AIMS vs spreadsheets
Most businesses we meet run on Excel and WhatsApp, and for a while that works. Here is an honest look at where spreadsheets hold up, and where they start costing you.
Side by side
| Topic | Spreadsheets and WhatsApp | AIMS |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to start | Free, or already paid for. | A one-time licence and setup, with no per-user fees. |
| One version of the truth | Copies are emailed and edited separately. Whoever saved last wins. | One record that sales, service, stores and accounts all work from. |
| Quotes and approvals | Built by hand. Margins are checked if someone remembers. | Built from your prices and rules, with approval when a margin or discount crosses your limit. |
| Stock | Updated when someone has time. | Moves with every goods receipt, delivery and invoice. |
| AMC renewals | Found by scrolling, often after the contract has lapsed. | A list of contracts ending in the next three months, or already lapsed. |
| Who can see what | Anyone with the file sees everything in it. | Permissions down to a single field, such as cost price. |
| History | Overwritten, unless someone kept a copy. | An audit log records who changed what and when. |
| On the phone | Hard to read and harder to edit. | Installs from the browser, for sales, service and HR. |
Which suits you
Spreadsheets and WhatsApp is enough when
- One or two people handle sales, stock and accounts.
- You send a few quotes a week and remember every customer.
- You have no service contracts or field teams.
AIMS pays off when
- Several people work on the same customers, stock or contracts.
- You have branches, field teams or a service desk.
- Margins, renewals or stock slip because nobody sees them in time.
Questions
Is AIMS too much for a small team?
If one or two people run everything, spreadsheets may be enough for now. AIMS pays off once several people share the same customers, stock or contracts.
Do we pay more as the team grows?
No. AIMS is a one-time purchase with no per-user fees.
See AIMS on your own business
Book a demo and we will walk through your own contracts, orders and teams.
Book a demo