Feeling like you’ve outgrown QuickBooks and looking to move to an ERP? Despite what ERP companies are telling you, there’s an easier (and much cheaper) option that involves staying with QuickBooks Desktop.
There are a few reasons you may be feeling your business has outgrown QuickBooks Desktop. Any of these sound familiar?
- Bloated QuickBooks file that is slowing down its performance
- Need software functionality that isn’t being supported in QuickBooks Destkop
- Using QuickBooks Desktop for something other than accounting functions
- Want to delegate accounting tasks to employees but don’t want to give too many team members keys to the QuickBooks file
- Want to delegate tasks involving accounting, but want to implement some form of approval system to safeguard your accounting file
We totally understand these frustrations, and when you are a growing company it may feel like it’s time to upgrade to an ERP. But, there is a lot of risk and cost in implementing an ERP like:
- Professional services/accounting cost for implementing software
- Training cost
- Downtime while you switch over
- Annual maintenance fees
So, if you want to stay with QuickBooks Desktop, what are your options?
Reduce Your QuickBooks File
Often reducing your QuickBooks file relieves the pains of a bloated account.
There are a few ways you can do this. Depending on your comfort level, you can reduce your QB file yourself or get professional assistance with this.
Option A: Condense Your QuickBooks File
Over time, a company file can grow quite large, no matter the size of your business. The result is performance issues, slow loading time, and unexplained glitches. One solution is to use the QuickBooks archive/condense utility. But we get it — there’s fear with crunching data. Will you lose everything? And, can you really do this process yourself? Read through this article to know more about condensing; its limitations, how it is done, and what to do before, during, and after the process.
If you’re a Method:CRM user, we suggest not deleting any customers (with no transactions) while condensing the data. Deleted customers will still show up because Method does not recognize the deletion from QuickBooks. If you wish to delete those customers while condensing, please reach out to our support team (support@method.me or 1-888-925-6238 x2) before doing this process.
Option B: Professional Assistance
QuickBooks ProAdvisors recommend the ‘QuickBooks Shrink’ service offered by QB or not QB where they shrink the data down in your QuickBooks file. There’s a cost involved, but part of what you’re paying for is peace of mind that a professional is going to handle this change to your QuickBooks account.
Adopt QuickBooks Desktop-integrated Apps
If you’re thinking of leaving QuickBooks for an ERP because of a lack of functionality, I challenge you to ask yourself “Am I expecting too much from my accounting software?”
If you’re using QuickBooks Desktop for more than accounting then it’s time to stop this bad business habit. For example, if you’re managing your leads in QuickBooks, you’re clogging your QuickBooks file with customers who may never generate revenue. The good news is, there is an entire ecosystem of applications that integrate with QuickBooks, so there’s no need to move away from QuickBooks because of a lack of functionality.
One of those apps is Method:CRM, a QuickBooks Desktop-integrated CRM built specifically for small businesses using QuickBooks Desktop. Method:CRM centralizes your customer and transaction data, so you’re empowered to streamline day-to-day operations and grow your sales. Method:CRM adapts to your business as it evolves with the powerful combination of Method’s customizable engine and QuickBooks integration.
Instead of moving away from QuickBooks to an ERP, customize your Method:CRM account to track an unlimited number of custom fields for managing essential lead and customer data. Method’s code-free platform makes it easy to develop workflows that create efficiency that will make your team and your customers happier.
Here’s what a Method:CRM user recently posted to a software review site:
“Two years ago, our IT expert thought it was time to move from QuickBooks to NetSuite during a stage of rapid growth. We indeed needed efficiencies between our accounting and rest of the company. But the cost of leaving QuickBooks and adopting a new system would be massive. So glad we found Method, as we can grow with Method and QuickBooks — QuickBooks for accounting, and Method for everything else. The sync is seamless and the level of customization we have done has allowed us to automate everything NetSuite would have given us at a fraction of the cost and fraction of the time. We are 2 years in now and we keep growing what we do with Method, and our company has doubled in size over that time.” – John Stasney, COO, Acce Industries Inc (Capterra Review)
Interested in hearing more about what’s possible with Method:CRM and QuickBooks? Sign up for a free 30-day trial of Method:CRM, the #1 rated CRM by QuickBooks users on apps.com.
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