's record in your ERP solution.
2. Good software – A spreadsheet can only do so much. Invest in a tool that reduces mistakes and streamlines billing. A high-quality system will be able to economically meet your immediate needs as well as expand with your business growth.
3. Consistent tracking – Any accounting or billing system hinges on dependable usage. Create an ID method that works for you, then stick with it. Good organization here can be a great help during tax season.
4. Prompt billing – After order fulfillment, don't delay invoicing. Send your payment request while you're still on the client's mind. aACE, for example, can be configured to generate an invoice as soon as the order ships for prompt delivery at the push of a button.
5. Appropriate Follow-up – Using methods that you've spelled out in your initial agreement documents, feel comfortable reminding clients of payment due dates. While additional fees are often used for late payments, consider whether it will be more effective to set up your billing with reduced charges for early payments.

Respectful communication is an essential part of your customer-relationships, especially when it comes to money matters. Always invest in a "please" and "thank you" to help keep your golden eggs in steady supply.

For more information about a proven business management software for Mac and PC that makes invoicing a breeze, get in touch with us today.

The holidays will soon be over, but a gift that's an investment can benefit your company through the years. High quality ERP software is exactly that kind of gift for your growing small business. Owners and entrepreneurs can easily imagine the value that comes from greater efficiency plus increased visibility.

This can't be a last-minute purchase though.

Where your entire staff is counting on you to help the company succeed, this present for the SME has to be just right. And that means doing the necessary due diligence. Getting sales quotes and demos from highly recommended ERP providers is a great start. But as Angela Nadeau at SmallBusinessTrends.com explains, there are other essential details you need to know to buy the best ERP product for your organization.

The five key factors to ERP implementation success, as described by Angela and supported by her readers, go as follows:

1. Professionalism - The fact that you CAN buy an ERP package off the shelf and deploy it out of the box is not evidence that you should. Instead, smart business owners know that they're also investing in a partnership with the ERP provider or consultant. Make sure that ongoing support and training is something they assume is the case, not an unexpected question they have to look into. Reliable professionals will realize that their success is intertwined with your company's success.
2. Flexibility - The best ROI will come from an ERP solution that can adapt to your unique business expertise. You've put a lot of energy into figuring out the best ways to sell and support; imagine the value that can come from software tools that leverage your experience and insights! One of the best open-source, modular platforms is Apple FileMaker. This means you can implement existing products for managing purchases, projects, customer relationships, and finance needs, then easily customize the software to give you an ideal harmony with your organization's setup.
3. Research - You're off to a great start on this one, but there are other questions you'll want to ask about your ERP solution. Do they offer you data warehousing? Clear visibility on the data for good forecasting? Mobile features? One good approach for this level of research is to build a dream-team of features describing everything the perfect product would bring to the table. Of course you may not find a 100% match to your list, but it will give you a good view of your group's priorities so you can match up the most important functionality.
4. Business Intelligence - This element is quickly becoming a driving factor in marketplace success. Any ERP tool will start to open this doorway for you, but some do a better job than others. You want to find a solution that presents the information most vital to your industry and that gives you the quickest, clearest view on that knowledge. The critical detail here is that you know the data that's most important for your growth analysis better than most ERP products. That brings us back to flexibility and customization. Getting your people involved in capturing data and translating it to wisdom is a key method for getting the most value from our software.
5. Rapid Adoption - Speaking of the other personnel in your organization, they are obviously a crucial factor in making a new software tool a successful addition to the mix. "Rapid" isn't necessarily the key term here, but "adoption" is. To help ensure your staff is comfortable with the new tools, get them involved as early as possible. Letting them know you're looking to upgrade their tools can raise morale and help you collect insights about what functionality would be most helpful in day-to-day productivity. And with the right ERP platform, the people who know your business inside-out can transform their understanding into useful tools. The bottom line here is that even the best ERP product won't strengthen you business much if the people who use it feel alienated from it.

With these five guidelines in mind, you're well on your way to making a smart decision for your company's ERP needs.

As noted on Capterra, a software research site produced by Gartner, the world’s leading research and advisory company, aACE Software ranks high in customer reviews and product quality. We provide a fully integrated, cross-platform solution for accounting, CRM, and ERP. To find out how well aACE matches with your company's needs, watch our videos and browse our site.

"aACE was able to customize a few key components for us very intelligently that now just work. Exactly the way we need them to." ~ Derek Navratil, IT Administrator, Janibell Inc

You know what you could lose if a tax collector comes to your small business with authorization for an audit. And you also know what could be lost if you don't offer your customers the best prices. Savvy entrepreneurs protect their businesses from larger loss, balancing between the two extremes, by investing in reliable methods to manage sales tax.

Avalara's many years of experience have helped them identify four of the most common approaches that small businesses use to deal with sales tax. They have listed these options in order of increasing effectiveness, helping companies recognize where they currently stand and where a better balance could be found.

1. CME - "Close My Eyes" - This is the toddler's approach to sales tax. After all, if you can't see them, they can't see you. We all know how well that works out though. This non-management of sales tax should be avoided.
2. WID - "When In Doubt" - This method leaves no stone un-taxed. It is the audit-phobia approach; if you charge taxes on all items, at all times, at max rates, you can be pretty sure the tax man cometh not. The trouble is that soon customers might stay away too. Winning business sometimes hinges on small details, such as sales tax amounts and word-of-mouth warnings to watch out for unnecessary charges. This route is legally safe, but not optimal.
3. STT - "Sales Tax Table" - Or as might be a more accurate description: Single Sales Tax Table. This is one step forward for tax accuracy, one giant leap for tax automation. When a computer is so good at crunching numbers, it's silly to not have it running calculations for your sales tax rates. The trouble is that your typical computer is bad at knowing when the state or local legislature decide to change tax details. Which brings us to...
4. ERP + DTE - "Enterprise Resource Planning plus Dedicated Tax Engine" - To be fair, Avalara didn't go so far as to create their own self-referencing abbreviation. But this is the optimal solution: your customized business solution integrated with a tool that specializes in the complicated, convoluted, evolving web that is sales taxation. This method ensures both full compliance and the most attractive pricing for your clients.

While AvaTax provides you with solid tax information, you'll want to be sure that your ERP system can make the most of this investment. A business software package that also integrates your entire operation — from the warehouse docking bay to the main conference room — can ensure that your up-to-date taxation info is leveraged throughout your business.

aACE 5 offers this kind of quote-to-cash integration. Our integration with AvaTax is a favorite service. It reflects the thorough attention to detail that can be see in the entire aACE system. Contact us today to learn more about how our cross-platform solution for accounting, CRM, and ERP can accelerate your business velocity.

"Unlike other solutions, you will never have to worry about not being able to collect, deliver, and/or report the data your organization needs. This product can fully tailored to fit your company's processes. If you want to gain control of your business and eliminate all of the islands of data that exist today, then I highly recommend that you give aACE a call." ~ Bryan Anderson, All Solutions 360 LLC