2018 Review of AddSum Advance Accounting

Advanced Accounting from AddSum offers complete front/back office functionality. Advanced Accounting is designed for retailers and manufacturers, and along with complete accounting functionality offers a solid point of sale module. Advanced Accounting is best suited for small to mid-sized brick and mortar businesses that do not need e-commerce functionality or touch screen capability.

Along with the Point of Sale module, Advanced Accounting also includes GL, AP, AR, Sales Order, Inventory Control, Bill of Materials, Payroll, Quotes/Contracts, System Maintenance and Utilities. All modules are included when purchasing Advanced Accounting, which is designed to be installed on desktop, workstation, or network computer. There is a single version and multi-user version available for those that require multiple user access to the product.

Advanced Accounting can be easily modified to suit business needs, with both minor and major change options available, with product source code available for those that desire more product customization. The product offers easy processing of sales transactions, with users able to add frequently sold products to the interface and simply click on those products when necessary. Sales entry screens are easily customized for each user, with only accessible features visible at any time. Users can easily look up additional product data during the sales process and can quickly perform additional point of sale functions such as adding a discount, updating pricing levels, and change quantities. Advanced Accounting easily handles multiple tender types including cash, checks, credit and debit cards, in-house charge cards, and product layaway. Along with standard sales transactions, users can also process customer sales, quotes, refunds, and add discounts, with the ability to add product information and pricing on the

Advanced Accounting supports both single and multiple registers, with users able to easily add additional users when necessary. Though the interface can be customized for quicker sales processing, the product does not offer any touch screen capability at this time. The product also offers extensive bar coding support, with users able to easily print bar code labels and utilize labels on sales orders or packing slips.

Customer tracking is typically done through the sales order module, with users able to manage customer information such as assigned discounts, credit limits, and a purchasing history. The product does not offer support any customer loyalty programs, and while personal information is recorded for each customer, true customer demographics are not available in Advanced Accounting.

Advanced Accounting offers full multi-location inventory control, with users able to track inventory levels from multiple warehouses. Users can also apply product discounts directly to inventory items, eliminating the need to do so during the sales process. Markup percentages and flat rate discounts can be applied to inventory items as well.

Advanced Accounting offers a variety of system reports, including sales reports, layaway reports, and reconciliation reports. A variety of inventory reports are available as well. Report customization is limited, but Advanced Accounting integrates with Crystal Reports for those that wish to create custom reports. In addition, all Advanced Accounting reports can be exported to a variety of formats including Microsoft Excel, HTML, or saved as a PDF.

Advanced Accounting integrates with common hardware peripherals such as cash drawers, pole displays, barcode scanners, receipt printers, and magnetic card readers. The product also offers an add-on module that enables integration with either UPS or FedEx and can be downloaded from the AddSum website or included in a new order. Also available is a credit card authorization option that is included in the product at no additional cost.

Designed to be used in brick and mortar businesses, Advanced Accounting does not offer any integration options for e-commerce or shopping cart platforms.

When Advanced Accounting is purchased, users are provided with a PDF of the comprehensive user manual. There are limited help tools and resources on the Advanced Accounting website, though those interested can download a demo of the application to try out prior to purchasing. Product support is available during extended business hours, though AddSum does note that they can provide after-hours support, but an appointment is required. Support can be purchased in 15, 60, 90, and 180-minute increments, and there is a monthly support/updates options available as well.

One of the best features found in Advanced Accounting is its complete front/back office functionality, making it easy for smaller retailers in particular to know exactly how their business is performing at any given moment. Affordably priced for even the tightest budget, Advanced Accounting from AddSum costs $299 per year for a single user system, and $899 for unlimited users, with support purchased separately.

2018 Rating – 4 Stars