Choosing jewellery billing software: a checklist

Whoever you buy from, ask these before you pay. Every one of them has cost some shop real money when the answer turned out to be no.

1. Does it keep a fine-metal balance for every party, beside the rupee balance, or only use purity to price a sale? For job work and karigars, the metal account is the book.
2. Is each bill frozen at the rate it was made at? Changing today's rate must never change an old invoice.
3. Does it cut fine weight at three decimals the way the trade does, or round it? Over a year of bills the difference adds up.
4. Are tax invoices complete? HSN, GST by rate, place of supply, and an unbroken number series each financial year. Can it print a plain bill or estimate too?
5. What is the whole price over three years? One-time licence plus yearly maintenance, or a yearly plan with updates included? Ask what happens to the price at renewal, and whether the printed price is the real one.
6. Can you download all your data, any day, without asking? And what happens if you stop paying: are the books locked, or can you still open and print them?
7. Who can see your books? Your rates, margins and customers are your business. Ask whether the vendor's staff can read them.
8. What if the shop computer dies? Software installed on one machine goes with it. Hosted software should keep a nightly copy you never have to think about.
9. Does it work on a phone, for the owner who isn't at the counter?
10. How do you start? Opening balances, your own bill types and rates set up for you, or a manual and good luck? And can you try it with nothing to lose first?

Gulabi Bahi answers yes to every one of these. You can check for yourself in the practice shop at try.gulabibahi.com.