A recently-opened timber merchant says that it is already reaping the benefits of using cloud-based advanced business management software. PBM reports.
Earlsfield-based T&G Timber opened its doors in August, and owner James Guidera soon realised how important it was to have software in place to automate core business processes. He said: “I know from owning and running my own merchant for many years prior to this how much manual processes can slow you down.”
The company elected to use MAM’s ‘user-friendly’ Trader Online to manage its operations and James explained: “Using software such as Trader makes day-to-day business much more efficient, saving us time and therefore money.”
Trader is designed specifically for merchants to integrate their sales, stock management, accounting and reporting processes into one easy-to-use package. And, just a few months after implementation, T&G Timber says its first impressions of the software have proved to be correct.
“We wanted a system our staff could pick up quickly and use straight away without the need for endless training sessions. We were surprised by Trader — it looked really nice, very clear and uncluttered. Importantly to us, it was very user-friendly and self-explanatory,” noted James.
Although still very much a new business, T&G Timber has identified a number of features in Trader that will allow it to continue to grow. James said: “One of the features that caught our eye was the search functionality. If you search for a word or phrase, Trader also brings up ‘known as’ results and this means if someone uses terminology that’s different to ours, we can easily find what they are looking for.”
James is also impressed at the implementation and training he has received from MAM, describing the company as “very accommodating” and supportive during the transition to Trader. In addition, T&G Timber chose the flexible cloud-hosted variant of the software. Operating from a state-of-the-art data centre, the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) approach gives the same functionality as traditional on-premise software, without the cost and time investments of overseeing server infrastructure.
This decision has had positive financial implications for the company, as cloud hosting has meant a reduced upfront investment. James explained: “The cloud option keeps costs down for us, as there’s no need for expensive server hardware or for people to manage it. It doesn’t matter if you forget to back-up or upgrade as it’s all done for you. This gives us peace of mind.”
For more information about MAM Trader, visit www.mamsoftware.com/en/trader.
MAM Software is also pleased to announce significant progress in its efforts to help customers become compliant with Making Tax Digital (MTD). The company is listed by HMRC as a supplier with VAT-compatible software in development — its Trader software has been reviewed by HMRC and the company has undertaken two successful live submissions as part of the pilot trials.
The firm is also currently developing a ‘standalone module’ for users of its older Trader v20 systems. This is a temporary solution designed to run alongside the existing software and is only available on compatible operating systems. However, for long-term stability, users should consider upgrading to MAM’s Trader v30 or Trader Online solution.
MAM Software is currently inviting suitable businesses to join its MTD pilot trials. If your company’s next VAT return is due in January – March 2019, please contact the company to register your interest.
