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Is Your Company Outgrowing QuickBooks?

November 1, 2022 Christine Wells

Technology has helped to transform the world around us, supporting businesses in becoming more streamlined and efficient. When it comes to accounting, QuickBooks by Intuit has been one of the most popular software providers for startups and small businesses.

However, while this has helped thousands of organizations to transform their accounting, many find that QuickBooks does have its limitations, primarily the lack of flexibility and scalability to continue to meet the demands of a growing business.

What is a growing business?

When you hear the term ‘growing business,’ the first things that will likely spring to mind are rising profits or an expanding team. However, that is not always the case. Business growth could mean adapting the services and products on offer to meet the ever-changing demands of the modern consumer. It could also mean purchasing new equipment or working to ensure your organization meets new regulatory compliance.

Whatever it might be, growth means change, and while QuickBooks has helped countless small and medium-sized businesses, they can quickly run into various limitations as the basic features no longer meet their requirements. When this happens, it forces these businesses to make the switch to a more comprehensive business management and accounting solution.

Signs you might be outgrowing QuickBooks

If your business is changing and expanding, then you might start to notice signs that your current business management solutions are no longer working as effectively as they once were. There are many signs to look out for which indicate that your operations might have outgrown the capabilities that QuickBooks provide, including:

Finding that you have to manually enter an increasing amount of data into your systems.
Noticing that you are managing more of your inventory outside of QuickBooks on spreadsheets or via add-ons.
Paying for multiple systems or solutions to manage everything.
Regularly needing to transfer information from one application or system to another in order to stay up to date.
No longer having the flexibility to manage your inventory across your warehouses or easily update things such as prices or inventory counts.
Not being able to customize your quotes or manage shipments and backorders as well.

Time for the next step?

If you are finding yourself agreeing with any of the above points, then it is time to start thinking about taking the next step to ensure your business can continue operating as efficiently as possible. While QuickBooks is a fantastic tool, Spire can be the perfect solution for organizations needing greater control over their finances.

Spire is a unique business management tool that has been designed to provide you with the power of ERP software without the hefty price tag. The fully integrated software ensures you do not need to worry about any additional apps or add-ons; instead, your team can focus on a seamless solution for managing your entire operation. The unique conversion tool even lets you quickly migrate your current QuickBooks Desktop information over!

Want to find out more about the Spire system? Get in touch with our friendly team today for your free discovery call!

Don’t have Lot Control? You may be at Risk

July 18, 2018 Christine Wells

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Having greater visibility into your warehouse business operations is no longer a “nice-to-have” in the world of business – it’s now a “must-have.” In fact, not having lot control in your warehouse could be a huge risk, leading to increased costs, lower profitability, and unexpected breakdowns in your supply chain. If your business ever faces an emergency recall situation – such as a food product that has been contaminated and needs to be recalled, you’ll be glad that you have a software-based warehouse management system to find the exact product you need at exactly the right time to avoid any serious consequences.

The core feature of any warehouse management system is lot control. Every piece of inventory that has ever passed through your warehouses comes with a unique tracking ID code that assigns it to a lot. These identifying characteristics can include ingredients or materials in the product, or factors such as color, expiration date or place of origin. The more you know about each lot, the easier it is to track down exactly what you need. If you are currently doing this manually, then you are at a real disadvantage to your competitors who have automated the entire process and can check on the status of lots within minutes.

Another example where automated lot control is an advantage is if, for example, you are working in an industry where product expiration dates matter. The last thing you want is for older items to sit in a warehouse too long. With automated software, you can mitigate this problem, ensuring that older lots make their way into your distribution chain in a timely matter before it’s too late. This will impact your bottom line immediately.

And, finally, there’s the matter of product differentiation. In certain industries, lots are differentiated not by product expiration dates, but by factors like color, shape or size. You want to make sure that you are shipping the right colors (or shade of the right colors) to the right customers. This can prevent you from sending last year’s make or model to a new customer.

In dealing with these hypothetical situations, lot control in the warehouse is key. Lot control will give you greater visibility into your business operations, lower your costs, streamline your operations, and give you the ability to increase throughput in your supply chain. And the most effective path to reach these goals is a software-based warehouse management system with built-in lot control, such as Spire. In both everyday and emergency recall situations, lot control will give you the peace of mind of knowing that any situation in your warehouse can be handled quickly and efficiently.