Landmark Systems KEYPrime accounting software

So are you diversifying? It is exciting but how are you going to measure the success of your new enterprise and make sure that you are not taking ‘your eye off the ball’ with regard to your core business?  The answer is good recording. 

Ask your consultant or accountant for advice at the outset they can censor check the business plan through Landmark’s KEYPrime accounting software budgeting function and look at ‘what if’s’ – sometimes a very different result from that delivered by a salesman!  

At Landmark Systems we have several thousand clients, the vast majority of whom have a diversified business either with the farming business or as a standalone business. “The range of businesses is astounding,” comments Nigel Parsons, founder of Landmark Systems. “From farm shops to breweries, campsites to engineers and rural eco barns to wedding venues. The business structures and types may be very different, but the core essentials are the same. To be able to compartmentalise the new diversified business enterprise is vital.  Don’t forget that you need the ability to monitor cashflow, as well as profit and loss.”

If you prefer to spend as little time in the office as possible think hard about how the new enterprise will impact on your time and office systems – for example will you need to enlist more bookkeeping help, how is the cleaning of properties going to be managed?  Attention to detail on the HOW you keep your accounts and records is as important as arable and livestock records with the accompanying legal and industry compliances.  Technical advances mean that ease of data entry and office efficacy are always improving, for example the latest version of KEYPrime is now configured to be compatible with AutoEntry software and its App. You can simply snap your receipts and invoices with your phone, for speedy uploading into the KEYPrime accounting range - Intro, Accounts & Advanced.   

“It is extremely beneficial to review your current system,” says Nigel Parsons.  “The importance of gathering information is that it can lead to long term efficiencies and therefore makes the time and effort taken to bring it all together worthwhile. Budgeting and reporting, particularly for a new enterprise, must be based on good foundations.”    

Keith Morris, Head of Sales, is pleased to offer the diversified rural sector Landmark’s new Metering module for KEYPrime Accounts and KEYPrime property, he says: “In 30 years of providing software, we have seen huge changes to the types of record kept by the rural business sector as businesses diversify to boost the bottom line.”  

Whether it be for a property portfolio or campsite, keeping records of many meter readings has increased.  Our new Metering module is Landmark’s answer to very complex spreadsheets that then need to be painstakingly re-charged to tenants or customer at varying rates.

“KEYPrime can now do all of this for our clients, bar physically taking the reading itself. Users can record ongoing utility readings for multiple meter types, and then automatically produce a sales invoice for that usage without requiring any further calculation,” continues Keith Morris. 

Fig 1 Keyprime accounting software - Recording an individual reading 

“Not only can you record, recharge and report on any metered service individually or in bulk, you can also keep all information relating to meters in KEYPrime including initial readings, serial numbers, location, and minimum and maximum usage thresholds.  There is even a consumption report to aid the collection of readings,” he concludes.

One customer who has changed their farming focus is Norfolk based FS Dann & Sons.  In the last ten years Simon Dann and his son Alex (Dairy Manager) have taken the pedigree Holstein-Friesian herd from 120 to 440 head, installed a large scale herringbone parlour and new dairy to add value to their milk and eggs.  Interesting varieties of award winning ice-cream, lollies and sorbets are produced with popular year-round favourites such as Honeycomb and Salted Caramel interspersed with new festive flavours such as Gingerbread, Easter Egg and Gin & Tonic! A self-service farm shop with a window onto the ice cream production team sells ice cream and local produce along with free-range eggs from the 16,000 hen flock. 

To manage the paperwork for the 600 acre farm, Simon purchased KEYPrime Advanced accounts in 2017. Annabel James, Landmark’s Marketing and Eastern Sales Consultant, explained: “The Invoice Import, Full Stocks and Sales Order and Purchase Order Processing (SOP & POP) modules chosen by the Dann’s are ideal for helping to maintain multiple records between the farm and a wide range of retail and wholesale customers.”   

The Dann’s are pleased with their purchase, Annie Harris is the full time Farm-Secretary: “I love Landmark, “she says.  “It is more farm-orientated than other accounts programs. For example, it has the facility to cope with haulage levies on the same invoice when cows go to market and the support is very good. We do our VAT return digitally and I had a query on a bulk order which was out by 5p, if you have 13 lines of ice-cream going to one customer the way you calculate the VAT can make a difference. I rang Landmark support and they sorted out the problem with HMRC and came back to me quickly so that I could carry on.  

“Another time saving feature is the Invoice Import (set up with Anglian Farmers) which works brilliantly where quantities of bulk invoices run into the hundreds.  KEYPrime is geared up for this type of business with its easy to amend invoicing and the way that a delivery note is turned into an invoice and then at the hit of a button you can record that the client has paid,” Annie concludes.       

Ease of use of the chosen software is an important factor, together with the assurance that there is a dedicated UK based support line to help when you need assistance. Flexibility of operation is also key and Landmark can provide office based or web based ‘cloud’ software giving the option to operate from the farm office, on a ‘phone or tablet.   
 

To find out more visit our website www.landmarksystems.co.uk, email sales@landmarksystems.co.uk or call 01978 877100 Twitter: @LandmarkSysLtd