The Ultimate Back-Office Software Guide
Back-Office Software for SMEs: Tools to Automate Your Operations
As a small- to medium-sized business owner, you are probably all too familiar with the question: When is the right time to start using back office software? The answer to this question is simple: it’s never too early, provided the benefits of using the software are larger than the time and effort that goes into implementing it!
At Five, we specialize in building user-friendly, ready-to-use and affordable back-office software solutions. Meet our library of prebuilt systems and learn how they can help you work smarter, not harder!
What Is Back-Office Software?
Back-office software describes systems and solutions that help streamline business operations. Its the software that is used by internal staff members and departments.
In its simplest form, back-office software provides structure to your business’s data, such as customer information, order information or asset tracking. A good question to ask yourself is how much of your data is currently stored in spreadsheets. While spreadsheets are not a problem per se, they are likely to lead to operational issues.
Back-Office Software vs Spreadsheets
Most SMEs that work with our back-office tools migrate from spreadsheets. When asked what their current back-office software is (prior to working with us), the answer is more often than not “spreadsheets”.
Spreadsheets, however, can create several issues, such as:
1. Lack of Access Control
Shared spreadsheets offer very little in terms of access control: whoever has the spreadsheet can almost see, edit or delete everything. This creates risks, as valuable data could be lost or fall into the wrong hands. With professional back-office software, you can control exactly who has access to what through role-based access control.
2. Poor Data Recovery:
Recovering data from a spreadsheet or restoring it to a previous version is difficult and time-consuming. Back-office software, on the other hand, offers professional data recovery and storage, eliminating this risk.
3. Lack of Version Control:
How many spreadsheets start with the good intention of having ‘a single source of truth’, but end up copied and shared multiple times, so that after just a few days, no one is quite sure anymore which file is the latest version? A good indicator of version confusion in your business is file names. Does your business share files named “Spreadsheet – v2”, “Spreadsheet – NEW”, or “Spreadsheet – Comments”?
4. Lack of Scalability
Nowadays, spreadsheets can hold a lot of data, but they impact your business’ scalability in other negative ways. The viability of almost any business depends on its ability to use data effectively. Data in spreadsheets is not made for advanced analytics, Business Intelligence (BI) or Artificial Intelligence (AI). With back-office software, data is stored in a structured way, so that it can be analyzed (by a human or a machine) in ways that spreadsheets don’t allow.
5. Risk of Human Error
Spreadsheets can be easily manipulated, and they increase the risk of human error. Say one of your employees accidentally makes a change to your gross margin calculations without realizing their mistake. With proper back-office software, you cannot fully eliminate the risk of human error, but you can minimize it. Back-office software can run validations, enforce standards, or alert other staff members to unusual results.
In summary, ditch the spreadsheets—modern back-office software automates what manual tracking can’t, saving you time, errors, and headaches.
Back-Office Software Essentials: Must-Have Features
With so many back-office software solutions out there, it’s easy to get lost. Here are some must-have features to look out for.
First and foremost, a robust back-office software solution should empower and not limit your growing business. Here’s what to prioritize:
✅ Cloud-hosted and scalable systems ensure you never outgrow your tools. By being cloud-hosted these systems are designed to handle the workload of a small business with few orders, but can grow to almost any size and user base.
✅ 24/7 Accessibility from anywhere with internet keeps operations running smoothly, even when you’re not in the office. This gives you the ability to respond to customers or business partners at any time, regardless of whether you are at your desk or on the road.
✅ Role-based access control safeguards sensitive data by letting you dictate who sees what, whether it’s your accountant or warehouse team. Security is non-negotiable.
✅ Generally, it’s important to implement login protection and encryption to shield important business data.
✅ Finally, expandable software with integrations or modular features adapts to your needs, whether you’re adding payment gateways or syncing with eCommerce platforms.
Our range of back-office software solutions presented below has these features “out-of-the-box”, meaning you can hit the ground running and not having to worry about scalability, security or accessibility.
Our Back-Office Software Solutions
Based on our experience working with SMEs, we have developed a range of affordable, user-friendly and and ready-to-use back-office software applications. Our applications are designed to give you all the essential features you’d be looking for in a back-office software, and are fully customizable.
One thing we learnt from working with SMEs is that every SME operates a little differently. That’s why we support our customers with affordable customization services.
If you need a new feature, such as
- an automatically generated PDF document, such as an invoice,
- an email notification to a customer, staff member or business partner,
- a new user role for a new teammate, or
- a custom dashboard for your monthly reporting,
our team can help you implement these features quickly and cost-effectively.
Fleet Management for SMEs
Does your business operate a fleet of cars, trucks or other vehicles? If so, our Fleet Management Application is a great place to simplify your asset management.
Our fully featured, scalable Fleet Management application lets you track vehicles, maintenance schedules, driver assignments, and fleet expenses all in one intuitive dashboard.
The fleet management application is made for small- and medium-sized businesses that manage, operate and/or own a fleet of vehicles, such as trucks, cars or others. By using the application, companies can manage their fleet more efficiently and establish a single source of truth about their fleet, tracking repairs, fuel consumption or trips.
Supplier Database for SMEs
Managing suppliers can be one of the most time-consuming and critical tasks for SMEs. Establishing a supplier database simplifies this process.
Our supplier database is made for small- and medium-sized businesses that regularly work with a large number of suppliers. By using the application, companies can manage their suppliers more efficiently, monitor performance and keep better track of purchases and interactions.
Our Supplier Database can also be used as a portal, where suppliers have their logins to the application. This removes the need to send emails, share files or pick up the phone, as the portal takes care of critical data exchange.
Employee Portal for SMEs
HR is often overlooked when it comes to back-office software. Too many HR departments simply work on spreadsheets or share important information in emails, Word documents and spreadsheets.
With an Employee Portal, companies can effectively manage headcount, leave, and payroll in one centralized platform.
Our user-friendly Employee Portal is designed for all company staff, from HR managers to employees, and automates common HR processes, such as leave requests and approvals or monthly payroll. Different permission levels ensure each user can access relevant tools while maintaining appropriate data security protocols.
Order Management System for SMEs
If accepting and fulfilling orders is part and parcel of your everyday business, then our Order Management System is for you. Simple, yet powerful, it stores all critical order information and keeps track of the entire order lifecycle.
Effortlessly track orders, payments, and customer details with our scalable, feature-rich order management system. Streamline workflows by creating orders, updating statuses (paid, pending, shipped), and maintaining full visibility over every transaction.
Designed for growing businesses handling high order volumes, our Order Management System transforms order management with intuitive interfaces and powerful dashboards. Perfect for small-to-medium enterprises looking to optimize receiving, processing, and fulfillment, it brings efficiency to your operations.
Art and Collector Database
Our industry-specific solutions for artists, collectors and gallerists are user-friendly and ready-to-use. They are the ideal solutions for anyone who produces, sells or distributes artworks, or who collects collectibles.
Back-Office Software: The Key to Working Smarter
The best back-office solutions don’t require expensive setups or IT expertise—they just work. By choosing simple, affordable tools, you skip the headaches of drawn-out implementations, clunky systems, and wasted time.
Why overcomplicate it? The right software should:
✔ Get you started fast—no months-long onboarding
✔ Grow with you—without surprise costs
✔ Save your sanity—so you can focus on what matters
Back-office software exists to make your life easier—not add another chore. Ready to streamline your operations? Try our back-office software solutions – because running your business shouldn’t feel like a second job.
