Small Service Based Business
April 03, 2015

Small Service Based Business

Emily Dykema | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Software Version

Sage 50 Premium Accounting

Overall Satisfaction with Sage 50 Accounting

Our small business uses Sage 50 Premium Accounting to process all accounting and finance reporting:

  1. Payroll / Employee Time Sheets
  2. Tax Reporting
  3. Tracking Accounts Payable / Vendor Disbursements
  4. Tracking Accounts Receivable / Customer Payments
  5. Banking Reconciliation
  6. Budgeting
  7. Job Profitability
The one feature we do not use is the Inventory, because we are a service oriented business, without products to sell.
We have one administrator, but have the ability to install the program for other employees with limited access, so that as our business grows we can add other employees to handle some responsibilities.

Pros

  • I like the automated guides to set up complex features of payroll formulas.
  • The business intelligence reporting seems very comprehensive, so that one could really "crunch the data" and analyze different aspects of their business.
  • Sage annually improves the performance and features of their program.

Cons

  • Being a small business with small margin for profit, we have to be extremely careful with controlling expenses. Sage is quite expensive for a small business that may not need all the "bells and whistles" of their product.
  • Even though we are a small business, I get regular notices that our use of Sage 50 is close to exceeding the "optimum data storage", and encourages upgrading to their much more expensive Quantum product. This is irritating and if the data storage is truly in danger (probably due to not making old accounts "inactive"), then Sage should increase the data storage for their Sage 50 product.
  • I would like to see more learning programs listed for Sage University that are free and always accessible. After purchasing the Sage 50 Premium subscription for hundreds of dollars every year, the learning programs AND certification should be free.
  • Detailed financial reporting helps to make better business decisions. I especially like the job profitability reporting, and have used the "job type" and "phase" features to determine which kind of jobs are generating the most profit.
  • We plan to use the customer list feature in the future to generate broadcast marketing emails to our customers.
MYOB (Mind Your Own Business) is not comprehensive and was not "feature rich" for complex business reporting. It was an entry level accounting program that was used for a very short period of time. Sage 50 Premium Accounting was recommended by our CPA end-of-year tax accountant, so we really didn't compare Sage to anything comparable.
I indicated a neutral rating due to the fact that I really haven't used other accounting programs, so I cannot compare it to others fairly. I have enjoyed using Sage 50 Premium Accounting for 20 years, but perhaps there are other programs that are very similar, but less expensive. A small, service based business, that does not utilize the inventory or assembly features probably could find another useful accounting product that is more cost effective. However, if the business wants to track detailed inventories, complex and progressive jobs, and has complex payroll needs ... then Sage 50 Premium Accounting is definitely worth the investment. Also, I have always experienced very good technical support service when needed.

Sage 50 Feature Ratings

8.0
Accounts payable
10
Accounts receivable
10
Cash management
10
Bank reconciliation
10
Expense management
10
Time tracking
6
Fixed asset management
5
Multi-currency support
5
Multi-division support
6
Regulations compliance
10
Electronic tax filing
9
Self-service portal
5
6.3
Inventory tracking
10
Automatic reordering
5
Location management
5
Manufacturing module
5
6.0
Pricing
5
Order entry
5
Credit card processing
8
Cost of goods sold
6
9.4
Pay calculation
10
Benefit plan administration
10
Direct deposit files
7
Salary revision and increment management
10
Reimbursement management
10
10.0
Dashboards
10
Standard reports
10
Custom reports
10
5.0
API for custom integration
5
Plug-ins
5
10.0
Role-based user permissions
10
Single sign-on capability
10

Using Sage 50 Accounting

1 - Accounting
1 - Accounting
  • Accounting
  • Financial Reporting
  • We use the Sage Virtual Credit Card Terminal to process credit card sales from our website, as well as off site locations for exhibits and conventions.
  • We plan to use the marketing features so that we can send information to our customers via email broadcasting.
We are invested in the product after twenty years.

Evaluating Sage 50 Accounting and Competitors

  • Product Features
  • Product Usability
  • Product Reputation
  • Prior Experience with the Product
We really did not compare Sage 50 Premium Accounting to any other accounting program. At the time, our CPA end-of-year tax accountant was using Sage and recommended it.

Sage 50 Accounting Implementation

We implemented Sage 50 Premium Accounting in house, not using any third party or professional service. It was a relatively trouble free process, but can be tricky. Just read all instructions carefully, especially if you need to load the program on a network with more than one user.
  • Implemented in-house
Change management was minimal
  • Making sure to follow the loading instructions and setting up the business with the correct specifications.

Sage 50 Accounting Support

Although I have only needed to call tech support on three occasions through out the entire time of usage, each time my problem was quickly resolved by people who were obviously well trained and easy to understand. Sage 50 Premium Accounting is a reliable and "bug-free" product that is regularly improved upon.
ProsCons
Quick Resolution
Good followup
Knowledgeable team
Problems get solved
Kept well informed
No escalation required
Immediate help available
Support understands my problem
Support cares about my success
Quick Initial Response
None
Yes - It is the only option for our product. The upgrades and tech support used to be optional every year, but Sage has removed that option for our product and changed to a subscription only arrangement. So now our small business pays an annual subscription service, and the tech support and regular upgrades are automatic.
There was one occasion when my data file somehow got "corrupted". Yikes!! Sounds awful!! But a Sage tech support person led me through the process to resolve that tricky issue, and she was very easy to understand and confident about what to do and how to do it. I was very impressed and relieved.

Using Sage 50 Accounting

I have used Sage 50 Premium Accounting for twenty years, and only used their technical support team three times.
ProsCons
Like to use
Relatively simple
Easy to use
Technical support not required
Well integrated
Consistent
Quick to learn
Convenient
Feel confident using
Familiar
None
  • Payroll set up
  • Job reporting
  • Employee Time Sheets could be improved

Comments

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