Myob

[hartford]

I've been taking a look at MYOB as I have a potential new client who has this programme.
I must say for all our complaints about Quickbooks its a simply wonderful programme compared to MYOB. The thought of having to deal with this rather wretched piece of software is enough to put me off talking to this possible new client.
Has anyone anything good to say about MYOB? I need to somehow hide my feelings when I meet this client!!

[Geoff Young]

I agree with your sentiments however the MYOB payroll system is more user friendly.

and Accounts Payable is more easier to handle. The Accounts Payable and Receivable registers are good and ....... you get more clients who want help using it

If you want to hide your feelings when dealing with your new client look at it as a learning curve. The client is paying you to learn.

Once you have been using MYOB for about a year it won't seem so bad.

I use both programmes and find good and bad points in both.

I found MYOB very user friendly when exporting reports to EXCEL but now both programmes do this.

[gibbo]

Working under the bonnet of both, we get to see more than most. I find QuickBooks more flexible (but still with some frustrations) and easier for someone without accounting experience to get to know. On the other hand, MYOB actually does a very good job of accounting and those who have taken the time to learn to use it, swear by it.
QuickBooks is better in some areas, MYOB in others. And the reality is that in Australia, there are many more using MYOB than QuickBooks, though I think the gap is slowly narrowing. Something that outsells QuickBooks across Australia can't be a bad programme, or it wouldn't continue to do so. There was a time when I wouldn't touch MYOB, but now I am spending more time working with it than QuickBooks as we introduce Accounting Integration to businesses. I have come to respect it and what it is capable of doing.
My advice is to leave your negative thoughts behind and to start with a positive attitude towards it. You may be surprised.

[Page]

Linked to but not quite about what you were asking.

My accountant is Sage based (as many in the UK) and I am liable to be moving away from them since they are just not on top of QB and its operation. I have put up with it but have slowly realised that they cannot give me the input and support that I require.

Having read your numerous excellent posts on the UK forum I find it hard to believe that you are touting around desparate for clients. So even if MYOB is better than QB consider whether it is worth your while to go down that route - other than for your own personal interest - which I would consider an excellent reason.

If you are touting for new clients (surely not) let me know via the UK forum since I have March pencilled in as my "sort this out" time.

[hartford]

Hi all
You're all right - who said "accentuate the positive eliminate the negative".
But I can't accept that MYOB comes anywhere close to touching Quickbooks - a really great financial tool for business.
Quickbooks wins gold and MYOB - well I don't think it would qualify.
I first used it about ten years ago, it was pretty poor then but now its just, what did I say "wretched". I think the owners just sucked out profits and forgot their customers. For example it still seems to be a one year database, at least for G/L transactions much like Sage was (is it still?). This was acceptable ten years ago but the world has moved on.
Sorry If I gave the impression I'm desparate for clients etc - completely the opposite actually. I've reached the age when I've become too choosy - but if a blonde with MYOB phoned I would ....... No only joking!

[Page]

I could dye my hair - but would have to buy MYOB!

You didn't mention anything on gender.

[gibbo]

You get a lot of negative comments from those you have chosen not to use MYOB - but you will find a totally different attitude from those who have been using it successfully. It used to amaze me how anyone could actually like it - or prefer it to QuickBooks. But as I said before, I am now spending more time on MYOB than QuickBooks working with clients to configure their systems for our accounting integration programmes. This week I have had one Pub and six Supermarkets - thats five MYOB and one QuickBooks.
MYOB does do things in ways that frustrate me and it is not the accounting programme I would have written, but it is a very capable accounting programme!
They have acknowledged that the underlying database is somewhat aged and are addressing this issue (slowly). They have purchased an on-line accounting programme which has an underlying sql database which it would not surprise me if it became the basis of the future MYOB. (Not horse's mouth stuff - just speculating). But I have seen more data-size issues with QuickBooks than with MYOB.
I think MYOB will always be a bit reserved when compared to QuickBooks (a bit like British vs American).
My attitude has changed since I have been forced to become familiar with it. We have just had a set of ActiveX dll's put onto the MYOB Australia website (call them "MyObjx" - clever eh?). These contain the code to write transactions and lists into MYOB without having to understand sql or know how to connect to MYOB.
Twenty functions, some with over 120 fields - Invoices, Cheques, Bills, Customer Payments, all the lists - anything that can be defined on something like an Excel spreadsheet or in a database or text file, can be imported into MYOB. Producing these these really meant getting to know MYOB.
When people now ask me what I think of MYOB, I say I have come to respect it.
(Only one dll for QuickBooks at this stage - Invoices).

[hartford]

Ho Giggo
Thanks for that insight. I hope MYOB do bring out a radically new Quickbooks beating version soon - we need more competition to improve the standards offered by Intuit & Sage.