Mary Girsch-Bock is a graduate of the University of Illinois-Chicago. She began her career as accountant and later made the switch to writing full time, concentrating on business and technology, with a focus on small business. A former QuickBooks beta tester, Mary has been a featured regular contributor to CPA Practice Advisor since 2002, and she has also been published in The Motley Fool, The Blueprint, and Property Manager.com. She currently writes a monthly accounting and technology-related blog for PLANERGY, and ghostwrites several blogs for various software companies.
September 5, 2014
877-683-3280 http://quickbooks.intuit.com The Choose an Edition option utilized by QuickBooks has gained popularity in recent years. Choosing an edition when installing QuickBooks provides users with the required chart of accounts necessary to properly run their business type. QuickBooks also continues to add new features to each annual release, keeping QuickBooks fresh. While not suitable for...…
September 5, 2014
800-628-6583 www.sagecre.com 2011 Overall Rating 5 Best Fit Sage Timberline Office is designed to meet the needs of mid-sized to large contractors and construction-related businesses. Strengths Extensive list of add-on modules Integrates with the Sage CRM product Provides 250 user-defined data fields for more comprehensive data tracking Comprehensive selection of estimating modules...…
September 5, 2014
800-735-6176 www.iss-software.com 2011 Overall Rating 4.25 Best Fit Well-suited for small to mid-sized construction companies, Construction Manager contains solid financial capability along with an excellent array of job management features. Strengths Cost Management module maintains job leads, tracks all types of client contact & maintains detailed history on all clients Historical estimating option...…
September 5, 2014
800-292-2962 www.cyma.com 2011 Overall Rating 4.5 Best Fit Well-suited for mid-sized general construction companies who require solid job cost functionality and tracking without specialized contractor features like equipment management or dispatch. Strengths Scalable, modular design Customizable eDesk interface for central navigation Strong job cost functionality System automated billings Allows any document to be...…
September 5, 2014
800-388-4697 www.Peachtree.com 2011 Overall Rating 4.5 Best Fit Peachtree continues to add product features and enhancements that make this popular product a terrific fit for the small construction company or contractor looking for a solid entry-level product that contains job-specific functionality. Strengths My Dashboard includes 11 new module options Remote access available Easily...…
September 5, 2014
800-838-6427 www.bissoftware.com 2011 Overall Rating 4.75 Best Fit: All editions offer construction and contracting businesses a fully integrated modular system that is suitable for businesses small and large. Strengths: Scalable with four editions Remote access capability a plus for Enterprise edition My Jobs dashboard provides excellent recap of all system jobs Handles multiple...…
September 5, 2014
800-365-6790 www.a-systems.net 2011 Overall Rating 4.75 Best Fit: JobView is ideal for small to mid-sized construction and contractor businesses, but available in three versions that can take a small construction company through any growth transitions. Strengths: Scalable with three editions Overview & summary screens offer solid financial information for each company or project...…
September 5, 2014
eTEK International Inc. — eTEK for Microsoft Office 2010 800-888-6894 www.etek.net From the July 2011 Review Construction and Contractor Accounting Systems Best Fit: eTEK is scalable and an excellent choice for smaller construction companies in need of good job cost functionality that need to upgrade from entry-level products. eTEK for Microsoft Office is a...…
September 5, 2014
800-246-0800 www.foundationsoft.com 2011 Overall Rating 5 Best Fit: Foundation contains a laundry list of features well suited for construction businesses of varying sizes and trades, particularly those a step up from small mom and pop contractors with 1-10 employees and less than a million in annual revenues. Anything above that would benefit from...…
September 5, 2014
One of the hardest things about evaluating software products is determining what features are likely to be the most important for the intended users. Obviously, needs will vary depending on the type of business. Retail shops will need a strong inventory module that tracks product life, assigns value and produces solid reports. An e-commerce module...…
September 5, 2014
2011 Overall Rating 4.5 877-683-3280 www.intuit.com Best Fit: Targeted at accountants who support non-accountant business owners who maintain their own books. Strengths: Ease of use & large install base, which means more end users will have experience with the application Strong accountant program with good training & referrals to certified ProAdvisors Company Snapshot improvements...…
September 5, 2014
2011 Overall Rating 4.25 800-732-9464 www.redwingsoftware.com Best Fit: Small & mid-sized businesses who need an entry-level product with all the basics; scalable to more sophisticated TurningPoint accounting product designed for larger companies Strengths: Inventory module supports LIFO, FIFO & Average Cost valuation methods, as well as lot tracking Excellent forms & reports designer, but...…
