Here's an interesting fact about the Intellidex office set-up: MD Stuart Theobald isn't quite sure where his external accountant is based. "He used to be in Angola. I think he's moved on, but I'm not sure where he's gone. What I do know is that once a month, he's exactly where I need him to be, which is on the other end of My Business Online. That's all I need to know."
And there, in a nutshell, lies the beauty of an online accounting tool like Pastel My Business Online (www.pastelmybusiness.co.za).
Anyone on your team, anywhere in the world, can log in at any time and they'll always be looking at the latest version of your accounts. Theobald is largely based in London, his accounts admin manager is based in Johannesburg, as are his auditors, and his accountant is... well, it doesn't matter.
Intellidex is a multifaceted business which offers research, investment consulting and financial publishing - the well-known Business Day Investors Monthly is an Intellidex product. Theobald started the company in South Africa and switched from an offline accounting system to Pastel My Business Online three years ago, just before he went to the UK to establish the business there.
"I knew I'd need to manage aspects of the business remotely. Our accounts administrator does the invoicing, captures payments, reconciles bank accounts and so on; our accountant checks the accounts, and I monitor it all from wherever I am," he says. "When we need to, we can all be online looking at our financials together via Skype. It's a hugely useful way to function that's enabled effective management, and I always have my finger on the pulse of my business."
Theobald says the functions which give him oversight are very easy to use. "I like the landing page and the widgets I use to get a personalised snapshot view as soon as I log in. I like the fact that I can customise the view for the things that are important to me. On balance, it's the slightly higher cost because of the multi-location remote access it offers."
Tina Shika, responsible for accounts admin at Intellidex, uses Pastel My Business Online (www.pastelmybusiness.co.za) every day and describes it as very easy to use. "Importing bank statements from Microsoft Excel couldn't be easier. Everything is right there and I don't need to capture anything individually. Reconciliations are easy, as are receipts and payments and managing debtors and creditors. When I need to see the monthly figures, I can do so with one click, and I can access all my customer reports as easily."
For more information about My Business Online and to sign up for a 30-day free trial with no obligation, visit www.pastelmybusiness.co.za.
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