Sage Blog

We’re celebrating our 30th birthday this year and you can join in the celebrations too by entering our competition to win an iPad or Kindle.

Humble beginnings

1981. The year Greece entered the EU, the first London marathon was run, the first test tube baby was born and The Police had a hit with Every Little Thing She Does is Magic. But while Sting and pals were storming the charts, something even bigger was about to emerge from the North East of England – Sage.

Three decades on and what began as a brainchild in the backroom of a Newcastle bar, is now an organisation with products and services used by 6.2 million companies worldwide. The name Sage is known in over 100 countries and is a brand which continues to grow day by day, built on talent, hard work and a touch of good luck. Why good luck? Because we were there at the beginning. Although nobody knew it at the time, a computerised revolution was about to take place. Like the Victorian industrialists before us and the nautical explorers before them, we were there at a moment when technological knowhow and mass-market demands were unusually aligned.

Neon eye shadow, big hair and accounts

As the early 1980s progressed, people who’d once known computers to be larger than houses were beginning to appreciate the positive impact these new tools could have on a business. In 1984, Amstrad launched the first desktop PC, paving the way to introduce Sage to ever more customers. The decade passed in a whirl of newly efficient work systems, increasingly accurate accounts, neon eye shadow and big hair. By the time the 1990s dawned business owners knew that computers were here to stay. However, few had foreseen how the internet would totally transform how we process, share and consume information.

The Sage journey has run parallel to the computerised revolution. Like the geeky kid at the back of a physics class, we’ve been paying attention, updating our products and services so our customers can enjoy complete assurance.

Understanding business

Over the last 30 years we’ve dedicated ourselves to understanding the businesses that use our software as thoroughly as possible.  We’ve moved with the times, monitoring customers’ changing requirements and responding accordingly to provide greater efficiency, more control and a software that is simpler to navigate. Your can see this in our software and services like our latest release of Sage 50 Accounts, with its free mobile app or Sage One which offers online accounting to start-ups.

We have a reputation for being an organisation businesses can trust; a name with both the knowledge to solve technical issues and the experience to give valuable business advice. Last year, we conducted 700,000 business conversations with our accounts customers alone.

And it’s not just our customers who appreciate our work.  We’ve were recently shortlisted for the Software Satisfaction Awards 2011, which grades organisations on four key areas: reliability, functionality, value for money and ease of use. In that pub, 30 years ago, as Sting’s voice boomed from the jukebox and the first ambitions for what Sage would become were jotted on a beer mat, those may well have been the exact attributes we’d have wanted to achieve.

Sarah Woods, Small Business Team

Many companies are feeling the strain of current economic conditions. This strain often increases pressure on the “selling part” of a business. Business owners are looking for innovations from the sales team to “find” the revenue. The trouble is enthusiasm for new innovations is often low when working in tough times – it’s just a push to “find the deals”. Planning for and executing best practices or innovations goes by the wayside.

So, articulating the benefits of a proposition is a key skill. It’s not enough to say “here’s a great CRM tool, where can we make it fit?” It is all about proving where software can make a difference – in terms that really matter:

• increasing revenue,
• avoiding costs,
• or improving service

Returns that can be shown to be objective, detailed and quantifiable.

No, more than ever, is the time to be measurable. How do you make sure you think in terms of benefits ?

Where to start? Understand the current processes in a company. How long do typical activities take to complete? How many steps and people are involved? What does that add up to in time (and money)? How can they be improved – looking not just at direct costs but also the risks of lost or incorrect steps along the way. Now think about CRM tools and how they can improve upon the current situation. What is that worth to a buyer – in terms that really matter – Increasing Revenue, Avoiding Costs or Improving Service?

Shape your conversations to those discussions. Talk about the returns, the money saved or the value created. The return that will “keep on giving” each & every day. Show a tangible return on investment, with real savings that can be measured in months, not years. Help the company commit to a well defined project that demonstrates tangible improvements to current processes. And be sure to engage the “selling part” of the business – find a group of salespeople willing to innovate to achieve for themselves and ultimately, their company.

Be prepared to be measured.

This week our ERP, HR and Payroll teams are attending Softworld in London. Softworld brings business software vendors together with businesses looking to choose the right business solution.

Pop by our stand (AF130 and HR330) or if you can’t make it we’re showing our live Twitter coverage here at the Sage Blog:

Technology Research company, Gartner describes Enterprise Resource Planning software (ERP) as the following: ERP improves business processes and the use of information across an organisation by integrating functions such as finance, order management and purchasing into a set of interconnected modules.

All clear now?

In simple terms, I would describe ERP as software that integrates all information and processes of an organisation into a common system. Enterprise Resource Planning software (ERP) can provide significant benefits to companies looking to take advantage of improving economic conditions. Improved cash-flow, enhanced financial and business-wide reporting, and a reduction in duplication of data entry are just some of the tangible benefits.

Evolving expectations

The market for ERP software changed significantly after the financial meltdown of 2008, since then businesses have witnessed a slow, fragile return to growth. Firms now want to see a faster return on investment, and products that are quicker and easier to install and integrate – all features found in Sage ERP 1000.

Deployment of ERP software can have a profound and positive impact on revenues. A sharp reduction in duplication of data and processes, improved cross departmental communication and better financial reporting are just a fraction of what ERP software can deliver, provided that the product is chosen carefully and the deployment and ongoing maintenance are managed well.

An emerging trend in the market is the need for quick to implement, international ERP solutions that support domestic locations, as well as offering strong international features, multiple language and currency support, multiple chart of accounts, all delivered to multiple locations – all features of Sage ERP X3.

Our free whitepaper ERP – building on the basics will help you find out more more about how ERP is evolving to meet the demands of you business.

The benefits of ERP software

Although they can be hard to quantify, the financial benefits of ERP may be realised in many different ways. Some organisations use ERP software to make savings in departmental budgets; being able to compare cost savings with revenue gains, leads to better decision making when setting targets.

ERP systems can also make it easier to identify non-productive areas of the business, allowing managers to move staff to where they can better benefit the organisation. Still more savings can be realised by speeding up the monthly close process, in which a firm’s books are temporarily closed and analysed to produce a set of financial statements that indicate how well the company is performing.

A faster close process allows management information and analysis to be made available sooner, giving the organisation more time in which to analyse the figures before producing financial statements. Full or partial automation of this process by ERP can lead to significant reductions in the close cycle. The boost to business from these financial benefits is obvious. Better cash flow and liquidity is a critically important part of both riding out an economic downturn and taking maximum advantage of the recovery.

The question of compliance

The compliance landscape has become harder to navigate safely in recent years. The last UK government passed record amounts of regulatory legislation and in the wake of the financial crisis the financial industry in particular has been subjected to further scrutiny.

The financial services industry serves as an ideal illustration of the importance of data governance. The crisis in 2008 ensured that the customers of financial institutions are more clear-eyed than ever about the risks they run in investing their money. Trust is imperative and quite rightly, potential customers insist on knowing that their confidential information is safe.

ERP software can help companies re-engineer their business processes to ensure compliance with government lead legislations such as Sarbanes Oxley or IFRS (…to give but a few examples). Sage ERP X3 is particularly strong in helping companies to achieve and provide evidence of compliance with the above legislations through providing comprehensive audit facilities, embedded work flow, field auditing options and strong security.

Positioned for growth

As the economy emerges from recession, firms need to ensure they are positioned for growth and able to take full advantage of the changing conditions. It is clear that the advantages in terms of operational efficiency, financial flexibility and inter-departmental communications offered by ERP systems can provide a distinct competitive advantage to those firms with the foresight and capability to deploy them.

There can be no doubt that ERP software is evolving to meet the demands of businesses both now and in the future. Sage provides a number of solutions aimed at different organisations, taking ERP out of its traditional enterprise environment and making it available to specific industries and niche markets.

Julia Commons, Product Marketing Manager, Sage Enterprise Solutions

Download the free whitepaper ERP – building on the basics; how ERP is evolving to meet the demands of you business or visit our ERP software pages for more information

How to successfully complete London Marathon or a CRM project – not so different!

CRM expert, Duncan Wood (middle)

I feel like I have been on a long journey since last June when I applied to run London Marathon 2011 for Guide Dogs. So I felt compelled to write a blog article about it and how what I have learnt can apply equally to implementation of a customer relationship management (CRM) project as running a marathon.

I have broken out some of the key points that helped me achieve what I set out to do and hope they may help you if you are interested in CRM or running, or both!

1. Start with an end in mind!

Decide what your high level goals are. For me this was twofold: 1. raising some money for charity; 2. be more healthy. The next trick is to make those goals measurable, actionable and optimistically realistic (don’t be afraid to reach high). The way I did that what was to apply to run the London Marathon 2011 for Guide Dogs, this meant that I had to run 26.2 miles and raise £1500 – definitely measurable. At the time, I did not know how I was going to do either but I knew they both had to be possible. In business, exactly the same applies; you might want to improve profitability by 3% or grow revenue by 10% next year – at the time you are not quite sure how you will do it but you feel that it is possible somehow.

2. Eat the Elephant – bite by bite

At first a big goal can seem very daunting. Many others have referred to this as the “eating the elephant” analogy which seems impossible at first inspection but can actually be achieved over a long period of time by eating a little bit every day. The easiest way to do this is to come up with a plan. For me, somebody bought a book on how to run a marathon with a ready-made plan inside, I read it and I did it – it was almost that simple. Every day I woke up and I followed the plan whether that was resting or running 10 miles – except when I could not, read on for more on that topic. In a CRM project this will involve coming up with a strategy and plan, for example, mapping out the business strategy, user engagement sessions, software selection and finally project implementation plan and rollout.

3. Get the right support

You need the right tools and people on board to achieve the tasks you have set out in your plan and therefore achieve your goals. I needed to get the right running gear. I needed a supportive team of friends, relatives and sports professionals to help when I needed help, for example, raising money, giving advice on running, treating injuries and emotional support when things got tough. In a CRM project the team is everyone affected by the CRM project in the organisation and any outside help required to boast the skills for the project. Getting the right people around you is critical and getting them to understand what you are doing and why makes all the difference. I had an amazing experience both running and fundraising – the people that helped me where wonderful and constantly surprised me with their wisdom, generosity and humanity. Ask questions and really listen.

4. Stuff Happens – Be flexible

It is all very well having the goals, the plan, the tools and the team in place for success. However, life has a funny way of moving the goal posts on you when you are not looking! I managed to pick up two injuries since last June when I embarked on this journey. One was through bad advice and the other through bad luck. The point though is that when circumstances change the “bury your head in the sand approach” or “carry on regardless approach” does not normally work very well. You need to take a good look at your plans and goals and decide on what you can optimistically do. In my case, I was able change my training plan to incorporate enough rest to recover from my injuries and still complete my goal of running a marathon but it did require me to change my plans and rethink a few things. Sometimes however you might have to revise your actual goals – don’t do irreversible damage to you (running) or your business (CRM project) if things have radically changed.

5. Enjoy it – every minute or most of them!

I cannot recommend enough running London Marathon – I had the best time, from the time I filled in the application form to the time I crossed the finish line on Sunday. I have to admit there were hard times and I did not particularly enjoy yesterday – had you seen me walking up my stairs you may have been amused – it was quite a sight. Today, I am better. I achieved my goals and I feel great! I raised over £3.2k and ran 26.2 miles in 3 hours 56 minutes and 22 seconds. You can see my finishing picture cuddling Molly (13 week old Guide Dog puppy) – what a brilliant 10 months of my life http://www.justgiving.com/DuncsDogRun. In the end the final day (running the marathon) was just part of the whole experience.

So whether you are taking up running, swimming, canoeing or embarking on a CRM project I hope some of my reflections on the last 10 months will help you!

In summary:

Decide on your goals and define them in an actionable and measurable way

• Running – maybe this is a half marathon, marathon, or improving your 5K time by 5 minutes in 3 months (try www.parkrun.com free 5k trails in your local area)
• CRM – look at what your business goals need to be, for example, growing revenue by 5%, improving customer satisfaction by 10%

Come up with a plan

• Remember don’t be daunted by a “big” goal – break it down into achievable chunks and tasks set out on a timeline

Get the help you need

• Build the team you need and get the advice and tools required to deliver on your plan

Expect change and adapt

• Things do change – hopefully you can adapt your plan to cope with the new circumstances and still achieve your goals. If not, don’t do permanent damage – come up with new goals (there is always next year).

Enjoy it

• CRM or running is all about the experience – don’t forget to also enjoy and celebrate the smaller achievements along your journey.

Duncan Wood, CRM Expert (and marathon runner)

www.twitter.com/SageUKCRM

www.justgiving.com/DuncsDogRun

Sorry everyone, this competition is now closed. Thanks for to everyone who entered; we’ll be publishing the results as soon as we can.

Want to get your hands on an Amazon Kindle? Well to celebrate the launch of our latest business software, Sage Instant Accounts 2011, we have three Kindles to give away!

Win an Amazon Kindle

Simply email us your top business tip in 50 words or less, and the top 50 will be entered into a draw to win one of the three Kindles (check out the t&Cs).

As well as standing a chance of winning a Kindle, we’re going to collate the top 50 tips into a lovely guide so other businesses can benefit from your advice – you’ll also get a bit of promotion for your business.

What are you waiting for? Email us your top tip, name, position and business address now at instant.accounts2011@sage.com

Jack Ford, Small Business Team

It’s Business Startup Show time again… and we’ll be there Thursday and Friday this week (20/21 May) doing more than we’ve ever done to get out and about to talk with small businesses about their needs and opportunities for the future.

Business opportunities and challenges

At previous shows, we’ve heard a lot about the opportunities and challenges that businesses face. Business planning and cash flow are always top of mind with young business.

We’ll be talking about these and other business challenges at the show. And we’ve got loads going on to help you get your business off the ground.

Free CRM and business planning workshops

We’re doing something slightly different this time around. First off, we’re running some dedicated workshops at the show – Business Planning and CRM – so you can come along and take part in an interactive session with some of our experts. And after all that walking around we’ll make sure you get a comfy seat!

Small business research

Secondly, if the thought of a seat appeals for half an hour or so then you can also take part in our small business research that we’re running whilst at the show. Register your interest in our small business research if you’d like to help shape the future of our software and services for small businesses – there’s even a free coffee and a little incentive on offer! It would be great to hear your views.

Business software for start-ups

We’ll also be there with a couple of traditional stands… but I promise you won’t get heckled from the aisles! If you want some more ideas about what you can find out then here’s a few:

• Sage Planning for Business – Free business planning software that helps you evaluate, plan and launch your new business
• Sage Invoicing – Free invoicing software that gets you up and running using software to manage your incoming revenue
• Sage Pay – looking to trade online? Find out how our online payments services can help
• New Sage Outsource Payroll services – find out whether in-house payroll software or outsourcing your payroll is your best option
• New Sage Mobile HR Advice – it can be difficult to stay on top of HR issues so see how our mobile HR advice tool can help you
• ACT! by Sage – get a demo of the world’s favourite contact management software and learn why CRM is vital for your business

Free business seminars

And if this isn’t enough, some of our experts will be taking part in free business seminars, such as:

Getting on the e-commerce bandwagon

Overcome mediocrity through exceptional customer service

Are you planning for success?

Watch out for more updates from the show in coming days. I’ll be there both days so please come and say hello.

Geoff Phillips – one of the men in the orange t-shirts! (there will be few!)