Sage has announced a new partnership with Square that is focused on providing an integration between Sage Accounting and Square POS. The integration is already available to customers in the UK, Ireland and Canada. It allows small businesses to take payments using Square and the information flows directly into Sage Accounting. It thus simplifies the administration process and ensures that the data is accurate for subsequent bookkeeping work. Any transactions completed within Square are uploaded to Sage Accounting daily, giving bookkeepers an up-to-date view of how the business is performing, whether those transactions are completed online, on the phone or physically at a shop or stall.
Neal Watkins, EVP of Product at Sage, commented: “Processing cashless payments effectively is critical to business owners especially as more shoppers choose digital payment methods over cash. Through this partnership, Sage and Square are taking the pain out of keeping on top of finances for small businesses. They can keep track of sales transactions with ease, and get paid with confidence, and Sage Accounting is automatically updated so their books are covered.”
Sage customer benefits
For Sage customers, the app is available on the Sage Marketplace. Square is offering free processing on up to £2,000 in card transactions. (T&Cs apply). Payment is sent on the next business day, though customers can opt for immediate payment, though this does attract a small fee. For users without a payments engine currently, Sage notes several advantages:
- Takes the pain out of accounting by seamlessly updating customers’ books. All sales and payment transactions processed through Square POS are reconciled automatically in Sage Accounting daily
- Combining Sage’s software with the option to add easy-to-use POS hardware to support cashless selling, in-person, online or over the phone, enabling SMEs to process sales anywhere and anytime
- It provides up-to-date, easily accessible, and accurate visibility of a business’s financial position
- Enjoying an optimised customer experience: Ability to offer loyalty programs and delve into data to understand customer behaviour. Though this is not explained on the marketplace
- Support is available around the clock: Customers can access 24/7 support when using the integration through a service provided by Amaka, a global leader in accounting integration and automation software, which powers the connection between Sage and Square.
Square customers
For Square customers, Sage Accounting can provide a simple bookkeeping solution to manage their business better than manual processes and spreadsheets. Their accountants can have immediate access of the data, and with the Making Tax Digital initiative in the UK, firms can lower accounting costs with automated processes. Sage Accounting is available on the Square App Marketplace, and a free 90-day trial is available.
Jason Lalor, Executive Director at Square Europe. “When the world went online during the pandemic, technology helped businesses survive. One of the lasting benefits we’ve seen for businesses was the shift to digital ways of working and selling. This switch is providing solutions to challenges all across the professional services sector by allowing businesses to be agile. Our sellers are continuously finding new and more efficient ways of working that prioritise expertise, implementing technology, and setting their business apart in an increasingly competitive landscape and we’re excited to see how this partnership with Sage strengthens SMB growth.”
Enterprise Times: What does this mean
This is a smart move, with Sage having sold much of its payments business. It will open up Sage Accounting to a wider audience that already uses Square but has not yet looked for a Cloud Accounting solution. What is missing from this announcement is the integration being available in the United States and other countries.
It will be interesting to see how quickly this follows. Also, can this partnership boost the fortunes of Sage Accounting in these territories as it competes with Xero and QuickBooks?
