Info guides & whitepapers
Whether you're ready to change your accounting and business
software now or are simply carrying out some initial research,
our director's guides will help you take the next step. These
easy reads are provided free of charge so you can get started
straightaway.
This structured approach to software selection will help you determine which solution best meets your needs. Covering everything from research to implementation, this useful guide also provides detailed coverage of service-specific functionality, such as meter billing & contract management tools, PDA integration and more.
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Make mistakes when you're paying staff and you'll quickly realize you have a real problem on your hands. Compared to other areas of your business, payroll is often seen as a purely back office, operational function, something that's 'just there.' The problem with payroll is people only notice it when it goes wrong.
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Globalisation, graduates, the abolition of the DRA, not to mention the recession... all these factors have created an increasingly competitive job market with the corresponding applications, admin and processing costs. This handy guide explains how HR systems can streamline the entire recruitment process and provides ten key ways you can save time and money getting the right people into the right roles.
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Start the cash flow. In our comprehensive guide we’ll show you how to stop slow payments becoming bad debts. Start your financial health-check right now by reading our free guide.
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Choosing the right software is very important, but so are the people who sell it to you. This guide covers the key characteristics of a great software vendor so that you can start your search with confidence.
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Looking for a new finance system? Breeze through the RFI process with our quick-start guide. In two parts, we explain what an RFI is, what it should set out to achieve and some pitfalls to avoid. Also includes a downloadable template so that you can get started straightaway.
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All IT directors know that their organisations require access to the latest, up-to-date business information if they’re to remain agile and competitive in their marketplace. And to achieve this, tightly integrated business and accounting solutions are a must.
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In today’s climate, with businesses everywhere caught in an ongoing cycle of budget and re-budget, even companies with predictable revenue streams and costs are now viewing forecasts as an essential business tool.
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Implementing a new system to manage your specific needs can be a daunting task but this guide provides a good overview. From doing your initial research to adding functionality, we show you what you need to know to when selecting business and accounting software.
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Why CRM, and why now? Perhaps you’ve been thinking about investing for a while, but you’ve been waiting for the economic storm to subside. Perhaps you’ve been put off by horror stories of companies who spent heavily in CRM systems and have yet to see the benefits.
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Regulatory initiatives, a global slowdown and consolidation of software suppliers have all come together to create a 'perfect storm' of uncertainty in the mid-market. In this paper, FSN's Gary Simon discusses how well existing models are living up to these rapidly changing demands and considers how a consultancy-led business model may represent the truly viable alternative.
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Employee absence figures are at a near all-time low – so how do you ensure they stay that way? This guide explains how to accurately capture, measure and analyse absence and implement a robust policy that benefits both employees and bottom line.
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With the explosion of data – and the way we store it – too many decisions are based on inaccurate, incomplete information. But the development of stand-alone ‘data discovery’ tools has put business information products within reach. By re-defining traditional organisational structures and taking advantage of new technologies, vendors have created products which allow for transparency throughout the entire organisation. Meaning you can identify where productivity can be increased and efficiency saving can be found – providing you with a genuine opportunity to steal a march over your competitors.
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The explosion of affordable, web-based technology means that workers on the move need never be out of touch with their co-workers or customers. What's more, this two-way data exchange between the company and its business system means that web-based data capture can cut costs and increase efficiencies in areas well beyond finance.
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As a charity or not-for-profit organisation, you need to be sure that you're reporting to the very latest guidelines. This free guide sets out the most up-to-date reporting framework from the Charity Commission so you know exactly what's required by law and can apply this to your organisation.
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Choosing an ERP system from the wide range on offer can be a daunting task. Confronted with lots of conflicting advice about what's right, you want to be sure that your new system fits both your business and your budget. This guide, the first of two parts, will help you make informed choices during the first steps of the process.
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The second part of our director's guide is designed to help you improve the usefulness of your chosen ERP solution. Taking a comprehensive look at the functionality that's on offer, it breaks down key operational areas into clear, easy-to-read sections so that you can make an informed assessment of the specific features that will benefit you.
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Creating Profitable Customer Service: How CRM systems can move your support team from cost burden to strategic asset - Download your free guide now!
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Do you really know what differentiates your business from the competition?
This guide will help you see your strengths from an outsider's perspective so that you can continually improve performance in the areas that truly set you apart.
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This introductory whitepaper explains the many ways that GoldMine CRM can instigate best practices in the areas of customer service, marketing and sales.
Each section contains specific tips that you can implement in your own business to evoke and maintain the strongest possible relationships with prospects and customers.
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While CRM is not without challenges, it remains a business essential – without it, your business will be unable to provide customers with the level of service they desire. This introductory whitepaper explains the history of CRM and the benefits you can expect to achieve by aligning this technology with your business strategy.
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Your CRM system will dynamically monitor your defined selling process, and the progression of deals, giving you the comprehensive real-time view necessary to manage your business proactively. The next time your CEO stops you in the hallway and asks, “Will we hit our number?” you will have the visibility and predictability to answer the question with confidence.
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Too often, marketing blames sales for not following up on the leads it generates, while sales accuses marketing of not pulling in the right leads. This introductory whitepaper explains how by forming a joint task force and backing it up with real-world information, you too can break the stalemate and instigate the focus needed to effectively drive sales and revenue.
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Keeping your decision-makers up to date with key performance indicators is essential – but too much information can overwhelm if it’s not easy to understand. This guide explains how dashboard technology can transform your decision-making by turning raw stats into interactive, live graphics.
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Like many things, doing the best job relies on having the right tools. But how can you be sure what your team’s got what it needs? This guide takes you through what’s on offer so that you can help everyone from FC to credit controller work as one towards your operational goals.
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Inevitably the time comes when the business software that you rely on no longer measures up. Whether external market forces, business growth or lack of functionality drive the change, this guide will help you make the strategic decision about what to do next.
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Today's HR managers now find themselves at the very top level of the organisation with all the expectations that go with it. In order for the HR function to succeed, managers therefore need to equip themselves with the right tools - and it all starts with good quality information.
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Scare stories about failed software projects make headlines – but there are many such implementations that go through perfectly smoothly. This white paper looks at how your organisation can achieve success in your own project - and the corporate benefits you can expect from a well-executed business and finance systems implementation.
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With the amount of 'unstructured data' (such as documents, images, email) in business set to double every two years, how you store, access and manage this information is becoming increasingly critical. Cliff Mills, research manager for Evaluation Centre publisher NCC, reports.
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When the time comes, most IT and Finance Managers know their software systems need to change but have a mountain to climb in persuading senior management to make the necessary investment.
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With complete project information at your fingertips, you can be confident you’re making the right decisions for resource scheduling, procurement, time & expense management and billing. In this guide, we’ll explain how you can work within budget - protect your’s project profitability.
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Designed with the needs of stockbrokers, analysts, traders and fund managers in mind, this handy guide breaks down the key areas of software selection into four easy-to-follow stages. From researching vendors to choosing a software partner, it also provides information about adding functionality.
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The recession might seem like a good time to stop buying big-ticket ERP systems. Gradient Consulting's Stephanie Snaith and Cathie Metcalfe question that logic, arguing that investment could be the key to emerging in a strength position.
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One way to formulate a flawless strategy is to use specialist software. That way you can address training, L&D and performance management needs using established intelligence that knows what you know, helps when you don’t – and makes it happen. By using an integrated HR system you can bring all the elements of your plan together, making sure you’re able to monitor activities and hold a detailed view of your employee's needs, knowledge and abilities. And track, with accuracy and evidence, the outcomes of your L&D policies.
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Profiting from CRM is more than choosing the right software. This free whitepaper provides 10 proven tips to ensure a successful implementation and subsequent ROI, from understanding exactly how customers interact with you to aligning teams around your business.
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It can be tricky to find both the time and inclination to build a business case. This guide by business expert Mike Holmes will help you step back from daily frustrations, providing an easy-to-follow methodology that will help you build business-wide confidence in your proposal.
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Buying a software solution is a big decision made easier with the right research, planning and guidance. The first part of our 'FD Bible' splits the main stages of the selection and implementation process into easy to manage tasks.
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Not sure which functionality to buy? Discover tools to suit your system and your business with the Access FDs' Bible. Updated for 2010, Part 2 of our comprehensive guide explains the key functions available and how you can use them to add value to every area of your business.
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This intuitive report looks back at key technological developments of the past 20 years and their impacts and assesses the current state of technology. Jumping ahead to 2020, the research explores technology’s probable impacts and outcomes for business in the future.
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This handy guide covers the end-to-end evaluation, selection and implementation process, raising all the key questions you need to answer before meeting with vendors. This guide also covers the key elements of any good ERP solution.
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This handy guide covers the end-to-end evaluation, selection and implementation process, raising all the key questions you need to answer before meeting with vendors. With specific information for electronics manufacturers, this guide also covers the key elements of any good ERP solution.
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This handy guide covers the end-to-end evaluation, selection and implementation process, raising all the key questions you need to answer before meeting with vendors. With specific information for food manufacturers, this guide also covers the key elements of any good ERP solution.
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This handy guide covers the end-to-end evaluation, selection and implementation process, raising all the key questions you need to answer before meeting with vendors. With specific information for pharmaceutical manufacturers, this guide also covers the key elements of any good ERP solution.
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Whilst “profit leaks” within businesses across the UK are proving a huge cause for concern - and many companies currently do not have the visibility to identify inefficiencies within their end-to-end operations - there is wide recognition that significant savings can be made by plugging these leaks.
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From instant budget revisions to seamless cross tabulation, this guide is packed with practical examples of why Microsoft Excel integration should be on every FD's must-have list when selecting a new software solution.
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By thinking about ERP as a “joined-up”
way of working rather than just a
software system, mid-market
businesses can approach their
replacement project by focusing on
those efficiencies not currently possible
within their current technology
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From Sandbox from SOAP, SaaS to Paas, this director’s guide offers the ideal start into the world of cloud computing. Covering cloud’s origins, its key benefits, considerations and the most commonly used phrases, we demystify the mechanics so that you can form your own view on this hot topic.
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