Interesting news on the COVID front today. Apparently the UK grossly understated the number of recent new cases due to a spreadsheet error.
Now I don’t know exactly what the spreadsheet error was, but the fact that it happened isn’t exactly surprising. I’m sure we’ve all experienced it over the years – a formula isn’t picking up the exact information you thought it was; or maybe not all the cells are being included when adding up a column.
There’s nothing quite so embarrassing, or as stressful, as finding out that key information you’d reported or relied on is inaccurate because of a few simple clicks that went wrong. Maybe it’s a summary that you sent your bank manager, or even worse a key projection or order confirmation that you sent a customer or supplier.
Don’t get me wrong – I’m a big fan of spreadsheets. Use them regularly. But for processing data and creating accurate reports there are now much better options. So maybe it’s time you ditch the spreadsheets.
The one we favour for your accounts is Xero – have a look round our website to see why we’re such big fans. It connects to your bank, making life simpler and reducing errors hugely on that front. And reports are easily created and easily checked. We’ve even started using a Xero health-check app for our clients, which highlights any problems so they’re easily fixed.
In short, if you’re still relying on spreadsheets for your accounting info, then it’s time to stop. There are better options, which are more useful, have far fewer errors, and, dare we say it, are much more fun to use (yes we know it’s weird to talk about accounts stuff being fun, but trust us – it can be.)
Why not GET IN TOUCH with us and we can help you ditch the spreadsheets and get started on a better way.
