From spreadsheets to a system: five signs your business has outgrown Excel

Most small businesses start with one Excel file and a notebook by the till, and at the start that is the quickest way. As the business grows, the spreadsheet starts to get in the way. Here are five signs that this is already happening.

1. A client calls and you have to look it up

If “is my phone ready?” means opening files and asking the technician, the client waits and so do you. In a system you find the job by its number or the phone number in a few seconds, and the client gets an e-mail when the job reaches the stage you chose.

2. The stock count is never right

In a spreadsheet the stock count is only as accurate as the last person who edited it. When parts come off stock as soon as they are added to a job, and items below their minimum are flagged, the stock-take stops turning up surprises.

3. The history leaves with the employee

A technician’s notebook and memory cannot be handed to a new colleague. In a system every job, note and payment stays with the business when people change.

4. The numbers do not add up at month end

If the month-end figures take an evening with a calculator, you are guessing the rest of the month. Reports built from what you record show which jobs earn money and which only take time.

5. You stay late doing paperwork

Receipts, labels, client e-mails, logs. A system does these while you do the work your clients pay for.

If two or more of these sound familiar, try ReactDesk free. If you are moving from another system, we bring your data across for free and you get 31 days of Premium.