Workspace
which is needed to obviously reinvest and grow,” says Fenner. As an SME owner/director, why would I consider Sage products and solutions?
Fenner lists the top reasons: 1. Sage is, undisputedly, the biggest provider of software for SMEs. 2. The main focus of Sage is making good software for SMEs. That’s all they do and, do it pretty well! 3. At Sage, a primary goal is easing the process for small businesses to do business. 4. Sage offers scalable software that you can grow with and move with anywhere in the world. 5. Sage is truly ‘Glocal’. It makes a global piece of software locally available to businesses. What happens after you buy the software? What kind of after-sales support do you offer?
He adds, “In terms of support, our website offers learning exercises and information about products and add-ons for different industries and solutions. But ultimately, we understand that you always need a local touch and we have a very established partner base in the UAE. There is always someone to reach out to – whether it’s a local call asking a simple query or visiting our partner and discussing important questions such as – ‘Am I using the product correctly?’ or ‘Have I outgrown the product?’.” What is the cost?
“The price starts from USD 350 for an entry level software piece.” Do you need a dedicated person to manage the software?
“Definitely not. SMEs have very limited resources and hence we offer a very unique product for this market. You get in, and use it and automatically understand it. That’s what we do with our entry level software – you should be able to buy it off the shelf, load it on your computer and it should be intuitive to use. The good news, however, is that if you really need someone, you do have someone you can reach out to,” explains Fenner. When is the right time to start using such software?
Fenner says, “Day one. If you get these basics wrong at the beginning, then there is the problem of going back correcting what has happened. But – you are so busy running your business that you can never catch up. This entry level software is consciously reasonable in price
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Sage enables firms to send statements and invoices electronically – which is a huge advantage. Additionally, they can procure electronically; sending purchase orders to suppliers
very appealing for an SME for two reasons. Firstly, there is a cash flow advantage so you pay on a (per user per month) basis. Secondly, the cost is low as we, at Sage, are ensuring that the data is on a server and secure. It’s quite obvious that being a global giant, the database that we build will come with security that an SME can’t afford to have in place. And – the upside is that you can still scale using the cloud.” To what extent does having a software cut back on traditional paper processes?
“I don’t think it’s possible to remove all paper. It will take a long time to be replaced. There are a lot of things that need to be so that a business can implement it at an early considered such as where will you put the stage. However, if you leave the software for a data, where are you going to store it and later stage, then you need to employ people how are you going to scan it,” he explains. to catch up and that is expensive. Using Sage, SMEs can reduce paper “Furthermore, if you talk to a bank or processes especially in the process of cash financier, they like to see that you have a collection. business software in place. It ensures best He continues, “Sage enables firms to practice – Sage has this built into it – this send statements and invoices electronically helps you understand the right processes – which is a huge advantage. Additionally, to follow while doing business.” they can procure electronically; sending purchase orders to suppliers. Take the example of an SME that started “For example, if you are a local Olive Oil off as a team of three and has now grown maker that wants to deal with the likes of into a bigger office with 10 people. Is the Carrefour, you most probably have to send software still relevant to me and does and receive data electronically. Through Sage it help the business transition through software, this is possible. We are focused on different growth phases? enabling the small business to do the big deal.” Fenner says, “The products offer add-ons and features that allow you to grow. You Is this software applicable across all have the option to introduce slightly higher industries? complexities like managing different prices “Yes, I think it is very much, especially for different customers or discounting for at the entry level, because at this stage all different customers. processes are quite similar. It is ‘order to “The good news is if you happen to completely cash’ or ‘procure to pay’. As and when you outgrow the software, there is another Sage grow bigger, you have the choice to use a product waiting for you that you can implement. bigger piece of Sage software,” adds Fenner. If you start as a ‘one man business’ which later grows to a larger scale, Sage is still applicable.” How does using Sage software within How secure is the software?
an SME facilitate the business decisionmaking process?
Fenner explains, “The problem is always physical security versus software security. Is our software encrypted and the data safe in a robust industry standard database? Yes, of course. Our process to deliver a robust secure software is a given, as a software vendor of choice. But – physical security is more of a concern within an SME. If you put your data on a laptop and leave it in a coffee shop – there’s not much we can do about it. This is where the cloud becomes very relevant. “We will be introducing a Sage cloud offering in the Middle East in the near future. This is
“Even at the entry level, you have intelligence concepts built into the software. You are able to look at the data in the system and interrogate it to make future decisions. As your business grows and, our software gets bigger and bigger, more interesting tools are introduced. But even at the basic level, you have all the reporting you need to make decisions,” concludes Fenner. Time to hit the delete button on your Excel sheet? For an online version, please visit: www.smeadvidor.com/2013/08/sageadvice