The Big Issue charity for the homeless has switched to Access Accounting software to manage its accounts nationwide, saying, "Access is one of the easiest to run in the market".
PCM Consulting was approached by the Big Issue to run its numerous offices/distribution centres in the UK with the remit to source a fully integrated back-office accounting solution that would also meet the needs of their front office advertising team. After careful consideration of reliability, functionality and price The Big Issue decided to select Access Horizons. It picked up on three distinct advantages of the software: Project costing, prospects and reports.
The charity is particularly excited about the way in which the Project Costing Module helps it control restricted funds in the charity. This module allows the charity to accurately evaluate the performance of individual projects in great detail, which facilitates much better control of its funding.
The Big Issue needed to streamline the whole process of advertising sales. In the past it had problems tracking the bookings of adverts through to invoicing and receipt of payments because of the use of various disparate systems. Access Accounts was able to solve this specialised industry requirement with standard modules because of the close integration between Prospect Manager, Sales Order Processing and the Sales Ledger. Now the front and back office works in timesaving harmony.
With four categories of nominal analysis available instead of the two they previously had, the Big Issue can now hold more information about its branches and can take better control of branch performance through the availability of detailed management reports.
Financial Director for the charity Paul Townley said: "I`ve been very impressed with the ease of use of Access. We have found Access to be very flexible compared to our former system. We have found it to be user friendly and it provides much more detailed audit trails on journals than we have ever had before."
"Historically our system worked only on 'dates` rather than 13, four-week periods as we do now. The access to prior years and budget figures has improved measurably. Two years` accounts can be open at any time, without losing any of the controls of a period-based system, including a proper auditable cut off."
Access Managing Director Alistair O`Reilly said: "Recent surveys have shown that companies practising corporate social responsibility win more business - such as Tesco`s 'Computers For Schools` customer-focused campaign. This is integral to broader marketing strategies. We are very proud to have won The Big Issue contract because of functionality and ease of use. Furthermore, we offer special discounts to registered charities and as a result we have a large number as end-users."
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ASYST International SA is a subsidiary of UK-based ASYST International, providing experienced Consultancy, specialising in the provision and improvement of Business Information Systems.
ASYST International is an established expert in financial and business intelligence software systems, providing solutions to improve business efficiency, reduce operating costs and increase profits, and believes in a hands-on approach, from a tailored proposal, through to the best software design and systems configuration, to providing on-going training and support. It is also the sole distributor of Access Accounts in South Africa and Mauritius.
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