When it was launched in 2008, Instant Accounting was the first product of its kind to be offered by a bank in South Africa. It is still the only product of its kind which uses data directly from the customer's bank statements and eliminates the need for any manual file downloads or imports.
FNB constantly monitors best practices in accounting solutions and other online software packages around the world. After a recent review of this nature and taking into account feedback received from existing users, FNB effected various enhancements to keep Instant Accounting at the forefront of accounting packages.
Some of the key new features of Instant Accounting include a new user-friendly look and feel; a new quick-start guide which provides four easy steps on how to get started; an activity monitor which shows how far you have progressed on the system and what steps you need to take to progress further; a new menu layout; faster category assignments including a rule creation wizard; and a new user-friendly and a visually appealing dashboard with sub-menu tabs to keep track of where you are.
"The creation of an enabling environment for entrepreneurs in South Africa is crucial to the country's economic development. Through a variety of innovative offerings FNB strives to provide entrepreneurs with the necessary tools to have the best possible chance of success. Instant Accounting can simplify the business owner's accounting function and lead to considerable cost saving on accounting fees," says John Botha, head of value-added services for FNB Business Banking.
"We have already received some positive feedback on the enhancements from existing users and we expect take-up to increase rapidly in coming months. To many business owners the thought of taking on the management of their business's accounting function might seem like a daunting task, but once they register for the new and improved Instant Accounting and familiarise themselves with its easy to use interface, they will be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to produce accurate management accounts for their business in a short space of time," concludes Botha.
Instant Accounting is supported by an in-house support centre and is free of charge to FNB customers. It can generate a variety of useful reports, such as income statements, cash-flow statements, debtors' and creditors' reports and financial dashboards.
