Announcing Microsoft Office Accounting 2007

By Rajat Taneja, General Manager, Small Business, Microsoft Business Division

Talk to Rajat Taneja about Microsoft Office Accounting 2007, the significantly upgraded version of Microsoft Small Business Accounting, and you can instantly tell that he’s excited about this software.  And he has cause to be.  Office Accounting is the result of intense dialogues with CPAs and Beta users/testers.  It’s also remarkably innovative.  Today we are excited to announce the launch of Microsoft Office Accounting 2007, which will put full-featured accounting software into the hands of millions of Microsoft Office users and help you grow your practice as a result. 

 

Office Accounting 2007 will be available in two versions to meet the diverse needs of small businesses:

• Microsoft^® Office Accounting Express 2007 – immediately available as a FREE download.  Visit www.ideawins.com to download a free license.
• Microsoft^® Office Accounting Professional 2007 – available for purchase through retail or online early next year.  We’ll be mailing a free copy to MPAN members within the next 4-6 weeks, so make sure your membership is current.

 

Office Accounting Delivers to Small Business Owners and the Accounting Professionals who Serve Them

Taneja details the new version’s three greatest accomplishments:

n      Microsoft Office Accounting Express 2007 is specially tailored for small business users – home-based, single owner, and new businesses.  There are approximately 20 million of these small businesses in the United States today, Taneja notes, and many of them are currently using paper based manual methods or Excel to do their accounting.  Even the lowly shoebox continues to stand in for an adequate accounting system for some.  Office Accounting Express gets these small business owners right into an accounting management system that has the features they need and looks immediately familiar.  So they can use their shoeboxes again for storing shoes.

n      Office Accounting’s revolutionary software/online services integration was born out of Microsoft’s recognition of the internet’s escalating importance to small businesses, explains Taneja.

There are 168 million registered buyers and sellers on eBay, and 700,000 businesses are based primarily – or entirely – on eBay, he says.  Office Accounting users can do everything from posting inventory items for sale on eBay to dropping PayPal or other payments directly into the proper account – all without exiting Office Accounting.

Microsoft Office Accounting Professional 2007 offers an additional, powerful feature that allows users to conduct transactions in multiple currencies – and then converts the transactions to U.S. dollars recognizing any related gains or losses form rate fluctuations, Taneja says.

Office Accounting offers similar integration with PayPal.  Office Accounting users can email invoices from PayPal that allow clients and vendors to make payments via PayPal or credit card.  These payments post automatically to Office Accounting, eliminating the step of recording the paid invoice.

Other online services integrations include staying on top of customers’ and vendors’ financial health with Equifax credit reports, an invitation to apply for a business credit card with one of the best interest rates on the market, and ADP and payroll services.  The variety and depth of Office Accounting’s software/online integration system will change users’ fundamental relationships with their accounting management software, says Taneja.

n      Office Accounting Professional is a more powerful iteration of the software designed for businesses with needs for advanced features.  In addition, there are many new features just for professional accountants.  Accounting Professionals were an integral part of the design process, Taneja emphasizes. “We listened carefully to CPAs and what they want in accounting software,” he says.

 

Office Accounting Professional delivers on Accounting Professionals’ requirements for fast and accurate client accounting with features such as:

• Accountant Navigator – work with multiple files from a single dashboard
• Accountant Transfer Wizard – you and your clients can work simultaneously, with version control safeguards
• Payroll Center – take charge of multiple clients’ payroll processing from one dashboard and collaborate with clients sharing responsibilities for the payroll process
• Journal Entry Worksheet – use just one journal entry form to enter multiple accounts, customers and vendors
• Enhanced Cash Basis Accounting – customize the cash-based reporting setting for each of your clients depending on the nature of their business
• Fixed Assets Manager – manage addition, disposal and depreciation of a small business’s assets.

 

But Don’t Just Listen to Taneja …

Office Accounting has impressed its initial reviewers.  Here’s what software critics have to say:

“Add solid connection to Microsoft Outlook 2007, an effective Microsoft Office–like interface, a strong set of accounting tools, and the ability to easily transfer data to your accountant, and this app looks like a serious contender.”

Kathy Yakal – PC Mag

 

“The application really shines when integrated with other Microsoft Office apps.”

Richard Morochove – PC World

 

“If eBay is the bread and butter of your home-based business, no other accounting software will enable you to track eBay auctions in real time while making and receiving payments through PayPal.”

Elsa Wenzel – CNET – Alpha Blog

 

Our customers are the users who matter most in Office Accounting’s development and beta testing, Taneja adds.  An important example of this customer focus:  “Office Accounting’s customer service representatives live in Fargo, North Dakota, not India or the Philippines,” he remarks.  Our reps are committed to this product and its customers, he says.

 

Office Accounting Express in Every Pot

With Office Accounting, Microsoft has taken an enormous stride in small business accounting software distribution: Office Accounting Express will be part of Microsoft’s Office Professional 2007, Microsoft Office Small Business 2007 and Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 suites – all of which include Word, Excel, Outlook with Business Contact Manager and other market leading programs. And any small business can download Microsoft Office Accounting Express 2007 free at www.ideawins.com.  

 

Want to know more?  Go to www.OAisbetter.com for more information about Office Accounting’s potent features – and see how the software can make yours and your clients’ businesses more streamlined, organized, and profitable!