All businesses are unique with its own different needs, therefore the best management software will be bespoke, i.e. a software package designed solely for the individual business.

Designing a bespoke software package requires the use of a specialist programmer. In addition, it is a lengthy process that requires lots of testing and tweaking throughout, therefore to have your own software package designed is going to be an expensive process, so before embarking on this you need to satisfy yourself there are the funds available to see it through to completion. A further consideration is the length of time the programme is going to take. As a business owner you need to decide if you can focus your attention on developing the software as opposed to the general day to day running of the business, or is there another who can run the business on your behalf? Continued computer support is a further issue that needs to be considered. Unless you employ a computer specialist who takes an active role in developing and testing the software you are going to be at the mercy of the programmer who designed the program, therefore there is only one person/business who can offer ongoing support so there is no chance of “shopping around”.

A cheaper alternative is an off the shelf package. Whilst these packages may not be specifically tailored for your business they are useful for a variety of different businesses. Not only are these packages cheaper they have been tried and tested and will contain little, if any, bugs that need sorting out. There will be constant patches and updates available for these packages and all of them will be supported by a variety of different businesses, hence you have the freedom to “shop around” for cheaper quotes for ongoing support.

There are many off the shelf packages available and buying on can be a daunting task? What is the best one? Who provides the best support? What are the price differentials?

Different industries and business sectors have different needs and will ask for different things from their software packages, for example the needs for a motor dealer will be totally different than the needs for a building contractor. As a consequence there are off the shelf packages that are designed for numerous different industries. If there is a package to suit your particular industry then this would be the one to go for, but what about if your business is more general or in a niche market where there are no packages available?

Fortunately, there are numerous general packages available but which one of these is the best? Having used a number of different packages in the past one of the best, if not the best, has to be one produced by Sage which is a business that produces many off the shelf accounting and management information software packages that are ideal for the small business.

There are a variety of Sage packages that can be used for sales ledger and credit control, purchase ledger control, full stock management, the ability to raise and print off sales invoices and statements, the production of monthly management reports (such as the trail balance, profit and loss account and balance sheet amongst nominal activity reports and many others), financial forecasting and budgeting and payroll processing. All these functions are important for controlling a business.

Sage packages are windows based and are very user friendly. The layout is logical, clear and concise and makes sense. Each program comes with a comprehensive user guide giving clear step by step instructions for every function. Sage is so intuitive it is possible to use the packages.

All Sage products can be integrated together and used as a complete package. For example, it is possible to link the payroll package to the accounts package which automatically posts the payroll figures into the accounting records as the payroll is processed. It is also possible to link the budgeting package to the accounts package which allows the actual figures from the accounts package to be posted to the budgeting package to make variance analysis easier.

Sage offers full after sales service and support for all of its products. Any problems or queries and experience and competent Sage staff can be contacted via telephone to iron out any issues. In addition, Sage offers various training courses at many of it centres.

In conclusion, a bespoke software system designed specifically for your business is the best option, however there may be some concerns over ongoing support, but because of the time it takes, the expense and the implications on the day to day running of the business a bespoke system is often out of the reach of the small business owner.

Industry specific off the shelf packages would be the second best option, but these are only useful if there is one designed for your particular type of business.

The third and final option, which is the one for most businesses, is the general off the shelf package. Whilst these maybe the least favourable they are often the only option, but these packages should not be sniffed at since many of them are very good and more than adequate for most businesses. There are many to choose from and Sage is one that is recommended.