Excel is an excellent tool to get started: it is familiar and flexible. The problem is not Excel, it is the moment your business becomes too big for it.
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What Excel does well
For one person, with a few dozen lines a month, a spreadsheet does the job perfectly. You put your sales and expenses in it, and you keep control of everything.
Five signs that it is time to change
If you recognise yourself in two of these situations, your spreadsheet has become a brake:
- Several people edit the file and you no longer know which version is the right one.
- A broken formula has already distorted your figures without anyone noticing.
- You re-enter the same information in several files.
- You cannot say who changed what, or when.
- Getting a simple figure, like the month's margin, takes you more than an hour.
Looking for a solution for your business?
Talk to Kazi-SoftWhat management software brings
Software enforces a single version of the data, shared by everyone. It calculates for you, keeps the history of every operation and gives each person access limited to their role.
Above all, it gives you back the time you spent checking your files.
How to make the switch work
Do not change everything at once. Pick the activity that costs you the most time, switch it over, and keep the rest as before for a few weeks. Also check that the software can take in your existing data: some, like Kotiza for savings groups, import an Excel file directly.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to give up Excel completely?
No. Good software exports your data to Excel for your occasional analyses. What changes is that Excel is no longer where the information lives.
Will my employees be able to use software?
Well-designed software gives each person a simple screen, limited to their work. It is often easier than a big shared spreadsheet.