You know that for interior designers, generic accounting software just will not make the cut. A much better solution is accounting software for interior designers—software that is specially designed with interior designers in mind. However, not all interior design-oriented software is created equal. When you are shopping for an accounting solution for your firm, be sure you are getting software that integrates these important features.
7. Complete Financial Management
If the solution you are considering for your firm does not have complete financial management, strike it from your list immediately. This is probably the most basic requirement of accounting software for interior designers: that it allows you to manage your finances from end to end. That includes everything from invoicing to purchase orders to tools to track your time on a project, as well as reporting.
6. Customizability
As much as accounting software for interior designers is already customized for your industry, it still may not fit the needs of your firm. In that case, you need a solution that’s readily customizable. One of generic accounting software’s greatest shortcomings is that it tries to be all things to all industries, leaving little room for the idiosyncrasies of an industry like interior design. You should not let your interior design-focused software limit you in the same ways.
5. Expert Help Services
Does your accounting software have support services available if you need them? Learning a new system can be intimidating and even frustrating, so it is important that the software you choose offers you and your team support when you need it. Likewise, accounting support should also be available. If your accounting software does not offer you access to expert help and advice from professional bookkeepers, keep looking until you find one that does.
4. Mobile Tools
As an interior design professional, you are probably on the move quite a bit. If your accounting solution forces you to wait until you are back at your desk to track time and mileage, you need to make a switch. Accounting software for interior designers should always have a mobile component, such as features that allow you to track your hours worked on a project, right from your smartphone. That way, you can log time and expenses when they occur—not after the fact.
3. Proposal and Invoice Management
Can your current accounting software automatically calculate prices and deposits on client proposals and invoices? Does it allow you to easily apply retainers and credits, or manage invoices for items that clients pay directly for? If not, you do not have the best possible solution for your firm. Accounting software for interior designers should help you manage all aspects of a project, from proposal to invoicing to payment.
2. Help with Tax
Interior designers do not always work locally, and even if your business is primarily based in one jurisdiction, you may deal with vendors who are in other states or even other countries. That can mean some confusion with taxes. Luckily, there are software solutions that can help you sort out sales taxes, so you do not need to worry if you are working with a vendor or client in a different city. Your software should also help you determine sales tax with reporting features.
1. Cloud-Based Service
If you have been using software that requires you to install on each individual machine, you may be concerned about switching your accounting program. Cloud-based services, however, are making software solutions easier to install on every machine in the office—and keep them up to date. The programs are online, which means they automatically updateand that you have more convenient access.
