Thursday 15 May 2014

How Can Use of Excel for Accounting Hurt Your Long Beach Property Management Business?

There are still a number of people who use Excel for accounting purposes when it comes to Long Beach property management business, and it’s not a secret. Microsoft Excel was one of the most commonly used programs for handling accounts by property managers. They used to rely too much on this spreadsheet program. And there were a lot many reasons for the same. Some property managers find it cost-effective as it is packed with Office functions. It also comes with features like easy creation of graphs, calculation of complex formulas, and storage of all information in one place and that too in an organized way. However with the technological advancements and change of time, numerous other options have made way into the market. And Excel is no longer used by property managers for accounting as it once was. In fact, Excel could even be hampering growth of your property management business. Read along.



1)      Not Extremely User Friendly
People who have made an attempt to use Excel have an idea about various intricacies and complex features related to the program, especially macros and formulas. There is a steep learning curve. You may plan on mastering the program by practicing. But what if you are out of town for some work and there is no other person to handle accounting duties on your behalf? For business continuity, this program is not practically feasible. A smart property manager choose a software for accounting that is easy to learn and use and intuitive.
2)      Higher Chances of Costly Errors
With manual work, there is always higher chance of human error. This is a major downside as when a person is manually keying in numbers, it is easy to commit a mistake. Sadly, when managing finances, a small error can cost you heavily. At such a time, accounting software comes at your rescue as it already comes backed with a series of checks and balances. This minimizes the chances of human errors to a great extent.
3)      Lack of Share-Ability
Excel comes with another major downside that is lack of share-ability. It is downloaded in one laptop where only one person can make use of it. It can only be accessed by another person if it is shared via email. It is hence vulnerable. However when using a software, you have a centralized database where sharing and accessing is a cakewalk. You can simply access your work from anywhere.
4)      Problematic on Functionality Front
Okay, so you can create spreadsheet and bug charts with MS Excel, but what about other significant things, like invoices or financial statements. To run your business effectively, you require these important documents. Also a professional Long Beach property management business makes use of other accounting functions, like batching, payment processing, and alike. The bottom line is, Excel lacks these important functionality features.
5)      Not Very Secure
When you are handling financial information, its security is your topmost priority. However Excel boost of nothing extraordinary in terms of security (though password protection is possible). But what if you have an audit down the line, collection of information can give you sleepless nights. And what if your information gets lost or deleted? You require software to secure your data, and make it easy to access whenever you need.
6)      Extremely Time-Consuming
We all know time is money. It requires a lot of time and labor. From manual keying in of information and doubly checking the entries, you are in-charge of everything. It will be a time-consuming venture. Accounting software will automatically do everything and will even improve overall efficiency.

Simply put, Excel may be a valuable program, but it is not as effective as accounting software. You won’t waste important time in managing things manually with software. Apart from this, it is essential to stay competitive, professional, and in tandem with the latest developments for progress of your Long Beach property management firm. 

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