Simply Asia Streamlines Their Accounting With Sage 200 Evolution

Simply Asia Streamlines Their Accounting With Sage 200 Evolution

Simply Asia streamlines their accounting with Sage 200 Evolution

Article credit: Sage 
If you are finding it difficult to get an integrated and holistic view of your business, it might be time to revolutionise the way that you do business.

Enzo, the General Manager of Simply Asia, talks about their business journey with Sage 200 Evolution business software.

Get back to basics with smart, cost-effective software for big businesses. Sage 200 Evolution delivers an entire business management solution.

About Us
Kiteview Technologies (Pty) Ltd was founded in May 2010 to provide the Sage Evolution Business Management solution to the SME market. The management team of Kiteview have combined +30 years of experience in the delivery of small to mid-market Financial & Business Management solutions. This experience, combined with a sound project implementation methodology has helped in Kiteview’s growth, becoming a Platinum status partner for SAGE Pastel within just 1 year.

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Extreme Slowness On One PC When Enquiring Under AP And AR

Extreme Slowness On One PC When Enquiring Under AP And AR

Article credit: Sage 

Extreme slowness issues may be experienced on a workstation when using the AP or AR Enquiry feature. It may be that Evolution seems to freeze for up to 5 minutes.
It may even be that other users on the same network accessing the same company don’t experience the same slowness.

SOLUTION:

First ensure that all network connections between the server and the problematic workstation has been checked with no potential network reasons to be causing this problem.
A good idea here would be to execute a continues ping between the server and PC and vice versa to ensure no data packets are being lost (with the assistance of the client’s local IT consultant).

However, in a recent query the following solution resolved the matter:

a) Completely close Evolution on the specific PC where this problem occurs on;

b) Open the PC’s Registry by going to Start | Run (or the text field just on top of the Start button), insert the text: regedit and Enter on the keyboard; 

On the desktop of the PC, select the Windows key on the keyboard together with R on the keyboard to open the screen below, enter regedit below and enter on the keyboard to open the Registry Editor

c) In the Registry Editor, go to:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Softline\Evolution\Agents\*XXX*

d) Right click on the \*XXX* folder and then delete it

XXX* above depends on the specific relevant agent name that encounters the problem on that specific PC. 

 

ADDITIONAL ADVICE

It may be that the Running Balance column has been added on the workstation’s AR / AP Enquiry grid.
It should therefore be advisable to simply remove this column, especially if the company has a significant number of customers/suppliers.

 

Disclaimer: These articles refer to possible solutions and a platform to share information. Each article describes a method that solved a query (knowledge gathered from previous sites) and how Sage Evolution should operate. These articles make reference to a specific Sage Evolution version, however the thought process can be generalised. Please note the information contained in these articles should be treated as guidelines and adapted to accommodate differences in business processes and IT environments. Articles may not be applicable to all environments. If this article did not resolve your query please contact Kiteview Technologies Support Department on:  (+27) 010 005 6678.

About Us
Kiteview Technologies (Pty) Ltd was founded in May 2010 to provide the Sage Evolution Business Management solution to the SME market. The management team of Kiteview have combined +30 years of experience in the delivery of small to mid-market Financial & Business Management solutions. This experience, combined with a sound project implementation methodology has helped in Kiteview’s growth, becoming a Platinum status partner for SAGE Pastel within just 1 year.

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15 Admin Hacks For Busy People

15 Admin Hacks For Busy People

Article credit: Sage 
The amount of economic value lost to admin in South Africa in the last 12 months totalled R7.2 billion, according to the Sage Productivity Tracker research. That works out to R229 every second of the day.

The amount of time that South African businesses spend on admin compares favourably to international benchmarks, but businesses can do more to reduce the time they spend on routine tasks like generating invoices, paying taxes, chasing payments, and issuing payslips.

Here are 15 ideas to help you save time on admin tasks, so that you can focus on projects that really matter.

1. Get rid of invoicing

Got your attention here, didn’t we? Invoicing is a necessary business process, but because sending invoices and collecting outstanding payments can be time consuming, why not get someone else to do it for you, like your sales or field staff?

Most accounting software packages offer an app that lets your sales team issue electronic invoices, from their phones or tablets, while visiting the customer. This reduces delays in billing and there’s no confusion about whether the invoice was sent.

2. Outsource in-house

Anything that doesn’t require financial expertise can be “outsourced” to other team members. For example, the same salesperson that issued an invoice can also be tasked with following up on payment – the incentive being that they only get their commission once the invoice is paid, so making this part of their regular process is in their best interest.

Your accounting software should alert the team when an invoice is due, so that they can start following up on payment.

3. Estimate accurately

Valuable time goes into creating cost estimates. The more accurate and detailed these are, the quicker and easier it is to convert them to invoices using your accounting software. At the most, you can copy these details from the estimate into the invoice.

ideally, this process should also be managed by the field and sales teams.

4. Schedule time for similar tasks

You may have heard that the most efficient way to approach your day is to follow a to-do list and tick off tasks as you complete them.

While there’s nothing wrong with this approach, it can be easy to get side-tracked by smaller tasks that sneak onto the list. Rather group your tasks into similar categories, like chasing payments, and schedule blocks of time to tackle them at once. This helps you to focus on one thing at a time, which will increase your productivity.

You might be tempted to stop what you’re doing to attend to client queries that seem urgent, but try to stay focused. Only respond to queries immediately if they really are urgent, otherwise let your client know that you’ll get back to them by close of business. Unless, of course, it will take two minutes to complete…

5. Apply the two-minute rule

If a task takes two minutes or less, do it immediately. It’s a quick and easy way to get through the tasks on your list and it’s incredibly effective.

If, for example, a client emails you asking if an invoice has been sent, it’ll take longer to respond to the query and add the task to your to-do list, which has already been divided into time blocks. It’d be easier and faster to log onto your accounting software, check if the invoice has been sent, and respond to the client immediately. That’s one less task to worry about – and it took less than two minutes to complete.

6. Challenge yourself

As you work out your schedule, you’ll find that you can manage your time better and will get an understanding of how long it takes to complete certain tasks, like sending five invoices in one hour.

Use these time frames to be more productive. For example, challenge yourself to send six invoices in an hour. This will be easier to do if you’re grouping similar tasks together because you’ll find ways to be more efficient and will notice that certain processes can be shortened or excluded altogether.

7. Create a timetable

When we were in school, our days were divided into chunks, focusing on different subjects for an hour or two at a time. We had a lot to learn back then, and these chunks forced us to focus on one thing at a time, for a short burst of time, with breaks in-between.

Now that you’re in control of your own schedule, you can divide your day into ‘time chunks’ and assign tasks to those chunks. You can decide if one task needs a single chunk, or a double.

A timetable will make you more productive and efficient, because it schedules your day and tells you where to place your focus, and for how long. Once you get used to the routine, you’ll be less likely to deviate from it.

Remember: scheduling time for breaks is as important as scheduling work.

8. Automate

Most accounting software will have automation features that can handle basic tasks. Thanks to machine learning and AI, you can program the software to send payment reminders or record invoice payments. You can also automate bank reconciliation to link payments to their entry on a bank statement.
It’ll take some time to set up in the beginning, but you’ll be amazed at how effective it is and how much time it can save you.

About Us
Kiteview Technologies (Pty) Ltd was founded in May 2010 to provide the Sage Evolution Business Management solution to the SME market. The management team of Kiteview have combined +30 years of experience in the delivery of small to mid-market Financial & Business Management solutions. This experience, combined with a sound project implementation methodology has helped in Kiteview’s growth, becoming a Platinum status partner for SAGE Pastel within just 1 year.

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How Traceability Can Help Process Manufacturers Build Stronger Supply Chains

How Traceability Can Help Process Manufacturers Build Stronger Supply Chains

Article credit: Sage 

Industry 4.0 and digital transformation empower process manufacturers to overhaul their operations. Two areas we’re seeing the biggest change are in product innovation and supply chain traceability.

New business ecosystems are emerging that tap into the digital economy and bypass traditional sales channels, as industry players shift their focus from products to services. This change is particularly evident among processes manufacturers, who are placing more emphasis on collaborative innovation to navigate digital transformation.

What’s driving this shift? Globalisation and developments in international trade, like those fuelled by Brexit and the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Closer to home, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) aims to promote free trade by breaking down trade barriers and facilitating the free movement of people, money, and goods.

Process manufacturers say international trade disruption makes their supply chains more complex because trading with other countries is now more complicated than it was a few years ago (unless you’re trading within Africa).

There’s a lot more to think about, including:

  • New tariffs and trade costs,
  • Compliance considerations and potentially new customs procedures,
  • Possibly increased lead times, depending on where manufacturers source their components from,
  • Developing stronger relationships with suppliers, and
  • The knock-on effect of supply chain delays on customer relationships, contract terms, pricing, and demand volume.

If there’s one thing we can learn from process manufacturers in the UK and US, it’s that shifting market developments require us to regularly re-evaluate our supply chains, to understand how potential delays and suppliers’ own plans to navigate disruption could impact our businesses.

But before you default to cost-cutting, have you considered how supply chain solutions can help you through uncertain times?

Importance of traceability in supply chain management

With any global business expansion comes new commercial pressures and expectations, which could put strain on your supply chain. This means it’s crucial that you use your data to manage product quality and improve efficiency through better traceability.

International standards govern quality and traceability of raw materials. As a process manufacturer, you need to know what’s inside your products and where they came from, especially if you want to avoid problems down the line. This can be difficult to monitor.

Not to be confused with ‘tracking’, which focuses on the progression of parts through the manufacturing process using location data, ‘tracing’ has to do with authentication. Through supply chain visibility, tracing lets you identify the origin of a part and better manage accountability, supported by certificates of origin and purchase order numbers.

Tracing is important because counterfeit products can cause massive problems, especially in industries like pharmaceuticals. In the food and beverage industry, accurate tracing helps consumers to make informed decisions, like trusting that the product they’re buying is, in fact, vegan or vegetarian, or that it doesn’t contain nuts or shellfish, which they might be allergic to.

Efficient and accurate tracing depends on all businesses in your supply chain complying with international standards. It’s worth evaluating your supply chain for compliance because traceability provides:

  • The security of a healthy brand and loyal customers,
  • Real-time visibility into all processes,
  • The ability to respond to non-compliance events or demand triggers in real time,
  • The flexibility to share product information with suppliers and customers, so they know where their products come from.

Traceability also give you the right information at the right time, so you can:

  • Make better-informed decisions,
  • Avoid compliance issues through monitoring,
  • Support product recalls,
  • Better manage materials and know when you need to order more,
  • Improve demand planning,
  • Arrange better terms with suppliers, and
  • Better manage logistics.

Aside from avoiding the repercussions of non-compliance – like reputational and financial damage – traceability can help to improve your operations and makes it easier to recall products, if you need to.

Research conducted by Sage found that 90% of process manufacturers without supply chain traceability reported risks associated with reputation and compliance. Pharmaceutical process manufacturers even reported risk to human life that resulted in legal proceedings.

What technology should process manufacturers focus on?

Traceability is key to compliance, protecting customers, and avoiding reputational damage and hefty fines.

Emerging technology can help process manufacturers to advance their traceability efforts.

  1. The Internet of Things

The Internet of Things (IoT) allows process manufacturers to track a product’s movement through the supply chain, using sensors, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, and quick response (QR) codes.

With the IoT, manufacturers can track everything from a product’s source, to transportation, to storage conditions, and final destination.

  1. Data analytics

By analysing data in real time, process manufacturers can either predict a problem before it happens, or stop it from spreading throughout the supply chain once identified.

With everything tracked, traced, and recorded, you can respond immediately to unexpected events and problems.

Final word

Ask yourself this question: if something unexpected happened in your supply chain, would you be able to react quickly to prevent damage?

By investing in traceability technology, you can mitigate risk associated with non-compliance. You can also improve your chances of success because you gain a competitive advantage by building agility and flexibility into your supply chain, reduce costs, and keep customers happy and informed.

About Us
Kiteview Technologies (Pty) Ltd was founded in May 2010 to provide the Sage Evolution Business Management solution to the SME market. The management team of Kiteview have combined +30 years of experience in the delivery of small to mid-market Financial & Business Management solutions. This experience, combined with a sound project implementation methodology has helped in Kiteview’s growth, becoming a Platinum status partner for SAGE Pastel within just 1 year.

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Guide To Inventory Management And Stock Control

Guide To Inventory Management And Stock Control

Article credit: Sage 

‘Stock’ is a word that retail and manufacturing companies use to describe the goods they currently hold that they plan to sell to customers.

Inventory management and stock control are interrelated activities that ensure your stock is effectively organised.

In this article, you’ll learn about the key concepts of stock management and inventory types. You’ll also get guidance on inventory management for small businesses.

What is inventory management?

Inventory, or stock management is a process that ensures you have the right amount of stock, in the right place, at the right time. It involves understanding your customers’ buying patterns and meeting demand, without over- or under-stocking.

Let’s say you run a supermarket chain without an efficient stock management process. You might find that you have more chicken in stock than you can sell. Or not enough rice. This could persuade your customers to go to your competitors instead.

Inventory management is also about planning for fluctuations in demand. For example, ensuring you have extra food available in the run-up to the holidays.

What is inventory control?

Inventory control involves knowing where your goods are at any time. It helps you make the best decisions about how you organise and distribute stock.

Efficient stock control means you can find any product, whenever you need it.

Take our supermarket example again. A good stock control process makes it easier for the store to respond to changes in demand, like selling out of soft drinks during one hot morning. With good grasp of stock control, the store would have sent a driver to get more stock from the warehouse, before the existing stock ran out.

Types of inventory

Different industries have different inventory types. Inventory management is often thought of in relation to retail and manufacturing. But there are various types of inventory that relate to logistics, catering, and even some service organisations.

Here are the main inventory types that your business may need to manage:

  • Merchandise

For retailers, merchandise inventory means knowing how much of every product you hold.

  • Raw material

Manufacturers should monitor the quantity and value of raw materials they hold.

  • Work in process

Manufacturers want to find out how much stock is being processed or assembled.

  • Transit inventory

It can take days to move your stock to poorly connected or remote areas. A transit inventory helps you monitor how much of your assets are currently in transit.

  • Maintenance, repair, and operations goods

If you offer a repair or maintenance service, an MRO inventory lets you know how much stock you hold.

What is the best inventory valuation model for your business?

Inventory valuation helps you work out the monetary value of the stock you hold. It is also essential for accounting purposes. There are two main types of inventory valuation models: periodic and perpetual valuation.

  • Periodic valuation

This is an easier option for smaller businesses or those that sell a limited range of stock. With periodic inventory, goods are recorded as you sell them, but your inventory is not updated. Instead, you do a physical stock count every month, quarter, or year, which you then match up against what you’ve sold.

  • Perpetual valuation

Better suited to larger organisations, a perpetual valuation uses inventory management software to automatically update the inventory list after every sale.

What is an inventory management system?

An inventory management system is a comprehensive solution for your business’s stock control and inventory management needs. It makes your processes around stock management more efficient and helps you make better stock decisions.

Many companies use customised inventory management software. This helps them prepare for changing demand based on their specific circumstances.

About Us
Kiteview Technologies (Pty) Ltd was founded in May 2010 to provide the Sage Evolution Business Management solution to the SME market. The management team of Kiteview have combined +30 years of experience in the delivery of small to mid-market Financial & Business Management solutions. This experience, combined with a sound project implementation methodology has helped in Kiteview’s growth, becoming a Platinum status partner for SAGE Pastel within just 1 year.

Contact Us

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