Sage heads to the web to target sole traders

Accounting software company Sage has unveiled a new web-based product called SageOne targeted at sole traders and small businesses.

Apart from exploring a new market, Sage said the software-as-a-service product signalled a company-wide decision to place more emphasis on internet-based services for customers – including in its products for larger companies.

“We needed to embrace the web more proactively,” said Sage’s CEO for Northern Europe, Paul Stobart. “We want to be more front footed about SaaS, and look at what the cloud can do for mid-market customers too.”

We needed to embrace the web more proactively

The new SageOne product is – like most geographically sensitive accounting software – country specific and only available in the UK, but the company said it planned to make the service available in other countries later this year, with Ireland next in line and the US also expected to see a version within months.

The company said SageOne had focused primarily on simplicity, with three different levels of service aimed at small businesses that still used Excel or the “shoebox method of collecting bundles of receipts and handing them to their accountant”.

The basic SageOne Cashbook allows sole traders to enter customer and supplier payments and details and costs £5 a month.

The Accounts edition, which costs £10/month, will also generate invoices and submit VAT returns online, while Accountant Edition lets professionals manage the accounts of clients and is free for Sage Club members, or costs £250 a year.

All three services include 24/7 telephone support, Sage said, reflecting the fact that most sole traders and small businesses do their paperwork outside office hours.

Sage said that all financial data would be stored in the UK by Rackspace, and that customers who chose to terminate the service could export a complete record of their transactions as a .csv file.