According to a study done by the accounting firm Deloitte & Touche asking businesses to list their top criteria when selecting an accounting system, first time buyers look at price, ease of implementation, ease of use, software that fit their business, software features and whether it works with existing hardware.

However second time or repeat users gave a very different ranking of top criteria. When choosing an accounting software, these experienced buyers ranked as most important the level of local support provided and the track records of the software developer, then followed by how the software would fit in their business, the software growth potential and the software price.

We shall examine some of the above criteria and look at AutoCount accounting software which is a locally developed Malaysian product by AutoCount Sdn Bhd.

All accounting software today claims to be "user-friendly" and "easy", but you'll still need to invest some time in learning how to use it. You have to take a close look at the user interface and feel comfortable with it.

You want to make sure that there is support available for you when you have any questions or need help. If you're going to need to produce some special customised reports out of the software you'll need to know how to set up these reports.

However, you don't feel the need to learn everything all at once. Thus local support must be able to provide long-term assistance when required. Because ongoing support is important when selecting the accounting software, finding the right support provider is critical to the success of its implementation into your business.

Accounting today has evolved to become complex business information systems that far exceed its bookkeeping function. The software developer must be able to fix bugs promptly and has a good track record of continuing software improvement. Upgraded software version must reduces or eliminates issues such as slow data processing speed, data files instability, the trouble of data files corruption and beyond recovery and the unexplainable errors and inconsistencies in reporting figures.

Hence, experienced buyers are no longer impressed by a software's specifications and its long list of many features. Technology and quality programming are now important aspects in selecting software. All accounting software provides similar basic features, such as transaction entry screen, but the technologies used to provide this feature made a major differences between the packages.

Since 1998 , AutoCount Sdn Bhd has progressed and improved tremendously. Their current range of accounting software is developed with the latest Microsoft software technology. The database engine used is the best in its class and can hold very large amount of data without problem or slowdown. It is many times faster and has more useful features than other similar software using older technologies. If your computer is within five years old, you can begin to enjoy this latest software without any extra cost for the latest database engine.

"Off the shelf" ready made accounting software is most suitable and affordable for small and medium-sized businesses. If your business has unique requirements, AutoCount software can be customized to suit your business as it allows separate applications to be developed which can be seamlessly integrated into the accounting package. Keep in mind that customizing an "off the shelf" accounting package is faster and very much less expensive than developing a whole software from scratch.

AutoCount accounting software can create flexible analyses and customizable reports. Transaction entries can have your specified detail data recorded according to your type of business. For example, a consulting firm may need data for project and job costings. Distribution companies need data to track sales orders, deliveries, collections and commissions efficiently.

Every AutoCount software packages are upgradable or expandable. Prices start from RM 1,288/- for the Small edition with accounting and stock inventory fully integrated. There are also the Basic, Pro, Premium and Ultimate editions ... to suit to the various user needs and requirements...

AutoCount accounting software is not just for today, but with a vision for tomorrow and the future. Both first time buyers and experienced buyers would do well to attend a free preview by their Ipoh based business partner eData Systems Sdn Bhd, a premier business systems solution and support provider since 1992. They can be contacted at 05-5460525 for more details or a free demo.