In the world of accounting software, what influences choice of one accounting system over another?
9/30/2011 at 8:20 am by
I was recently asked the following questions by a prospect who was looking for new accounting software:
In the world of accounting software, what influences your choice of one accounting system over another?
Is backward compatibility with present systems the most critical factor?
Or pricing?
Does vendor reputation have an influence?
How would you stack-rank these or other factors?
I was glad he asked the final question and was open to other factors being considered when choosing an Accounting system. I advised him that all the questions were excellent but that the most important factor is that the Accounting software meets your organizations predefined requirements.
How valuable would a backward compatible Accounting software be if the old software and now the new software did not meet your requirements?
I don’t think most organizations would want software that did not meet their requirements just because it was affordable. It is even more likely that the same would be true if the software was not affordable.
I don’t think the best vendor in the world could satisfy an organization who is using an application that does not meet their business requirements.
Ultimately the most critical factor when searching for accounting software is to find an application that meets your business requirements then all the factors that were mentioned can be evaluated. Prices can be compared, vendors can be compared, etc…
Before searching for new accounting software perform a requirements analysis or have a knowledgeable ERP software firm perform one for you. Match your requirements to the software and then evaluate all the other intangible factors that will assist with the success of the Accounting software selection and implementation.





