How to Choose the Best Expense Tracking Software for Your Small Business

Michael Joseph December 23, 2021

The correct expense tracking software may help your small business save time and money by streamlining how you keep track of your money. Operating expenses include expenses that you can track, such as business meals, travel, entertainment, mileage, and miscellaneous supplies.

Unlike fixed costs like rent, variable operating expenses can quickly spiral out of control if you don’t have a sound system in place to track and manage them, especially if you have numerous employees to reimburse. Expense tracking software allows your small business to track and manage this critical part of its cash flow with the help of automated tools. They do a lot of the tedious work for you and do it faster, more accurately, and transparently than relying on illegible paper receipts and lost or stalled expense reports.

  1. Make a list of the features you require from expense tracking software
    Examine the numerous possibilities available based on your objectives. Their feature sets can differ significantly, so make sure to compare the most important ones to you.

    Is it, for example, capable of handling your company’s size? You might be out of luck if you need to set up accounts across a vast corporation, but your tool of choice is designed for small groups. Do you require extensive assistance with international taxes? Perhaps you shouldn’t use a tool that’s been configured for use in a specific location. Does your staff, perhaps most crucially, spend a lot of time in the field? In this instance, user-friendly spending software will significantly simplify their life.
  2. Choose the correct expenditure management software in collaboration with your company
    It’s crucial to keep the size of the operation in mind when considering organizational adjustments that affect how your staff works. Most essential, you can’t only rely on your judgment; you must also consider the views of others. Applying the rules of approval by a committee, which requires you to form a group of people from throughout the firm, is a terrific approach to work. Choose a few people from each department that will be affected by the changes, from the CFO to your bookkeepers, and meet with them a couple of times to explore the various choices.
  3. Think about how much help you’ll need from your expense tracking software
    If your team has stored physical receipts and stapled them to expense report forms for a long time, the transition to a digital system might be fascinating. Learning how to utilize a new tool, on the other hand, can cause a slew of issues for sure of your staff.

    In this situation, a spend management software with excellent customer support features, such as a well-integrated chat feature, would be worth considering. Team members who have questions don’t have to go through your IT or finance departments; instead, they can ask them directly to the product’s developers.

    For your small business, Expense tracking software can be a cost-effective tool. It’s well worth the minor investment because it will save you time and money while also providing you with more detailed and precise spending data. It is beneficial at tax time and daily as you monitor cash flow, which is the lifeblood of any firm.