FOURFRONT SOFTWARE SIMPLIFIES ACCOUNTS FOR COMMUNICATIONS AGENCIES

An independent supplier of accounting software has launched a new accounting system designed to make accounting simple for communications agencies. It enables teams to log expenses more easily and improves cash-flow.

FourFronts New ABCs Automates Billing, Accounts and Reporting

First customer says: Every agency needs to take a look at this product."

FourFront, the independent supplier of business and accounting software, today launched ABCs (Agency Billing and Costing System) designed to automate accounts, billing and activity reporting for any kind of communications agency. The new system enables account teams to enter details of activity, operating and personal expenses, as well as additional project costs directly into the agencys accounting system. FourFronts expertise in customisable software enables agencies to produce their own templates to simplify data entry for non-accounting staff.

For agencies of any kind, the monthly billing run can be a nightmare. Account teams have to be chased for expense details, which are then hurriedly produced in an unformatted way using Word or Excel sheets. These have to be checked and standardised, before someone gets the unenviable task of entering the information into the accounting system. If the accounts are not held in a system that handles the billing, someone may have to type out the information a third time to produce the actual bills. FourFronts new ABCs circumvents this repetition of work, making it simple for account teams to enter the information straight into the accounting and billing system.

When we first began developing ABCs, we contacted our own PR agency, MCC International and asked their finance department for a wish list for a 'job bag system," explains Chris Sharp, managing director of FourFront. They came up with a list of requirements that seemed very straightforward to us - but one that MCC seemed to feel would be far too complicated to be incorporated into a working system. As they already use FourFront accounting software, we decided to write a test system based on the original 'wish list."

Continues Sharp, As the majority of communications agencies offer a standard portfolio of services, we can develop customised data entry screens for each service. The account team simply has to go into the clients records, click on one activity from the list of services and enter some basic details into a screen. We can leave fields for notes and offer special screens for recording non-standard activity."

Mike Dicks, managing director of Uxbridge-based design agency Creative Graphics, says, "ABCs is already proving itself to be one of the best investments I have made in running my business effectively. A busy agency is usually poor at noting down expenses for clients and just as bad at trying to remember them all at the end of the month. To be able to easily log information onto the system and produce an invoice at the end of the month has ensured that we miss nothing. We also recover our expenses far more quickly than we normally would, using a manual system. It has improved cash flow enormously."

ABCs allows all data to be entered directly into the system, so management and accounts staff proof the information and click the button. The system then calculates the bill using predefined tables based on the agencys standard pricing. The FourFront system sends out the bill automatically, offering a choice of paper, email or automated fax- billing, which can be set according to individual client preferences.    

Continues Sharp, Each agency will obviously have its own billing quirks, but that will prove no problem. We can accommodate every requirement within ABCs and it can even be used to compile monthly activity reports. Having been entered once, all the activity information is there in the system. All we have to do is write a new report format to suit the agencys branding, and the bane of every account executives life becomes a question of clicking a button."

Barrie Desmond, managing director of Multi Media PR, sees ABCs as a worthwhile investment to co-ordinate his agency's costs between regional offices. "We took ABCs in order to manage expenses and billings between our remote teams in Chepstow, London and Newcastle. FourFront worked closely with us to ensure the system did exactly what we needed it to and there is no doubt that our control of costs has improved tremendously. We're more efficient and our cashflow has seen the benefits. One important facility for MMPR, as an agency that manages pan-European campaigns for its clients, is the fact that ABCs automatically knows which currency to bill in for each client, using the exchange rates that we control."

Desmond concludes, "Any agency that bills its customers on a regular basis needs to take a look at this product. The fact that it links easily into our invoicing system and produces reports is also a bonus. It also automatically produces summary sheets to back up our expense invoices, so any queries from clients can be dealt with immediately."

Our accounting system can even be used to compile monthly activity reports," continues Sharp. Having been entered once, all the activity information is there in the system. All we have to do is write a new report format to suit the agencys branding, and the bane of every account executives life becomes a question of clicking a button. Each agency will obviously have its own billing quirks, but that will prove no problem. We can accommodate every requirement within ABCs."

About FourFront
FourFront specialises in providing accounting, inventory, order processing and MLM software. Its off the shelf software can be tailored to suit the needs of individual companies and vertical markets. The product is built around a database engine using tables and a powerful calculation system. Unlike traditional software packages, which would require re-coding, the softwares table-based structure allows for changes to be incorporated quickly and reliably. There are over 300 users in the UK including Halifax Estate Agencies, Butler & Tanner, KeenPac and Aquasource.

Editorial Contacts
Interviews, photography and further information are available from Natalie Johnson or Claire Adam at MCC International.

Claire Adam/Natalie Johnson
MCC International Ltd
Tel: 01962 888 100      
Fax: 01962 888125
Email: fourfront@mccint.com