Mastering Sage Intacct: Your Comprehensive Roadmap

7 min read

February 21, 2024

In the AEC (Architecture, Engineering, and Construction) industry, the core function of your business is a far cry from bookkeeping and accounting.  

However, when SMBs begin to grow rapidly and enter the mid-market space, they tend to quickly outgrow the capacity and capabilities of QuickBooks, and many leaders in these businesses are turning to Sage Intacct ® accounting software to meet their growing and changing needs with its greater transaction volume capacity, flexibility, and scalability. 

The increased flexibility of Sage Intacct, however, is not as intuitive as QuickBooks. In addition to its larger capacity, Intacct comes with a much steeper learning curve. As a result, users must take the time to get acquainted and comfortable with their version of the accounting software. 

What Is Intacct Software?

The Sage Group develops accounting, business management, human resources, and enterprise resource planning software for SMBs. Sage Intacct is a leading accounting software solution that was developed specifically to accommodate the needs of fast-growing and mid-market businesses.

Intacct is compliant with the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), and it is the only accounting software with an endorsement from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). 

Read More: The Pros and Cons of Outsourced Accounting Services For Businesses

Sage Intacct: How It Works

Cloud-Based

Sage Intacct is 100% cloud-based (meaning you can log in and work from anywhere).

Automatic Updates

Each quarter, Sage rolls out updates for Intacct. Since the software is cloud-based, users don't have to remember to update on their own, the updates come out automatically so that all users are always on the latest, most secure version of the software. 

Customized

Sage Intacct is highly customized to each of its client's needs. 

Each client's personalized software package is constructed from various individual software modules. These separate modules come together seamlessly to create a comprehensive, personally curated software solution designed to meet any unique company's specific set of back-office needs. 

Expandable

Additionally, the Sage Intacct Marketplace contains an easy-to-use directory of more than 350 fully integrated applications from third-party developers. These applications can be used to expand the capabilities of Sage Intacct further, transforming it into a management accounting and organization-wide management tool that collects and reports both financial and non-financial data. 

Multi-Entity Platform

Sage Intacct can house all of your entities in the same location. You can manage them separately or view top-level, global reports with a shared chart of accounts. 

Sage Intacct: How to Use

Update Your Preferences

For any new Sage Intacct user, the first step should be to update preferences. This tailors the basic user experience to your liking and personal needs. You can update preferences under applications, company, and admin. Then select your user name. Then click on preferences to update features such as your display, records per page, transactions per page, etc. Be sure to save the changes you make. 

Set up Multidimensional Accounting

Sage's multidimensional accounting allows users to create unique tags to track costs and expenses with personalized categories. This way, you can easily view your costs through various lenses such as departments, jobs, locations, items, or other class types. 

Establish Granular User Types

Sage Intacct is open to an unlimited number of users and allows you to set different types of users with role-based permissions, such as business users or employee users. Certain types have editing access while others can log in for approvals or to view and generate reports. 

Set up and assign user types from the start to reduce the risk of unauthorized actions. Establishing proper permissions from the start also maintains the integrity of your data while strengthening data security. 

Use Favorites

Expedite your navigation through Sage Intacct by using favorites. You can curate a list of your most-used tasks and reports by selecting the small star icon that appears next to them inside the applications menu. This will populate these selections under your favorites (located on the top-left corner of the page). You can then drag and drop selections to arrange the list of your favorites in any order you desire. 

Read More: Oracle NetSuite vs. Sage Intacct: Which Is the Better Accounting Software for Your Business?

Personalize Your Dashboard

To view your most important information at a glance, Intacct gives users the ability to personalize a dashboard containing essential information on the homepage of the platform. Your dashboard can be personalized by clicking the plus sign on the dashboards link within the applications menu. 

Create List Views

Data that appears in lists (such as customer lists, vendor lists, or invoice lists) can be customized and arranged to your liking by creating a custom list view. 

At the top of any given list, you will see a drop-down box titled "Manage Views". Click this button and click to create a new view. From there, you should be able to see all of the different information available for populating your list. Make selections by checking or unchecking the boxes. Then press next. You can then drag and drop information into your desired display order. Next, specify any filters you would like to include in the data. 

Once you've named the list, you can choose to deploy it so that all users can see and use it or you can leave it undeployed for only your use and view. Be sure to save it when you are finished. 

Search Wildcards

Wildcard searching is a handy trick when you don't remember the exact name or value of a transaction you're searching for. To search a wildcard term, simply enter a % before the term in the search bar. For example, if you are looking for a transaction for a brick supplier and you know that brick was in the business name but cannot remember the full business, you can simply search %brick to view a list of all relevant results containing the word brick.

Notifications and Alerts

Stay on top of important changes and events by setting up alerts and notifications inside your dashboard. You can create customized rulesets for alerts and notifications to trigger at certain thresholds, budget variances, or invoice approvals. 

Collaboration Tools

Intacct features built-in collaboration tools that enable team members, departments, and outsourced professionals to collaborate seamlessly in real-time. These collaboration features include commenting, file-sharing, and instant messaging. Plus, these communication tools support @mention functionality, so that you can tag specific users in conversations to ensure they are up to date with the conversation. 

To receive notifications for @mentions, be sure to update this in your alerts and notifications settings. 

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Top 3 Tips for Mastering Sage Intacct

1. Use the Sage Intacct Resource Center

Whether new to Sage Intacct or a seasoned user wanting to keep up with the latest updates to the software, the Sage Intacct Resource Center is an excellent starting point. The materials here can help you become acquainted with the basics navigation and use of the software in addition to providing more advanced tips and tricks to help you make the most of your business's investment by leveraging the software and integrated tools to your advantage. 

The Resource Center includes webinars, a user community, and professional customer support in addition to a calendar of events designed to help you network with company representatives and other Sage Intacct users. 

2. Sign up for Sage Intacct Classes

The Resource Center also houses a link to Sage University where professional training and certification can be obtained in Sage Intacct. Whether you want to complete an entire certification in Sage Intacct or simply become familiar with the aspects of the accounting software that are most relevant to your business, the courses available from Sage University will help you accomplish these goals. 

Users can sign up for classes that are available on-demand so that busy professionals can attend whenever it is most convenient. For more personalized instruction, instructor-led courses are available, as well. Plus, subscriptions to Sage University can be obtained individually or in groups so that you can train one person or your entire organization to use Sage Intacct. 

3. Outsource Professional Help With Sage Intacct

If your business is growing but not so quickly that you can afford a complete in-house bookkeeping and accounting staff, then outsourcing might be the best way to make the most of your investment in Sage Intacct accounting software. 

An outsourced accounting team that is already experienced with Sage Intacct can be your guide to using the software and getting the most out of it. An outsourced team will establish, integrate, and implement Sage Intacct as a part of your bookkeeping and accounting processes and system. We can then ensure you're using the right integrations, provide team training, and help you learn how to navigate and use the software for management accounting to improve your business. 

What Accounting Software and Outsourced Accounting Services Can Do for Your Business

Paired with a powerful accounting software solution like Sage Intacct, outsourced accounting services can take your business to the next level.

Sage Intacct is powerful, but it is also quite complex. If you are not certain about which tools within the software are relevant to your business or how best to tailor them to meet your business's back-office needs, then a team of outsourced accounting professionals can help you maximize the ROI on your investment in accounting software.

We can help you organize your back office and the collection of data throughout your business to align your management reporting with your business's goals. This way you can easily track performance and make data-driven decisions to improve your processes and operations to maximize productivity and profits. 

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