Four years. That’s how long it takes to get even the most basic accounting degree at a university. Add a master’s in Finance or Accounting to that, and you’re easily looking at 6+ years.

All this to say, accounting isn’t easy. Your accounting team has a significant and difficult job. It’s crucial that you equip them to perform their duties as efficiently as possible. The best way to do that is by enabling them to leverage accounting software for online retailers.

In this article, we’ll explain five tips that will aid you in your search for the right accounting software. 

1. Understand Your Needs

As always, the first step is needs assessment. Sit down with your accounting team to figure out exactly what they need from business accounting software. What functionalities do they need to operate? What are the different scenarios unique to your company that the tool must be able to navigate?

Without first having a very solid grasp of your needs, it’s impossible for you to find the right software because you won’t know what you’re looking for.

2. Decide Must-Haves and Like-to-Haves

When you ask your accounting team what they’d like to have the software do, that can easily turn into a wishlist type of conversation. To avoid that, be cognizant of deciding what features are must-haves and what are like-to-haves.

That way, when you’re conducting the vendor evaluation, you can figure out where you’re willing to sacrifice and what the vendor must-have.

3. Carve Out Budget Ahead of Time

Having a budget carved out even before you go to the table with vendors to start conversations about using their tool will aid you in the process. You can immediately cut out the vendors that are too pricey for you, which will minimize wastage of your time. For instance, the Xero vs. Quickbooks debate is often quickly settled if one is out of budget.

4. Think Long-Term

If your company’s going the way it should, then it’s no doubt growing. Think of the long-term. What changes might you see in your company two or three years down the road that could affect the accounting team? Would the software you use be affected? What considerations do you need to take into account to make sure that you only go through the buying process once and will purchase a tool that can grow with your accounting team?

The answers to all these questions are critical to finding the right accounting software.

5. Shoot for a Free Trial 

As they say, the proof is in the pudding. You’ll never truly know whether or not a tool is right for you until you implement it and see whether or not it works with your daily workflow.

Whenever you check out bookkeeping software options, make sure to sign up for their free trial before purchasing. 

Leverage Accounting Software for Online Retailers

There exist too many quality options of accounting software for online retailers for you not to take advantage of one. Accounting is hard, and if you want your accounting team to be successful, it’s imperative that you equip them to be. With one of these tools, your accounting team will operate at its maximum potential.

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