This extract is taken from a case study of a company making windows and side shutters.

The company has started using a product from Best Software, a company in the Sage group.

‘Our office is so much more relaxed these days,’ smiles Pam. ‘Now when a salesperson brings in a contract, I record the information in Order Entry and Job Cost. Order Entry gives me a sales order number, which I then enter as a job in Job Cost. The order information is prepared for the person who maintains material lists, and that’s used to order all the supplies and materials we’ll need for each job.’ When Pam receives invoices from material suppliers, she compares them against figures quoted in Job Cost before entering them into Accounts Payable.

‘As customers pay us, I update Accounts Receivable and deposit funds.’ But nothing is easier for Pam than Payroll. ‘Payroll is linked to sales orders and job numbers. I simply apply the information from the installer pay sheets into the Payroll module,’ explained Pam. ‘I just punch a couple of keys and all the deductions and tax calculations are performed and are automatically sent to Job Cost.

I now finish Payroll in 45 minutes. I don’t have to worry about keeping up with paperwork anymore.

BusinessWorks Gold takes care of that for me.’ Now, the aspirin bottle is absent from Pam’s desk.

‘On Fridays, I can go home in a good mood, because it’s just another day. I’d highly recommend BusinessWorks Gold to anybody.’ At Cook Siding and Window, BusinessWorks Gold makes a clear difference.

Discussion points
1 What are the records that are important for the job cost system in this business?
2 Why does the owner feel happier about using a computerised system?