BizAutomation.com 2010

BizAutomation.com 2010
888-249-1670
www.bizautomation.com

From the June 2010 Review of Web-Based (SaaS)_Small Business Accounting Systems.

BizAutomation.com offers its self-branded web-based suite of small and mid-sized business management programs, including full accounting, CRM, ecommerce, project management, marketing and purchasing applications. The system has been on the market since 2005.

BASIC SYSTEM FUNCTIONS:
The core interface for BizAutomation.com is structured on a tabbed website environment, with a totally customizable home dashboard that allows users to view a collection of panels for key business data, such as critical sales information, revenue, period comparisons, orders, leads and aging. This information can be presented in numerical or graphical formats, with additional options for thresholds or alerts that notify users to specific details. Depending on the user’s access rights, the interface offers tabs for accessing the program’s core modules, including the base accounting (GL, AR, AP) elements, as well as relationships (customers and vendors), marketing, orders (sales), forecasting, documents, projects, contracts, reporting, Outlook integration and the user’s customizable home page. In addition to these tabbed interfaces and the customizable screens, the BizAutomation.com interface allows users to create shortcut links to specific functions they use most frequently, such as sales orders, leads, etc. The program can be configured for virtually any industry type and has functions often sought after by technology developers, wholesale distributors and project-based contractors.

The program has substantial capabilities and is really geared toward the top of the small business market, with formal training necessary to become familiar with the basics and more advanced features in the system. Implementation is required and performed by the vendor.

The program includes a fairly traditional indexed and searchable Help utility, but do-it-yourself (DIY) Help pretty much ends there, with no separate user community or support FAQs. The company noted that it provides extensive training during implementation and that varying levels of live support are offered to users based on their contract, but I’m a believer in DIY options such as how-tos, tutorials, troubleshooting and other options, especially if it’s 1:00 a.m. when the user has a problem.

CORE ACCOUNTING CAPABILITIES:
The BizAutomation.com interface is very customizable and based on access rights, which allows accounting and senior staff to set up dashboards and shortcuts to manage detailed accounting areas. When working in the core financial modules, an expandable menu on the left gives access to the chart of accounts, journal entry tasks, revenue functions, expenses, AR and AP aging, bank reconciliation, and payroll expenses. The system does not include a payroll module, but offers import from a variety of formats, including Excel, thus enabling the transfer of data into the program. The accounting modules also include the ability to automate recurring transactions, and offers broad reporting capabilities. A full-time audit trail tracks all transactional events.

BizAutomation.com offers good capabilities for businesses with multiple locations, divisions, warehousing and other geographically dispersed units. It also provides multi-currency conversions and the ability to manage all types of transactional taxes. Sales tax rates can be applied to customers and transactions in several ways, but the tables themselves must be manually managed.