QuickBooks Online recognized as
Best Small Business Accounting Software
Business News Daily in the United States runs a survey every year to determine which software is the best Small Business Accounting Software on the planet. In 2017, QuickBooks Online has been recognized by them as the best small business accounting software. In summary of why it was selected, author Lori Fairbanks commented, “QuickBooks Online offers a range of features for all types of small businesses. This includes freelancers, consultants, online merchants, store and restaurant owners, service providers and more. Whether you’re just starting out, expanding or have an established business, QuickBooks Online is packed with basic and advanced features to meet your accounting needs”.
The 2017 research and analysis of accounting software lead Business News Daily to once again recommend QuickBooks Online as the best accounting software for small businesses – QuickBooks Online also came out tops in 2016. QuickBooks was selected from dozens of accounting software options.
Below are some of the reasons that QuickBooks Online has been credited with this accolade (as quoted from the Business News Daily article):
QuickBooks Online is the best accounting software for small businesses. It’s intuitive to use, competitively priced, connects to your business bank accounts, and is packed with features such as invoicing, expense tracking, inventory management, purchase ordering, and reporting.
The software is scalable, and you can upgrade your account between the top three tiers as your business grows. Companion apps for Android and iOS devices are available, and the software integrates with hundreds of third-party applications.
Competitively Priced
Of all the accounting software we reviewed, QuickBooks Online offers some of the best pricing, with four service tiers designed to accommodate the needs of different business types. The company offers a 30-day free trial, but if you skip it, you can receive a 50 percent discount on your subscription for six months.
Ease of use
To find out exactly how easy it is to use QuickBooks Online, we tried the accounting software ourselves by signing up for a trial business account. During the registration process, QuickBooks first asks several questions about your company so the software can customise the dashboard to suit your type of business.
It was simple to get started with the software and add information to the system. There was no need to fuss with different menus or go in circles trying to navigate the software. For instance, it was very easy to connect bank accounts and credit cards straight from the dashboard as well as enter operational data for vendors, employees and customers.
The dashboard interface feels intuitive. It has a top navigation bar and a side menu that makes it easy to find the features you’re looking for. It displays a snapshot of your financial status, with information such as income, overdue and paid invoices, expenses, profits and losses, and even a to-do widget. This gives you a quick overview of the health of your business as soon as you log into the system.
Timesaving features
When we asked small business owners what the “perfect” accounting software should do, there was one resounding requirement across the board: save time. QuickBooks Online easily lives up to this expectation.
QuickBooks Online is all about automating tasks, making accounting less time-consuming and less stressful for small business owners. The software can automate recurring invoices and bill payments, sync data from bank and credit card transactions, and reconcile and categorize expenses, which eliminates the tedious, time-consuming task of manually doing so for every single transaction. QuickBooks can also spare you the task of creating financial reports from scratch thanks to the software’s wide collection of built-in reports. In addition, it automatically backs up your data so you never have to worry about whether your books are safe and up-to-date.
Another timesaving feature that QuickBooks offers is electronic invoicing, which helps you get paid more quickly. You can email invoices to your customers through the system, track them and accept online payments and electronic signatures.
QuickBooks Online integrates with hundreds of third-party applications, such as those designed for email marketing, ecommerce, customer relationship management (CRM), payment processing, time tracking, payroll services and more. This can save you time by connecting the software to the business programs you already use, allowing you to automatically import, export and sync data in real time among the different services.
Customer service
QuickBooks Online provides several support channels to its customers. It offers both phone and chat support, which you can access directly throughout the company’s website. Or, if you prefer to troubleshoot problems yourself, the support page has a searchable knowledgebase and a collection of articles, guides and videos. QuickBooks also offers a blog, a user community and training classes. If you want in-person assistance, QuickBooks gives you access to local certified advisers who can give you one-on-one help on using the software and advising your business.
Other benefits of QuickBooks Online
One of the biggest benefits of using QuickBooks Online is that it’s “accountant approved.” Not only does it have all the features accountants deem as must-haves for small businesses, but it eliminates the learning curve since most accountants already use QuickBooks, so you won’t have to teach them how to use the software.
If you use an outside accountant, you can avoid compatibility issues since the software allows you to give him or her access to the system. Whether your accountants are helping you take better control of your finances or assisting only with tax prep, using accounting software that they’re are already familiar with makes the process easier for everyone involved.
Says Gary Epstein, Managing Director of EasyBiz QuickBooks, ” QuickBooks is pleased to be recognized once again as the Business News Daily’s Best Accounting Software for small businesses, proving once again our quick to learn, quick to use philosophy. We are proud that QuickBooks as a brand and a product has the range available to satisfy the financial needs of start-ups, SMEs and growing businesses. We pride ourselves on our products being very easy to use and learn. Although there is no real accounting experience needed from an end-user or business-owner perspective, all the relevant information is there for finance professionals. QuickBooks is there to assist the business-owner without accounting expertise, but also included in the package are all the features for the professional. This is what has made QuickBooks such a recognisably successful brand worldwide.”