A guide to Sage Intacct

Running a successful business usually means that you are focused on looking after your customers, growing sales and improving profitability. It also means that you are on top of your finances with up-to-date, accurate information, so that you can make well-informed decisions, improve profits and manage your cash flow.

As your business grows, one of the key questions you will ask yourself is: How can I prioritise my time? And rightly so.

If your organisation has outgrown solutions like QuickBooks and Xero, or you want to replace your legacy solutions, then you may be ready to explore new options. This practical guide will give a brief introduction to Sage Intacct, the benefits for medium-sized businesses and advice on choosing a cloud service provider.

What is Sage Intacct?

In 2017, Sage announced its acquisition of Intacct as the cornerstone of its ongoing transformation into a robust SaaS company. Today, Sage Intacct continues to be the leading provider of cloud financial management software for small and medium-sized businesses.

As a best-in-class system, Sage Intacct was designed with solutions that deliver deep accounting capabilities across multiple industries and with the single aim to accelerate your success.

The Sage Intacct system includes:

• Accounting
• Cash management
• Purchasing
• Financial consolidation
• Revenue recognition
• Subscription billing
• Project accounting
• Fund accounting
• Inventory management
• Financial reporting applications

and more—all delivered through the cloud.

With over 13 years of implementing and supporting Sage products, we will help you leverage the full power of Sage Intacct. Book a demo.

Why you should use Sage Intacct

Sage Intacct is the only accounting and financial management software recommended by AICPA (the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants), the global voice of the accounting and finance profession. This recognition is based on its customizable functions, all-in-one reporting, and collaborative tools, on top of easy usability and flexibility.

Push your business to its full potential by optimizing your accounting solution and integrations through automating your processes. You’ll be able to run your day-to-day business better and have the flexibility to make confident long-term decisions.

Scalability to grow with you

Financial management software should make your life easier, it should not cause frustrations. For growing companies, most software lacks the advanced technologies needed to scale up.

There are multiple platforms designed specifically for small businesses. As your organisation grows, your needs are going to change with it. As you launch new services or enter new markets, your customers are going to want more from you, which means more from your software.

Sage Intacct automates the complete array of accounting processes—from basic to complex—so you can improve your productivity, provide compliance, and grow without excessive hiring. This is the only mid-market cloud financial management solution with robust and easy to use reporting. Enjoy having one place to go for a birds-eye view of your real-time business performance.

Aren’t all cloud solutions the same?

In a word – no. A true cloud solution should offer several key elements – multi-tenancy, flexible infrastructure, high configurability, self-service expansion, and integration APIs.

With organizations focused on getting leaner, especially when it comes to their software investments, the cloud offers the ability to stay competitive while cutting costs. Unlike other cloud and on-premise options, SaaS solutions like Sage Intacct don’t require users to pay for their own resources and staff in order to use the service, which lowers the total cost of ownership. In the long run, this saves money and time for your organization, as there is no work on your part required for implementation, upgrades, or any ongoing maintenance.

For an in depth comparison on Sage Intacct Vs other leading brands, view our post.

Our success is tied to your success

Sage ​​wants to move beyond aspiration and build collaborations in which they become invested in their client’s long-term success.

To say today’s startup lives or dies by the customer experience it delivers is an understatement. Customer centricity is not a marketing message or a sales buzzword for Sage. It’s their business model. As a cloud vendor, they know that their customers have a choice, and they must earn their loyalty every day.

Sage Intact features

Create visibility around what matters to you

From seeing exactly what you need with custom lists to importing data from integrated services, the Sage Intacct platform provides tools to gather and display the unique data that drives your business. Unlike systems that require coded scripts, Sage Intacct customizations are easily configured by your accounting team.

Customize daily workflows

Create workflows and schedule client data collection, scale onboarding, anticipate bottlenecks, and standardize common processes. Sage Intacct’s custom transaction workflows handle this without the help of IT.

Extend functionality to match specific company needs

Successful businesses create increasing demands on finance and accounting teams. With Sage Intacct, you’re always ready to grow, thanks to advanced functionality. With Sage Intacct’s additional modules, you have access to flexible and advanced functionality to automate and streamline key finance and accounting processes. You can do this with custom applications built using Sage Intacct Platform Services.

Adapt processes for growth

Sage Intacct is built to grow alongside you. Customizations and applications can be added to meet the needs of your growing company and evolving financial processes.

Connect with outside services for a complete solution.

Most Sage Intacct customers have two or more integrations with other services. Open APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) and SDKs (Software Developer Kits) make integrations easy. Developers or business analysts can push data to Sage Intacct and even initiate integration actions from dashboards and application pages – including Salesforce.

Don’t babysit your customizations.

Unlike other vendors, customizations or integrations you build on Sage Intacct – from custom applications to integrations – continue to work through every update. If Sage ever hits a point where security dictates that they change a process, they identify issues and alert you, then help resolve those issues. This is Sage Intacct’s guarantee.

Related Post: Sage Intacct vs Sage 300

Why move to cloud accounting software?

Cloud software can save your business time and money.

Accounting software for small and medium-sized businesses that’s not available on the cloud can be tedious. It requires a lot of manual data entry and can take up too much of your time and effort. This doesn’t add value to your business, and takes you away from important decisions.

One of the main reasons that make cloud technology highly popular amongst CPA firms is its budget-friendliness. Depending on their business needs, they can choose the cloud specifications and pay for it accordingly. Since the IT infrastructure is managed and maintained at the service provider’s end, there is no need to hire IT support professionals in-house in most of the cases.

Ongoing maintenance costs required for an on-premises solution are prohibitive

Technical errors and system malfunction can lead to unpredictable downtime during work hours. The worst part about facing downtime at work is that it can affect your productivity streak and cause your team and you to lose motivation. Ultimately, longer downtime can result in business discontinuity, which simply means loss of money in a number of ways.

Reputable cloud providers offer system availability of 99% or higher and 24×7 support which means you can access and analyse your financial and customer data at virtually any time, and get support when you need it.

On-premise solutions in the age of remote work, don’t work.

The reality of life is that in today’s environment people are mobile – working outside their usual office hours and away from their office locations – on mobiles, tablets or other devices. CPAs and accounting firms do the hard work of managing their client’s accounting data. They are not limited to work just in the office.

Time is more valuable now than ever before, and you have to invest your time wisely while working for your clients. One common challenge that accountants face is the inability to access accounting software or its data remotely.

In most of the cases, the accounting software like QuickBooks, Sage, etc. are hosted on the local office computers. To access them, CPAs need to be present in the office. Otherwise, they can’t work on urgent tasks that may come up in time other than the working hours.

Running your business accounts online has many advantages.

• Data about your sales or income and purchases can flow straight from your bank to your books, so you don’t spend hours transcribing.
• You can see your current financial position at any time.
• Multi-user access makes it easy to collaborate online with your team and advisors.
• It’s online software, so there’s nothing to install or update, and all your data is backed up automatically.
• You can set up a dashboard showing important financial information like who owes you money, what bills are due, and how your cash flow is looking.

Running your business accounts online has many advantages.

• Data about your sales or income and purchases can flow straight from your bank to your books, so you don’t spend hours transcribing.
• You can see your current financial position at any time.
• Multi-user access makes it easy to collaborate online with your team and advisors.
• It’s online software, so there’s nothing to install or update, and all your data is backed up automatically.
• You can set up a dashboard showing important financial information like who owes you money, what bills are due, and how your cash flow is looking.

Sage Intacct Training

Tetrad’s Sage Intacct training services are here to support you, every step of the way. When you choose to implement a cloud based account software that’s second-to-none, it’s important to know how to use it. Our team at Tetrad can guide you through Sage Intacct training and their native programs to help you reach your most important goals, faster. Ensure your team gets the most out of Sage Intacct by giving them the proper onboarding.

Acquire new skills at your own pace with Sage Intacct on-demand training courses designed to fit your schedule. Our Sage Intacct experts are ready to lead you through engaging and interactive learning sessions, including hands-on exercises in a virtual setting. With guidance from the instructor and opportunities to collaborate with your peers, you can quickly put your knowledge into action.

We’re a certified implementation specialist who can support you with your Sage Intacct Implementation. Our mission is to help you gain unprecedented control over your business by leveraging award-winning, cloud-based business solutions.

Real-World Success Stories with Sage Intacct

One compelling success story features a business that transitioned from Sage 200 to Sage Intacct, transforming their financial operations along the way. This company initially started their Sage Intacct implementation with a different partner but decided to switch midway to find a solution that better suited their growing needs.

Here's an overview of their journey:

• Why Sage Intacct? The company chose Sage Intacct for its robust cloud-based capabilities, financial insight dashboards, and scalability. They needed a system that could grow with them, providing real-time data access and enhanced financial reporting.
• Impactful Changes: The shift from Sage 200 brought immediate improvements. The most significant change was in the system's ability to streamline financial processes, leading to more efficient operations and better resource management.
• Enhanced Experience: Switching systems initially posed challenges, but the transition to Sage Intacct led to a more intuitive user experience. Employees noted a reduction in manual tasks and an empowering level of automation.
• Improvements with New Implementation Partner: By partnering with a dedicated team, the business maximized their use of Sage Intacct. They tailored the system to fit their specific needs, resulting in improved project tracking and budgeting accuracy.
• Advice for Future Adopters: Their key recommendation for businesses considering Sage Intacct is to thoroughly assess implementation partners. Choose those who offer tailored support and ensure the system aligns with future growth aspirations.

This case study exemplifies how Sage Intacct can enhance operational efficiency and financial clarity, positioning businesses for sustained success.

Conclusion

As detailed above, cloud technology like Sage Intacct is highly advantageous for CPAs and accounting firms in several different ways. Remote data accessibility, maximum uptime, and lower operational expenses are something every accountant wants to work with. Therefore, making the right choice of a cloud hosting provider can play a vital role in taking your accounting business to the next level.