Accounting software company Softline Pastel has launched a mobile application for its cloud-based accounting service for small businesses, Pastel My Business Online.
Also, its personal financial management (PFM) service can now pull in banking data automatically and it has launched a webpage builder to help small businesses create a Web presence and market their services.
Pastel launched My Business Online in May 2009 and PFM service, Pastel My Money, in June this year. Although the core PFM offering, which tracks spending behaviour and allows users to photograph invoices and attach them to transaction information, is free, for R15/month users can elect to “scrape” data automatically from their online banking profile.
Pastel MD Steven Cohen says the data scraping is powered by the same back end service used US PFM website Mint. All of SA’s banks are creating their own PFM solutions, “but where we’ve got the edge is we’re agnostic”. Cohen says the service can support multiple bank accounts from more than one bank. Furthermore, employees who are paid using Pastel Payroll can also have their pay-slip data pulled into the service automatically.
Pastel has also partnered with Samsung Electronics to ship Galaxy S3 handsets and tablet computers preloaded with a version of My Business Online for Android. Consumers will get a year’s free access to Pastel My Business Online. The devices can be purchased via Pastel’s online store.
Meanwhile, Pastel has launched Pastel My Webspace, which allows people to build a website for their business, manage SMS and e-mail marketing campaigns and sell products or services online.
Cohen says research shows that 70% of small businesses don’t have a website and, if they do, their marketing capabilities and integration with smartphones and social media is limited.
Pastel My Webspace offers two setup options. The first, which includes telephonic support, is for customers wanting to build their own website and costs R500. Pastel will build the site for R3 000. Thereafter, there is a monthly subscription fee of R125. — (c) 2012 NewsCentral Media