The industrious team over at AccountingWEB has created an indispensable guide to accounting software.
Given the packed-to-the-gunnels marketplace and the looming demands of making tax digital, Software Reviews couldn’t have arrived at a better time for those wanting/needing to get tech savvy.
And, as the content is very much connected to user experiences, it’s likely to become one of the profession’s go-to online manuals.
Trustpilot for accounting software
AccountingWEB has dubbed the guide: “Trustpilot for accounting software”.
Editor Tom Herbert says: “We went live in September with guides to practice management software, data and expense management apps and forecasting planning and analysis tools.
“We’re just about to publish a set of accounts production software reviews and are then moving on to two big categories – small business accounts and MTD for VAT software.”
Product ratings
Tom adds: “The reviews are based on more than 7,000 individual product ratings in 10 categories within our ongoing Accounting Excellence Software Awards questionnaire.
“We compile their ratings and responses into a set of product reviews that gives a user’s-eye view of what each application can do, its strong points and where it can be improved.
“The rating questionnaire remains open, and all of the individual product pages will be regularly updated with new reviews and insights from users.
Too many new products
“The project came about in response to the common complaint – frequently heard at Accountex events – that “there are too many new products coming into the market to keep up with”.
“The year-on-year insights AccountingWEB has collected give us a clear view of what’s changing in the marketplace and now we are able to share those insights with members and vendors.
“To ease the searching process, we focus on products that have established a meaningful presence in each application category – though we are also able to pick up evidence of new entrants as they arrive on the scene.
Lack of complete information
“We’ve researched how accountants buy software and found that one of the main problems they encounter is a lack of complete information.
“A Google search leaves so many part-answered or unanswered questions: what does the software actually do? Who is it for? Does it have the features I or my clients need, or is it way too complex? And, most importantly, how much does it cost?”
Sounds like a great project, Tom. Good luck!