The Sage Report Designer is a fantastic tool that enables Sage users to both customise and create new reports from scratch. However, the Sage Report Designer is quite complex and users often finding getting to grips with it a struggle. However, new public training courses from DMC Software, softwareonline Direct’s parent company, make using the Report Designer simple.

The DMC Sage Report Designer Training courses are offered at two levels, both basic and advanced, to cater for the needs and skill sets of different users.

The first Sage Report Designer Training course dates announced are 29th Feb – 1st March in Peterborough and 21st – 22nd March in London. More dates are to follow soon!

Find out more about Sage Report Designer Training.

Sage Instant Accounts is a top choice for small businesses looking to computerise their accounts. It offers both ease of use and small price tag and is ideal for accurate and well-managed accounts.

• Monitor your financial position
• Track cash flow
• Maintain HMRC compliance
• Monitor products and service

Sage Instant Accounts 2012 was launched by Sage this week and introduces a host of new features to make it even simpler to use. Find out more…

Need up to date financial information when on the move? Mobile ERP is growing in popularity and this functionality is now available to smaller organisations with Sage 50 2012.

The NEW Sage 50 Mobile application, new to Sage 50 2012, enables you to keep an eye on your businesses money at all times, no matter where you are with the new Sage 50 Mobile application. Whether you’re visiting customers, travelling abroad or maybe just taking a short break, you can now access your business accounts from any iPhone or Blackberry device via Sage 50 Mobile.

Benefits of Sage 50 Mobile include:-

• Access your customer data, and financial and distribution data over a secure encrypted connection
• Access real-time information
• Make updates to the live data
• No data transfer limit
• Up to 10 users on Sage 50 Mobile at no additional cost
• Compatible with iPhone and Blackberry*

Find out more about Sage 50 2012.

* Versions of Sage 50 Mobile compatible with iPad and Android smartphone coming soon.

Sage ACT! 2012 was launched on 1st September 2012 and it is available to purchase from softwareonline Direct! Sage ACT! 2011 brought with it some great new features such as Smart Tasks and Sage ACT! E-Marketing and Sage ACT! 2012 build on that offering to make ACT! even more efficient.

Sage ACT! 2012 new features:

• NEW Scratchpad
• Universal Search
• Google Integration
• Improved compatibility
• And More…

Find out more about Sage ACT! 2012.

Sage 50 Accounts 2012 was released this week and is available to purchase from softwareonline Direct.

The new release of Sage 50 Accounts features vast improvements to performance speeds as well as some new, value adding functionality including:

- Sage 50 Accounts Mobile
- New Quick Search
- New Quick Print
- More intuitive set up process

Find out more about Sage 50 Accounts 2012 in our online shop.

Many organisations recognise the need for an effective solution to manage the organisations accounts, but where do you start to look? Accounts Software or Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Software?

Let’s start at the beginning, with what is the difference between accounts and ERP Software?

Accounts Software - handles the accounting business function only.

ERP Software - handles a range of business functions including accounts, sales, logistics and manufacturing. ERP Software is tightly integrated ensuring resources are maximised.

As the business world advances, most accounts solutions are crossing the boundaries of ERP Software, such as Sage 50 Accounts which now forms the financial component of the Sage 50 Suite.

Find out more about Sage 50 Accounts.

Sage ACT! is the leading contact management solution for the small business. ACT! SaaS from softwareonline Direct makes ACT! even more affordable by reducing the initial outlay required.

Buy ACT! SaaS from softwareonline Direct and benefiit from:

• A fast ROI
• Predictble cost structure
• Access to ACT! CRM at anytime and from anywhere
• Free upgrades
• Minimal IT costs

For more information visit our ACT! SaaS Page.

Sage Pay is the UK’s fastest growing independent payment service provider (PSP) and is one of the most trusted e-commerce brands. Sage Pay processes millions of secure payments for its 32,000 customers each year and makes the process of accepting payments simpler, faster, safer and more profitable for businesses of all sizes.

Why you should consider using Sage Pay in your Business:

- Affordable payment processing for businesses of all sizes
– PCI SSC compliant
– Simple pricing, no set up fees, no minimum terms
– 24/7 UK based customer support
– And more!

Could you benefit from Sage Pay?

Sage ACT! remains the number 1 contact and customer manager for the small business, holding the title since 1987. So, what is it about ACT! that makes it the customer management software of choice?

Sage ACT! offers big functionality for a small price tag. In fact, in each new release Sage ACT! seems to get better and better – and now boasts functionality comparable to high end CRM solutions.

What’s new in Sage ACT! 2011?
- Smart Tasks – create automated workflows and improve user productivity
- Business Information Services* – powered by Hoovers, you can import new contact lists directly into ACT
- ACT! Mobile Live* – utilise Sage ACT! from your mobile device
- Increased Security – benefit from improved security

Find out more about Sage ACT! 2011.

* subscription based service

When implementing a CRM system there are a number of things to bear in mind. To avoid the most common CRM pitfalls follow our top 5 tips.

Don’t try to run before you can walk - Take a gradual approach to implementing your CRM system and it will evolve naturally to fit the needs of your business. If you roll out a new system with new processes at once you may suffer from low user adoption rates and a system that doesn’t work with existing processes.

Pick a solution that fits your needs - With many innovations happening in the world of CRM it is easy to pick a solution that has all the latest features without considering if the functionality available meets your needs. Make sure you write a checklist before starting your search and only shortlist CRM products that tick all the boxes.

Account for mobility - Today it is essential for our salesforce to be informed when away from the office. Without the most up to date information sales people can miss opportunities. Therefore when choosing a CRM solution it is important to consider how it can be accessed by field staff when away from the office. The majority of the population owns a mobile and therefore a CRM solution that is accessible via a mobile handset seems to be a popular choice for the modern organisation.

Broaden your horizons - When looking for a CRM solution remove your blinkers and think big! CRM data on its own is powerful but when combined with financial information can provide a 360 degree view of every contact within your database – now wouldn’t that be useful. Consider a solution that allows you to connect to data held elsewhere within the organisation to increase organisational efficiency and improve customer service.

Communicate the benefits - When implementing a new system resistance to change is integral to success. Make sure your workforce understand the individual benefits as well as the organisation benefits that can be achieved. Without appreciation for what a CRM solution can do, employees will not be motivated to make use of it. Remember – a CRM solution is as only as good as the information entered and therefore it is important to ensure that everyone updates the system regularly.