Accounting and Payroll Software – Ten Reasons Current Software Technology is Crucial to a Business

As a business owner, it’s easy to make accounting and payroll software a low priority. After all, you are busy making sure sales are up, costs are down, profits are high, and everyone is staying productive. Unfortunately, it’s so easy to fall behind if you don’t stay abreast of technology, and when that happens you can quickly lose the benefits that the software was supposed to provide in the first place. Here are ten reasons why keeping your accounting and payroll software technology current is crucial to the successful operation of your business.

1. Hardware Compatibility: The old dot matrix printer still works fine, humming away in the corner, printing your invoices dot by dot. Hey, you can’t hear each other speak over the noise, but you’ve become accustomed to it. So, why move? This is an all-too-common scenario, whether it’s a printer, computer, or a long list of other hardware devices. For a business, hardware is an important component which allows you to print invoices, save valuable files, communicate with customers, and much more. The older your software system gets, the less likely you will be able to keep on performing those functions in a timely manner, and eventually you won’t be able to at all. The software you are using plays a huge role in the hardware you are able to operate. Compatibility with new hardware is why it’s important to keep your software up to date.

2. Safety and Security: The good news is that we are now able to communicate much more quickly within a business, and also with outside contacts such as vendors and customers. E-mail, instant messaging, and a host of other modern technologies make communication much faster! But the downside is that there are also many more security threats. Keeping your software technology current helps keep your data safe from hackers!

3. Time Savings: If you’ve been doing things the same way for many years, it’s easy to believe that your way is the fastest way available. After all, learning a new system does take time. But in the long run, things like running reports, processing invoices and keeping track of data are generally done more quickly with newer technology.

4. Company Image: How do your customers feel when they receive and view your invoice? Is it printed on nice paper with your logo and a custom message? Or is it printed on thin paper with tear marks on the sides, barely legible because of printing issues? Do not discount the fact that what your customers receive from you impacts their image of you. Having newer technology allows you to print documents and perform other functions that look much more professional than they did years ago.

5. Customer Satisfaction: What happens when your customer asks to view all of their sales from you for the past three years? Are you able to help them, or is your historical data limited? This is one example where your technology affects your customer satisfaction. By moving to newer technology, you can improve your customer service and meet the needs of your customer more quickly and easily.

6. The Green Factor: Older programs often require the printing of documents such as reports, financial statements, invoices, orders and other documents. Newer technology offers the ability to keep track of and send such communications electronically, saving many trees per year!

7. Crucial Updates: If the software technology you are using is extremely old, chances are your program is no longer being updated or enhanced by the company who developed it. You may think your program doesn’t require any more updates because it’s been around for so many years. The truth is that updates and enhancements help keep your software compatible with everything else on your computer. By not receiving updates, you will experience more and more problems as other technology moves forward. Moving to newer technology can assure you get the updates to keep your company safe and secure.

8. Support and Help: Many older programs are no longer supported, meaning there is no help available in case of questions or problems you may have with the software. While you may know the software well, there are always questions that arise with the advancement of other technology you are using. Maybe you installed a new printer or need help getting a time clock working with your software. Or perhaps a new employee started who is unfamiliar with the program and has questions. In cases like these, having support available is crucial to the function of your business.

9. Compliance: These days even the government is starting to require companies to have a certain level of technology. Certain government forms must now be submitted online, and no doubt that trend will continue. Older programs often cannot handle the newer tools necessary to stay compliant, and moving to new technology will be needed to meet those requirements.

10. The Band-Aid Factor: If you have ever had an extremely old car, you are all too familiar with the process of fixing one thing after another until you are worn down, and your pocketbook is empty. Trying to get anything old to keep working can become tiresome and can also become extremely expensive. Because you are keeping so busy trying to make the system work, you may not even be aware of how much time and money you are spending to hold everything together. Moving to newer software technology can seem challenging at first, but it is typically the best option for your business in the long-term.

Hiring the Best Job Candidates Using Software Technology

The internet has become a blessing and a curse to the recruitment process. The blessing part is allowing you to post a job listing across a variety of platforms. Casting a wide net can provide you with a strong pool of potential candidates to pick from. The curse part is pretty much the same thing: That wide net is going to result in thousands of resumes pouring into your email box. The best course of action then is to focus your approach not only in a potential job posting, but also where you might advertise for this opening.

A good first step for your recruitment is to go where the likely candidates are lurking. Every distinct sector of the business world now has some presence on internet. These could be in public forums or trade related web sites.

If the job you need to fill falls into the category of entry level, then a wonderful resource would be college and university websites. You could simply zero in on the Ivy League graduating classes to find candidates eager to prove themselves. Do you have relationships established with these campuses? Check out your own upper management staff. Whatever diplomas they have hanging on the wall is the perfect place to start. You stand a much greater chance of getting alumni pass management than someone from an online degree program.

Tapping into the recent grad market means you might need to be more proactive with regard to your application instructions. Exactly in what form do you want to receive CVs? Do you have your own online application that can be filled out and submitted? Are there questions you would like answered via an uploaded application before you begin the interview process? The more specific you can be with your posting the most specific your candidates will be.

You can also establish relationships with other independent recruitment agencies. Although you might consider these folks the “competition” sharing information and prospective candidates is a two way street. The person you need to find could be walking in the door of a recruitment agency across town. Do you really want to cut off that resource?

When it is time for the actual one-on-one interview process, it might be time to put aside the basic “top ten questions to ask” and come at the prospective hire with a new approach. Suppose you start off by asking, “How did you get ready for this interview?” If they open with a new haircut, mani and pedi then this might not be the person you’re looking for. However, if they describe the research they conducted on the company it could open up a line of questioning that will be much more illuminating towards their character.

One of the more productive ways to collate all of this information is by uploading it into an applicant tracking software program. This is where you’ll be able to file and categorize a candidate’s resume and interview responses. Easy access to this information can help you make the kinds of inform decisions that lead to recruitment success.

Software Technology Jobs Career in IT Industry

Software Jobs! – A Promising Career!

The IT Industry has developed into a giant Industry. Years ago it was just a spark and today it has spread as a massive fire. Every industry has to first have a strong IT Backup and thereafter the variety of departments is built upon the strong foundation of IT. The information and Technology is a vast arena which needs a touch of specialization in the areas requiring expert knowledge and skills for its execution.

Various types of Jobs in the Software Industry

Customer Service
Key Requirements: Good Communication Skills, with sound knowledge of the company and company business.

Key Job Responsibility: Handling Customer Queries, with questions related to the company, ordering accounting information or status to name a few.

Software Engineer
A software engineer is placed at a very crucial position. A software development engineer is highly skilled computer programmer. After completion of degree courses and various other certifications the engineer is all set to put into to action in the IT World that entire he has studied. It is not as easy as it seems to get a job as a Software Engineer, so along with studies or on part time basis it is advisable to get into entry level jobs in programming or create your own software programmes.

Hardware Engineer
This is position where we require you need to design and create complete hardware package or portions for a hardware device. Here there needs to be good understanding of circuits, electronics, firmware and designing. Only after acquiring a specify Degree of a Hardware Engineer, this task can be performed well.

This job involves set ups, troubleshooting, maintaining a network. Here the major concern is to understand of how are the working conditions of the Network, the understanding of the underlying structures and the protocols. There are varieties of certificate courses available today, namely CCNA, MCSE ETC.

Quality Assurance/System Analyst/Tester
He is responsible for testing the programme developed by the hardware and software programmer and test out all the features of a product for any problems and usability issues. Familiarity with computers, software, hardware and company’s product is of utmost need.

Sales of computer software, computer hardware, computer programme, needs in-depth knowledge of the product which can be gained by thorough study of the companys web page. It can be a great experience and a plus point to begin a career in the IT Industry.

Technical Writing
If you have a flair for writing and you possess knowledge of the Software industry or the IT Industry then you could opt for the post of a “Technical Writer”. This job involves the work of creating and editing of technical papers and manuals.

Security Experts
The job responsibility includes to test and find vulnerabilities in a system, hardware device or software program. Someone who has strong knowledge of how software, hardware work and how to exploit them, Savvy in system usage, and good programming skills.

The above fields are just a mix of positions and there are varied other fields too. So this can lead us to the conclusion that the Software Industry is growing and has a variety of Jobs to offer.

It does have a promising career ahead!