Service of Online Accounting

1) How Established Are These Companies

Bookkeeping software as an online service is a relatively new concept, so many of this company are not well established. The obvious exception is Sage, who offers the SME favorite Sage Line 50 as an online service.

The more established small business solutions, like WinWeb and Kashflow have been running 3 years or more, but some of the other alternatives have been in existence only 2 years or so.

Obviously, you should choose a service that isn\'t likely to go out of business any time soon.

2) Testimonials from Other Users

Check the on-site testimonials by all means, but ask to speak directly to current users of the service. If, as some do, the service offers a forum, then this is another good way to find out what users really think of the service. Kashflow, for example, has a forum at UKSmallBusinessForums.co.uk.

3) Support Is Critical - Test It Out

When you start your free trial, test out the support. Look for email and telephone support as well as online knowledgebase’s and user guides. With an online service, it is far from unreasonable to expect fast round the clock support. So, test it out. If you get good, accurate, useful answers quickly, then so much the better.

For businesses of all sizes, an online bookkeeping solution is one well worth looking into but it is very much something that will suit some companies (contractors working through limited companies, for example) more than others (large charities, for instance).

As with all things of this nature, it is worth testing out at least a couple of these services to get a feel for how they might benefit your business.