Lindie Meintjes has seen it all before. She's a Business Development Specialist who focuses on business improvement strategies and strategic business planning for clients across the country.

She and the rest of the Baker Tilly Staples Rodway Taranaki "Business Information Systems" (BIS) team understand fear of change or reluctance around expenditure, and they allay those concerns by explaining the benefits of a digital solution that’s matched to the individual needs of each business. 

BIS staff also help them avoid the trap of purchasing software because it “sounds good” then discovering shortfalls once they’ve started using it, says Lindie. “We’re not salespeople, we’re problem solvers. We’ve got clients’ best interests at heart – what’s right for them, fit-for-purpose and future-proof."

Lindie says software providers generally get subscribers to pay monthly – a cost that can often be covered by just one sale or job.

She and the team ask clients about workflow and what they need from business management software, and get a rundown of their day-to-day tasks, from invoicing, purchase orders, job bookings, quotes, paying bills and everything in between. “We find out why they’re doing things, how they can do things better. We’re giving them more time to do the things they want to do,” says Lindie. “Change is never easy. It’s intimidating and confronting, so you need to take clients on a journey and they need to see the value.”

That can include things like:

• More timely and accurate data
• A boost to efficiency and productivity
• Reducing your carbon footprint
• Saving on the cost of traditional book-keeping resources
• More easily achieving tax and employment compliance
• Decreasing paperwork
• Knowing exactly how much cash your business has each day
• Invoicing from wherever you are
• Saving on storage space
• Saving hours of time that can instead be channeled into making money and achieving goals

The BIS team goes to market to find solutions that best match the needs of each business. They then present at least two or three options and check whether they feature that client’s negotiables and non-negotiables.

“As a business owner you have an idea of what you want and need to achieve, but perhaps you don’t know how. You don’t know what you don’t have until someone tells you that it exists. We don’t have all the answers, but we know how to get the answers,” says Lindie. “It’s their decision and choice what they implement, but we give them the options, then project-manage the whole process and make sure the deliverables are being met. It’s really important that they get a successful outcome.”

They also get feedback from those who will use the tools. “We look a bit further than just putting in just a piece of software. We’re really trying to help businesses achieve their goals and solve problems.”

There are generally two scenarios, dependent on the business size and budget:

1. An ecosystem of software solutions that address the business needs. It typically features an accountancy system such as MYOB, Xero or QuickBooks, with add-ons to address operational requirements such as inventory management, point of sale, customer relationship management and project management to name a few. This option requires integration between software solutions to deliver an efficient solution.
2. A high-end single platform software solution that covers all needs from accounting to inventory management, job costing, time tracking, warehousing and so forth.

The team can advise on an ideal system for any business, whether you’re in building and construction, hospitality, retail, automotive, gardening and landscaping, transport, a warehouse, or beyond.