Pearl is one of the latest of a new breed of business management software packages – the whole system is web based, which means that all your business data is available using any internet connection, superb for companies with more than one office, or for staff that need to work from home from time to time.

Another benefit of the web based system is that you don’t need to install anything on your own office computers, and you don’t need to worry about backups – Pearl manages everything for you.  Now putting all your core business information onto the internet may sound like a risky idea, but Pearl has an impressive array of security measures in place to prevent unauthorised access – you can set up your Pearl system to allow access from only certain IP addresses, for example.

So what does Pearl do? At first glance the range of functionality can be a little daunting, and many users will not need all of the functions. The pricing structure is set up in a modular format so that you can choose which ones you want to use. There are two core modules, Pearl Office and Pearl OfficePro, onto which you can add Accounting, E-commerce (2 levels), EPOS and coming soon, an integrated email module called PearlMail. An unusual feature of the Pearl pricing structure is the fact that (with OfficePro) you are not limited to the number of administrators – the cost stays the same as you add more staff members.

The core modules give you a comprehensive set of product, sales and customer management tools – with an easy to use, intuitive interface. Page loading speed on a 4Mb broadband connection is superb, so much so that you would not know that you were using the internet. Creating and editing products, customers and sales is easy, with many features of the Pearl system not even included in competitors’ products at twice the price. Support for import and export of all core information to CSV files gives you the option of further data management using Excel… and being web based the whole lot will run on a Mac, too.

The accounting system is a standard double-entry method as used by traditional accounting software, and as such will be easy for your accountant to use for preparation of year end reports. The terminology and screens displayed assume basic knowledge of book keeping principles – a simpler interface for first time users would be nice. Particularly useful is the way in which accounting entries can be corrected (assuming the right access levels have been set for the particular staff member).

The fact that Pearl also has an Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS) module means that you can quickly create customers and sales at a till point, and also interface with a thermal receipt printer and cash drawer. Ideal for businesses with a retail outlet as well as a website; both run off the same stock and customer database, with transactions being input directly into the Pearl accounting system at the end of the day.

The E-commerce module allows you to build and edit an extremely powerful website, for brand awareness, lead generation, selling online and more – all online using the Pearl interface with no need to buy web design software or learn HTML. Product images are thumbnailed automatically, and you have total control of all your website templates online with the administration screens. A particularly useful feature is the ability to create customised form pages for your website – capture information, create users automatically and even send email replies back to the web user if you want. But best of all, everything is linked in with the same information as the rest of your business; there is no need for double data entry ever again, and the reports that can be generated automatically can be very insightful.

Overall, the breadth of functionality is impressive. There is perhaps only one other package in the web-based market that has the same capabilities as Pearl, but with costs ranging from £25 per month (single user, Office core only) to £250 per month (all modules, gold level) Pearl offers excellent value for money especially when you consider the fact that the cost includes backups, data hosting and multiple users. If you want a single system to run your entire business, accessible from anywhere, then Pearl could be the package for you – request a free online demo at www.pearlsoftware.co.uk.

We will be featuring articles on the pros and cons of web based software in upcoming issues.