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ComparisonVERP vs spreadsheets and separate apps
Spreadsheets are a good place to start a business. They get harder to trust once several people, several locations and GST are involved. Here is how one connected ERP compares, task by task.
Side by side
| Task | Spreadsheets and separate apps | VERP |
|---|---|---|
| Stock | Updated by hand after sales and purchases, often a day late. | Updates with every sale, purchase, receipt and transfer. |
| Quotation to invoice | Details re-typed at each step, so mistakes creep in. | One record moves from quotation to order, dispatch and invoice. |
| GST | Calculated per sheet; summaries have to be rebuilt. | Calculated on the invoice; summaries tie back to each transaction. |
| Outstanding payments | Kept in a separate list that drifts from the invoices. | Receivables and payables come straight from sales and purchases. |
| Reports | Built at month-end by copying data between files. | Sales, stock, outstanding and margin reports any time. |
| Access | Whoever has the file can change anything. | Role-based permissions and an activity history. |
| Where you work | Usually one computer, or a shared file. | Web browser and Android. |
When spreadsheets are still fine
If one person does all the billing, you hold stock in one place and you can rebuild your reports quickly, a spreadsheet may be all you need for now.
Signs it is time to switch
- Stock on the sheet and stock on the shelf no longer match.
- The same customer or product is typed into more than one file.
- Month-end reports take days because data has to be copied between files.
- You cannot tell who changed a number, or when.
We wrote more about this in 7 signs your growing business needs an ERP and GST billing software vs ERP.
Switching without stopping work
VERP goes live in stages. First your products, customers, suppliers and opening stock are cleaned and imported. Then locations, taxes, document numbering and user roles are set up. You start with sales, stock and billing, and switch on accounts, HR and more later. See ERP data migration support.
See VERP with your own data
Book a free demo and we will set VERP up around the way your business works.