One record, or four places to keep in step.
Most trading businesses run on a notebook, a spreadsheet, a till app and an accountant's file. Here is how that compares with separate apps, large ERP suites and Diwaan.
What each way of working gives you.
A fair comparison of the four ways businesses keep their records. Every business is different, so read the notes below the table too.
| What you need | Notebooks and spreadsheets | Separate apps | Large ERP suites | Diwaan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time to start | Minutes | Days, one app at a time | Months, with consultants | One afternoon |
| Sales, stock and books in one record | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Books kept as you sell | No | Partly, with exports | Yes | Yes |
| Keeps selling without internet | Yes | Some tills | Rarely | Yes |
| Branches and transfers | No | Partly | Yes | Yes |
| Your accountant sees the same numbers | No | After exports | Yes | Free seat |
| Plain business words | Yes | Varies | No | Yes |
| Cost for one shop | Low, but errors cost more | Several subscriptions | High | Free while we launch |
| Grows to a group of companies Coming | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Export everything, any time | Yes | Varies | Often costly | Yes |
When something else is the right choice.
Notebooks and spreadsheets
Free and familiar, and fine for a stall with a few items. They stop working when stock moves between places, when more than one person sells, or when the accountant needs the month in order.
Separate apps
A till app, a stock spreadsheet and an accounting package. Each does its job, but none agrees with the others, so someone re-types the day every evening.
Large ERP suites
Broad and deep, built for companies with an IT team. Setup takes months, training takes weeks, and the words are written for accountants rather than cashiers.
Bring your records with you.
Your items, customers, suppliers and opening balances come with you, whatever you use today.
From a notebook
List your items and the customers who owe you in a spreadsheet. Import both. Count stock once with a phone camera. Coming You can be selling on Diwaan the same day.
Read the one-week planFrom spreadsheets
Import items, prices, customers and suppliers directly from your files. Diwaan checks every row and shows what needs fixing before anything is saved.
How to import itemsFrom another app
Export your items, customers, suppliers and opening balances from the old app. On Business and Group, our team does the import with you and checks the opening balances. Coming
Ask about a guided moveAbout switching.
Do I have to stop trading to switch?
What about my old records?
Can my accountant keep using their own software?
What if Diwaan is not right for us?
Run the business. The books keep themselves.
Free while we launch. Every part included. No card needed.