Top 7 Sage Add-Ons You Must Try With or Without Cloud

Being one of the most preferred accounting software, Sage is indeed a market leader for integrated accounting systems.

Today, more than six million businesses across the globe use this software for inclusive features like invoice management, bill payments, business reporting, and inventory tracking, to name a few.

While the software is ideal for different types of small and growing businesses, it lags certain features. This is where Sage add-ons come into the picture.

Sage application add-ons are software packages that are designed to extend the existing functionalities of this accounting software.

Irrespective of your niche business requirements or ERP system modification to fit the business processes, you would probably find a Sage add-on available. Let’s take you through some of the most commonly used Sage add-ons.

Bilendo

Bilendo is known to the world as an Accounts Receivable (AR) platform that has been designed to help businesses simplify the AR process.

The complex debtor processes generally require significant resources, which is where Bilendo steps in to save time, reduce costs, and increase liquidity.

By integrating Bilendo into the licensed Sage desktop software, a user can create invoices and make real-time payments quite easily.

It displays various process details through a central dashboard that allows firms to avoid internal coordination issues. It takes into account workflow automation to allow the defined processes to run continuously.

Include this add-on with the Sage application if you want to accelerate and optimize the payment process.

GetMyInvoice

GetMyInvoice is an invoice management add-on that offers a centralized hub created by importing invoices from different sources.

It can be configured to fetch invoices from emails, online portals, etc. and organize them in a secure document archive.

It allows the users to scan the receipts using their smart devices, verify them, and then make payments.

Once the invoices are archived, you can avoid worrying about missing invoices. Once integrated with the Sage application, this add-on maps the invoice payment runs with the company-related approval process.

Use this Sage add-on if you want to synchronize invoices directly with Sage to prevent the lost invoice from popping up at the year’s end.

Capsule

Capsule is a Customer Relation Management (CRM) tool that can be integrated with accounting software to build customer relationships and increase sales.

Its interactive, unified dashboard gives you a complete business view of all the contacts in one place. This way, you can easily track conversations and keep the customer information in an organized way.

It also allows users to tailor the sales pipeline and spot business activities making the most impact on sales.

You can also automate sales and other business workflows using Capsule CRM. With Sage-Capsule integration, you can manage leads by importing customers and supplier details directly from the CRM.

Clockodo

As a time-tracking add-on, Clockodo can be used to monitor the time entries related to services, clients, or projects.

It comes with several features like Clockodo Stopwatch using which you can start and stop time recording and ensure every working hour is taken into account.

Similarly, you can create individual reports in just a few clicks and sort them by customers, projects, or employees. It also supports various existing billing tools.

By integrating Clockodo with the Sage application, you will be able to track time for each customer and project without hassles. Use this add-on if you are working on time-sensitive projects and/or tasks.

DataQlick

DataQlick is an advanced tool used for the automated recording of inventory, sales, bundles, and purchases. This add-on records sales as and when they occur directly into the integrated Sage software.

It can also help in managing purchases and recording advance payments or partial payments. From quantity reminders to sales bundles, it is designed to manage inventory from various aspects.

When integrated with Sage, it can provide the following benefits:

1. Accurate bookkeeping
2. Easy transfer of inventory between locations
3. Automated color coding for products labeled as overstock, understock, etc.

CashPundit

CashPundit, when synced with accounting software, can help CPA firms manage payables and receivables effectively. This way, you can get a complete overview of the business-related cash flows. Some of its primary features include:

Forecasting cash flows realistically - both inflows and outflows and identifying potential pitfalls in the balance in advance

Client reminders to follow up with them for timely payment on the due invoices

Invoice-wise communication history of customer communication via a centralized location for easy review before following up

Restricted access to invoices based on hierarchy and access rights

Consider it as a CRM to manage cash flow with your Sage accounting software.

AutoEntry

If you want a way to capture and categorize financial documents with accounting software faster, look no further than this powerful Sage add-on.

This has been designed to capture data from invoices and bank statements which can be categorized and then published with Sage. As a result, it removes the hassles of entering data manually.

AutoEntry allows time-savings on the data collection processes, which can be spent on advising other clients about their finances. Ultimately, you can build better relationships with your clients.

While most of these Sage add-ons have distinct features, can they be migrated to the cloud if you want them to? Let’s unravel this side better.

Can You Host Sage on the Cloud with Add-Ons?

Since a majority of accounting professionals are now switching to Sage 50 on the cloud, it is crucial to know whether the most preferred add-on can be taken along. The answer to this lies in the cloud hosting provider you select.

Since a user only works on and does not own the cloud infrastructure, he/she cannot exercise full control over the server. Hence, you can only host Sage add-ons with the desktop software on the cloud if the cloud provider allows you to do so.

In other words, you can select a Sage application hosting provider based on whether it allows Sage add-on integration. While this is a business-specific use case to be considered before hiring a cloud provider, it’s not the only thing that matters.

3 Important Aspects to Consider Before Cloud Migration

Data security

While a Sage user does need a certain add-on to improve the accounting processes, he cannot undermine the importance of data security.

Business-critical data that accounting firms handle holds immense value for both CPAs and their clients. To ensure its security, deployment of top-rated cloud security measures is a must.

Add comprehensive data security as a parameter that differentiates the best Sage hosting provider from others. Take the case of Ace Cloud Hosting which provides reliable Sage application hosting solutions.

They are known in the industry to implement multi-level security checks and deliver enterprise-level security benefits to their clients.

Server uptime guarantee

Whether you host Sage software on the cloud with or without add-ons, you won’t be able to use it if the server becomes inaccessible.

While it is up to the user to decide how many Sage add-ons are to be included, the accessibility of cloud servers depends on various factors, such as server type, data center tier, etc.

Therefore, you must look at the server uptime guarantee offered by the hired Sage hosting provider. In simple words, consider the number of nines in the server accessibility parameter, which is usually defined in percentage (99.995%, 99.999% etc.).

Cloud hosting pricing

Last but not the least, the pricing of an all-inclusive cloud hosting plan does depend on the benefits it provides.

In general, refrain from selecting a Sage hosting plan based only on the pricing as the cheapest option may not always be the best one. Neither should you assume that the costliest plan will provide maximum features.

This is where the need for a detailed comparison between hosting plans is required.

You need to consider various parameters like the number of users supported, the number of devices supported, virtual computing resources, etc. to make the right decision.

Indeed, payroll management, inventory management, and sales reporting are a few features your firm may not exclude, which is why you need Sage add-ons. However, it is always good to follow a 360-degree approach to analyze various options.