Sage One Payroll Officially Unveiled for Kenyan SMEs and Startups

Sage One Payroll, a cloud-based accounting software has been launched officially for the local market. In essence, the software makes it easy for small businesses and enterprises to manage their accounts with Sage One Accounting without spending a fortune on corporate software tools or the application of manual system that is usually tedious and time-consuming to work with.  Since it is cloud-based, the tool can be accessed from any device that has an internet connection and a browser.

Functionally, the tool scores points based on flexible pay runs. In other words, small businesses and startups can set up unlimited number of pay runs for a particular day. This can be done by giving specific details about pay runs and pay dates that are dynamic; users will not be tied to pre-set dates in a calendar. Another advantage is that Sage One Payroll makes submission of reports, including NHIF, PAYE and NSSF a seamless process because they are generated and conveyed to relevant authorities. Also, leave overview is incorporated in the accounting solution and managers have a better grasp of transactions that arise from such situations for a given month.

Sage One’s dashboard has been designed to ease navigation around its menus and feature-rich options. The dashboard has an inclusion that displays all employees in a company as well as their pay runs created on Sage One Payroll account. It should be remembered that the user-friendliness of the dashboard has been enhanced by modern design concepts in terms of user interface and layout. As mentioned above, access is available on all devices with a browser and internet connection, which is a step in the right direction as it has eliminated the need to install apps on multiple devices.

At the unveiling event held at Norfolk Ballroom, Nikky Summers, Sage One Sales Director, East and West Africa the discussed a few statistics about Sage One International. To begin with, Sage one processed 9.2 million transactions in the month of March 2017. Approximately 13000 users perform transactions every day. In addition, more than 38,000 users logged into the accounting software in each month – and all of these use the same source code on the same database. In regard to new subscriptions, Sage One International has 1,800 paying users who sign up every month.

On the other hand, it has been determined that an ordinary small business owner spends up to 52 hours per week to keep up with administrative duties. It is sad that 36% of the people responsible for accounting in small businesses and enterprises have no prior training in finance and accounting. Disappointingly, 57% of small businesses have no financial muscle or consistent cash flow to have a sustainable business, and this is major hurdle to growth.

As presented and explained by Claire Kaguara, who is the Business Development Manager for Sage One East Africa, Sage One Accounting is not difficult to grasp even for first timers or people who have little or no accounting knowledge. This is because installation hassles have been eliminated and clients just need to log in and start setting up their accounts. Updates are also server-side, meaning you will always be working on the latest version of Sage One Payroll. There is no need to be wary of data security (some people hesitant in adopting cloud solutions for their businesses) because the platform uses high-grade 256-bit encryption that is used widely in banking services, and the environment is secured by Amazon Web Services.

Claire has also ascertained that feature updates are deployed free of charge, coupled with unlimited transactions that are done without monthly contracts or set-up costs. All features are backed by several benefits, which include hassle-free integration into accounting applications that eliminates the need to make backups because all of the accounting data is in the cloud.

 Payment Options

You can pay for Sage One Payroll services through MPesa, EFT and cheques, among other authorized credit card services. Sage One is also looking into more payment options and has made its APIs open for clients who want to integrate additional services in the module.

Plugins

Sage One Accounting and Payroll is meant to serve small businesses, most of which have no social media pages or websites. For this reason, Sage has developed online tools that are packaged in their cloud services; essentially, it is another application that can be linked to a business’s account. Those tools (templates that can be edited) may be used by small businesses to develop websites, and this alleviates financial constraints if they hire website content developers. Inclusive in the tools are blogging extensions, social media plugins and integration of e-commerce services. There is also a campaign tool that is handy if a business intends to market special offers.

These tools are available free of charge for those who will purchase an annual subscription. All in all, their subscription fee is favourable.

Contacts

Within the signup page are contact addresses for inquiry. This can be done through email, chat options or social media.

There is an advisory community such as accountants and small book-keeping firms that offer services to customers in matters accounting to small businesses. In particular, these are certified consultants who offer additional services for businesses that cannot afford a full-time accountant. However, there are about 50 certified advisors in East Africa who offer additional extra services to Sage One users.

Comparison to Other Markets

Kenya’s advancements in terms of legislation has been the instrumental in shaping small businesses, which is why Sage One has analyzed its economies of scale that have made it viable to launch its services here. These legislations are the reason why Sage One Payroll services have been unveiled here, although other east and west African countries are in as well.

Terminating Sage One Payroll Services

Accounting data that is in the cloud of Sage One Accounting and Payroll services can be exported to another service if a business owners decide to opt out. Also, your data will always be there even in case of dormancy.

Shortcomings

Sage One Accounting does not work offline; Internet connection is mandatory.

Pricing

Sign up for the free trial here for either, no credit card needed.