Archive | June 2012

Let software take the strain out of paperwork

Software can take the strain of dealing with paperwork but it’s important to choose the right package for your needs.

It’s a fact of life that dealing with quotes and other paperwork can be frustrating but the risks of trying to run a business without it; losing jobs, forgetting materials or even not invoicing for work carries out, for example it can cost businesses money they can ill afford.

Software can carry out much of this time-consuming work, but users must always ensure they are not paying for features they don’t want or need.

For smaller companies, there are packages available that will produce quotes, buying lists, purchase orders and invoices very quickly and in an organised fashion. For larger companies, software can be accessed that also includes complete job management and accounting features.

An example of software suitable for smaller companies is Amtech’s WorkSmart, which has been designed for contractors who want a package that is simple to use and quick to learn. Users simply product a quote by selecting the materials they need, then add their mark up and labour rates. The prices are held in the software and are supplied from the Luckins pricing service. The price information is also constantly updates, so that you can be sure you aren’t undercharging.

Once the quote has been assembled, the information can be transferred to a pre-prepared template containing the company’s logo, address and other details, ready to be posted or emailed to the potential customer.

If the customer wants changes to be made, a revised quote can be produced quickly. Crucially if prices have changes since the original quotes these are automatically updates, do the user can be certain they will maintain their margins.

Once the job has been arranged, the same quote can also be used to produce a buying list for the merchant and, when the job is complete, the information from the quote is used to produce the invoice.

As business grows
As businesses grow and become more successful, their work becomes more complex and any software used needs to be able to do more.

As well as providing accurate estimates, for example, a larger company may also need to manage the day-to-day running of jobs and several employees, including deliveries, dayworks and CIS.

Amtech’s Extreme range of products for estimating, job costing and accounts management is an example of this type of integrated software.

Once the estimate has been completed and the job agreed, that same information can be used in Job Costing to compare actual costs with budgeted costs as the job progresses. Any overspend is then flagged up and can be dealt with quickly.

This information feeds into specialised contractor’s accounts software, which gives the user complete control of every aspect of their accounting, including cash flow forecasting and VAT ledgers.

For more information visit the Amtech website or call us on 0800 028 28 28.

Article originally appeared in HVP Magazine, June 2012 issue

June 13, 2012

SingleCable Single Circuit Calculations Software Demo

SingleCable, from Amtech, calculates individual electrical circuits quickly and easily in accordance with BS7671 IEE wiring regulations. This is a demonstration of just some of the features.