Signs Accounting Departments Have Outgrown QuickBooks (From an Expert ERP Consultant)

Growing businesses often don’t realize how crucial business software is to company expansion. This is especially true for a company’s accounting department, an area of business in which even the most subtle increase in productivity can mean an exponential growth in workload. Ginger Myers, one of our expert consultants with 25+ years of ERP experience, says you'll know it's time to upgrade when there are performance and audit issues, increased transaction volumes, and you're spending too much time on manual reporting. Let's dig in.

Included in this article: 

1. Sign You've Outgrown QuickBooks: Transaction Volume Too High
2. Sign You've Outgrown QuickBooks: More Than 5 QuickBooks Users
3. Sign You've Outgrown QuickBooks: You Need Better Audit Controls
4. Sign You've Outgrown QuickBooks: Poor Performance Issues
5. Sign You've Outgrown QuickBooks: Wasted Time Spent on Manual Reporting
6. Ginger's Biography

Transaction Volume is Too High

The number of financial transactions your company handles on a daily basis should be a good indication of whether QuickBooks is still the right solution for you. QuickBooks works well for simply daily transactions but if your business needs detailed revenue and expense tracking, it may be time to upgrade.

Ginger's Take

"Manual workarounds indicate QuickBooks limitations. When your team spends excessive time manipulating data to generate reports, you've likely outgrown the system."

Here's Your Sign:

• If your team uses spreadsheets to supplement QuickBooks reporting, you’ve hit a ceiling.
• Centre Technologies’ Business Central offerings help businesses consolidate their ERP into one screen.
• Business Central handles millions of transactions with ease.

More Than 5 QuickBooks Users

As the number of users increases, QuickBooks tends to encounter performance issues, with the database manager struggling to handle the load and leading to disconnections during user sessions. 

Ginger's Take

"QuickBooks is great for small businesses. And if you want to stay small, then QuickBooks is great for you. And let's be honest, people don't like change. User resistance is common, as employees tend to prefer tools they know, which complicates ERP transitions. But staying on QuickBooks due to familiarity can hinder growth in the long run."

Here's Your Sign: 

• If your team exceeds 5 users, it's time to scale. 
• Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business central supports up to 300 users. 
• Business Central's cloud-based architecture ensures stability and scalability. 
  
  

You Need Better Audit Controls

QuickBooks lacks robust audit trails that are essential for regulatory compliance. 

Ginger's Take

"QuickBooks lack of GAAP compliance in job cost reporting, multi-currency accounting, and automated controls risks audit failures. There's a reason if you can't pass audits when you're growing with venture capital investments. It's paramount that you transition to a system that supports SOX compliance and GAAP standards." 

Here's Your Sign: 

• If you're preparing for audits or seeking investment, QuickBooks probably won't meet compliance needs. 
• Business Central offers full audit trails and regulatory support. 
• Venture-backed companies often require ERP systems with stronger controls. 
  
  
  

Poor Performance Issues

Performance issues often arise when the file size hits 250 MB or the total number of transactions surpasses 32,000. Particularly noticeable performance issues can occur when any list (customers, vendors, employees) exceeds 10,000 records. 

Ginger's Take

"Legacy systems limit operational efficiency. Staying on outdated platforms leads to clunky workflows and integration issues."

Here's Your Sign: 

• If your QuickBooks file is bloated and slow, you're losing productivity. 
• Business Central uses SQL Server to handle up to 80GB of data without lag.
• Centre Technologies helps businesses migrate without losing historical data. 
  
  
  

Wasted Time Spent on Manual Reporting

QuickBooks users have customer and revenue data in supplemental systems such as, Excel, and a CRM system. Creating a detailed report that provides you with all the information you needed requires a lot of time spent manually entering data from one source to another, resulting in wasted employee productivity. 

Ginger's Take

"Microsoft is actively advancing with Power Automate, Power BI, and Copilot, which are transforming business process automation, analytics, and AI-driven insights. QuickBooks, on the other hand, has struggled to keep pace with such innovation, especially regarding automation and advanced reporting, which can cause manual reporting tasks to drain employee productivity. I recommend that businesses use their ERP migration project as an opportunity to clean up their metadata such as Chart of Accounts, Vendors and Customers and align their accounting structure with their reporting requirements." 

Here's Your Sign:

• If your reports require manual data entry for multiple systems, it's time to upgrade. 
• Business Central integrates with Power BI, SharePoint, Excel, Copilot, etc. for real time dashboard. 
• Centre Technologies empowers teams with automated reporting tools. 

Upgrade from QuickBooks or Lose Growth Traction

Ginger reminds us that clinging to QuickBooks for comfort can block the adoption of scalable solutions and prevent businesses from reaching their growth potential. While QuickBooks may feel familiar, it's not built for every future. Migrating to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is not just a technical upgrade but a strategic move. 

"You must embrace change to stay relevant. To longer you delay, the further behind you'll get."

Ginger Myers
Senior BI Consultant at Centre Technologies

Ready to Migrate? 

Centre Technologies' ERP experts (like Ginger) help businesses transition from QuickBooks to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central with minimal disruption and 24x7 support. Whether your scaling your business, seeking compliance, or just tired of manual workarounds, we're here to guide you. 

For more information on how an ERP solution can help your business grow contact Centre Technologies for a tour of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.

About Ginger Myers

Ginger Myers is a Senior BI Consultant at Centre Technologies with 25+ years in ERP experience, specifically in Microsoft Dynamics Great Plains and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. Throughout her career, she's led numerous ERP implementations, providing end-to-end support from requirements gathering and fit-gap analysis to training end-users and go-live preparation. Ginger's has certifications in Microsoft Certified Solutions Architect (MCSA), Scrum Master, and Acumatica Project Implementation Specialist. Whether it’s migrating systems, implementing ISV applications, or customizing ERP solutions, Ginger approaches each challenge with a focus on collaboration and results.