Can moving from Sage 50 to Sage 200 really improve my business?

3rd December 2021 qmulus 0 Comments

Can moving from Sage 50 to Sage 200 really improve my business?

Sage 50 is a very capable and popular accounting system that is used by a wide variety of companies. It provides a reasonably priced, easy to use system that many people know very well. Sage 50 also has a wealth of add-on modules that can be purchased to expand its “out of the box” capabilities.

If the above is true, which it is, why would any business want to disrupt their day-to-day activities, re-learn a new product, put their users through more training and pay more each month for a new ERP / accounting system?

The answer to this question is generally that you wouldn’t unless there were some very good reasons for doing so. The reasons why a business will want to upgrade to Sage 200 can be many and varied for each company in our experience. They can be as simple as “we keep having data stability issues” to “we need better stock management” or “we require an MRP system”.

Let us discuss just one of the questions that we receive from businesses that are looking to move from Sage 50 to Sage 200.

Will upgrading to Sage 200 be a disruptive process?

Not really.

Sage have designed this process to be relatively painless and a Sage Business Partner such as Qmulus Solutions should design an implementation procedure that should take into account certain important factors:

 

A test migration of your Sage 50 data to Sage 200

This will prove to you that your Sage 50 data is stable and has no errors and most importantly lets you test what your data performs like in Sage 200. It will also give a comfortable, recognisable set of data for your users to train with as they explore the new features of Sage 200.

 

User training

User training on any new ERP system is a wise investment and should be taken very seriously. Do not under-estimate how important training is. Why invest in a new system and not understand all its new features and functionality? Getting the correct training to the correct user will save money, time and make that user much more productive.

Stationary Layout design

When upgrading to a new system, you have a perfect opportunity to look at your professional documents that you send to your customers and suppliers. Layouts such as Statements and Invoices need to show your company logo and accreditations, have important contact information, show important data clearly and of course you need to decide if you want to email these documents or print them.

Take the time to look at these documents with a fresh set of eyes. Taking what you currently have in Sage 50 and simply copying them for Sage 200 is a waste of this opportunity and a waste of new features and functionality.

Which features of the Sage 200 system can you use to enhance your business?

Your Business Partner should discuss, in some length, how you want to use Sage 200. Which new features will have an immediate impact on your business, which features should be planned for later introduction and what new procedures and workflows you should be considering. Just doing what you have always done in Sage 50 is again, a waste of opportunity.

Support and the future

Your users of Sage 200 will require, even after training, some level of support and handholding. Sage 200 is very similar to Sage 50 in many ways BUT it is also very different in many ways. Sage 200 is not just a “big brother” to Sage 50, it has many unique features and procedures which sets Sage 200 apart. Support will be a crucial service that you will require in the early stages of use.

What about the future? Your Business Partner should always keep you informed of upgrades and legislative changes to your Sage 200 system BUT should also take the time to inform and help you realise the true potential of Sage 200 and the wealth of add-on modules that can help drive your business into the future.

Systems that you may require in the future could be Document Management systems, Barcoding and Warehouse management solutions, CRM, Construction, MRP and many others. Take the time to discuss these with your Business Partner. The ability to save many hours of work and cost could be as simple as adding another module to Sage 200. “There is an app for that” is quite true.

A Commercial Success?

How will you measure the success of your Sage 50 to Sage 200 upgrade? This should be an easy answer.

Yes, your data will be migrated, your users will be trained and you are using new functionality and procedures, but will you notice a tangible benefit to your business?

Have you just bought a more expensive Sage 50?

Are you just doing the same things as before but in a more complicated way?

Will I lose any functionality?

Will Sage 200 be more disciplined? Can my users cope with this?

 

We believe that a successful system will not only allow to continue your business activities from the first day you go-live but will also improve and add enhancements to your business on a regular basis, well into the future. Sage 200 is an investment that should last 15 – 20 years and grow with you as your business expands.

These enhancements and improvements could be as important as:-

Generating more sales due to better quotation functionality.

Linking your web-site shop to Sage 200 Sales Order Processing, saving time and duplication. Providing up to datestock levels, again saving time.

A better relationship with your suppliers, due to quicker payments and improved Purchase Order Processing.

Adding CRM to allow you to streamline your sales pipeline and e-mail marketing.

More disciplined Credit Control and debt chasing, get your outstanding debts resolved quickly and many, many more.

Do not just settle for one or two simple improvements, take the opportunity to change your business in ALL areas with Sage 200.

If you would like to discuss moving from Sage 50 to Sage 200, contact our Sage 200 Consultant team and let us discuss your next steps.

 

All about Sage 200