Provider of wearable cameras designed for extreme sports enthusiasts, Action Cameras needed an accounting system as fast paced as its clients. Three months after the South African branch opened in January 2010, it had grown to a level of turnover where an accounting system that went beyond Excel spreadsheets was needed.

Owner and manager of Action Cameras SA, Warrick Kernes, says "One of my business mentors emphasised the importance of always knowing your numbers so that you can make informed decisions and not just fly by on whims." Following this advice, Mr. Kernes decided he needed a comprehensive accounting program with automatic stock-taking and reporting systems.

“I decided on Pastel Xpress because it was easy to learn and I could effortlessly pull reports from it to guide me through the financial woods. It could also keep up with my complex stock-taking requirements.”

Inventories on the wild side
The small cameras that are fitted onto helmets, canoes and parachutes are sourced from around the globe with all stock handling and dispatching done in house in South Africa. “This creates stock-taking challenges as lead times vary according to which product it is and where it is sourced”. Pastel Xpress automatically updates stock levels, which enables Action Cameras to know exactly when stock items need to be re-ordered as delivery from different geographies vary. “This means never having to turn a client away.”

Taking to the skies
Warrick Kernes has been using Pastel Xpress since May 2010 and he believes it has ticked all the boxes. "As a business owner I need to have immediate access to information which is as accurate and up to date as possible. When a client comes in to make a purchase I have to have my finger on the pulse of sales turnover.” Using Xpress means every sale is immediately on record at the click of a button.

“Looking to the future I believe this current software is scalable enough to grow with us before we eventually upgrade to one of the larger, more sophisticated Pastel options."
Implementation requirements

The Solution at a glance

Industry: E-commerce
No. of Users: 2
Previous Solution: Excel spreadsheets

Key Benefits of Pastel Xpress:

• The software fitted within our budget when buying
• User friendliness
• Ease of learning / easy to train someone new on the systems
• It is easy to access financial reports which are important to us
• Updates stock in real time

Pastel Xpress, the bricks and mortar of customer accounting

KWP Architects needed an efficient way to track previous year’s quotations and invoices in order to adjust prices accordingly for new jobs in a new year. Pastel Xpress provided just that solution and now customer follow-up is more efficient and faster than ever.

Kemp Wegelin en Vennote, known as KWP Architects, provide services including landscape architecture, urban design, environmental consulting and project management for various clients.

From hotels to golfing estates the company has many regular customers that come back year after year for upgrades, new designs and new ventures. This means that keeping track of a client’s billing history is a never ending task.

Weak foundations

Before implementing Pastel Xpress, KWP Architects found themselves constantly paging through books and files to find customer’s historic project fees as well as their contact and payment details.

The company’s accountant Debbie de Bruyn said the need for a time saving solution was essential. “We required a complete accounting system that would enable us to save a client’s details and billing history on a database where we could look up this information at the click of a button.”

The perfect blueprint

After implementing Pastel Xpress in the beginning of 2010, Debbie immediately noted how much time the program was saving the company, giving them more flexibility to forge and strengthen customer relationships. “Being able to quickly supply quotes, invoices and track payment processes is just another way to impress our clients and makes both our lives hassle free.” Pastel Xpress gives KWP architects the ability to view outstanding balances by their ageing period in addition to allowing for the linking of quotations and sales orders and the customisation of document layouts.

“The program automatically updates all new entries and any changes each month, which helps the auditors to do their job faster too. I would advise any business to use Softline Pastel as their accounting system,” concludes Ms. De Bruyn.

The Solution at a glance

Industry: Architecture
No. Of Users: 1

Key benefits of Pastel Xpress:

• Linking of quotations and sales orders and the customisation of document layouts
• Database for contact and payment details
• View customer billing histories
• Full accounting package