Business owners know that running a company calls for hard work, careful planning, and reliable processes.
It seems that they need to do everything, be everywhere, all at once. For rural businesses, the challenge is even greater. It’s a tough gig – but business management software makes it easier!
Merlin Software is an Adelaide-based, independent provider of business management software. It is a family owned and operated company that has proudly supported rural industries for over 40 years. It develops and supports Cobalt Retail, which is a certified Australian Made product.
“Cobalt Retail gives you the tools you need to take care of your business, so you can focus on what you do best: serve customers, give advice, and make sales,” says Matt Wilkinson, technical sales and support manager at Merlin Software.
“It is a comprehensive, feature-rich, and affordable business solution. Our support team is second-to-none. They will help you to configure and customise the Cobalt system to adapt it to your specific business needs.
“We understand the needs of rural retailers and our systems have developed through extensive research, measurement, and user feedback. We work cooperatively with our clients to ensure their management system sets them up for a better tomorrow,” he said.
To manage each part of a business, Cobalt Retail has distinct modules – point of sale, accounting, payroll, workshop, commission sales – and integrates data between them, so information is shared across the suite, ensuring complete business management.
It also works as a mobile app on smartphones and other portable devices. Mr Wilkinson said Merlin Software supplies its clients a warranted on-site server that is dedicated to running the Cobalt system, which is all included in a standard monthly fee.
“In addition to the software and the server, Merlin Software also provides its clients start-up and data conversion assistance, personalised training and ongoing support, quarterly software upgrades and secure off-site, onshore backups as part of this fee.
“After installation, Merlin Software continues to provide the same quality of support to its clients. When it’s time to grow, the Cobalt system can be expanded for a multi-site setup, allowing stock transferring, data sharing, debtor and creditor maintenance, and more, to be managed by a central head-office.
“Cobalt Retail is designed to be a one-stop software solution for one-stop shops!”
Mr Wilkinson said a lot of their new clients are surprised to learn they can pick up the phone and promptly speak with a support consultant. “They find it refreshing that they don’t have to deal with a robotic phone system, waste time waiting in long queues, or be transferred from person to person before their problem is heard.
“They can then follow this up by directly contacting the support consultant who helped them – and avoid having to repeat their problem.
“Cobalt is fully compliant with government standards, for example with STP and the ATO, or with either the Australian Dangerous Goods Code or the Globally Harmonised System.
“It can track customers with specific licenses, such as pesticide licenses, automatically alert the user to ensure they are valid when making sales and attach SDSs to products. So, you can trust the system to protect your obligations,” Mr Wilkinson said.
“Using Cobalt Retail, you can be confident that you will always have instant access to accurate information about your business, which you’ll need to make the best decisions you can.”
