Kissimmee, Fla. (June 15, 2004) -- Best Software will launch a payroll program to enable accountants to operate their own service bureaus, although that effort will follow next year’s plan for tailoring an existing payroll product to the company’s general ledger packages.
“We expect it to be attractive to customers who are offering payroll services,” said Jim Foster, executive vice president of business units in Best’s Mid-Market Division.
Foster said that the service bureau product will be modeled on the online Peachtree Payroll Services that was launched in May. However, before that offering hits the market, Best will introduce a series of products based on the Peachtree offering. That includes MAS 90 Payroll Services and Accpac Payroll Services, which will be tailored to have a look and feel similar to the MAS 90 and Accpac accounting software lines The move to unify the interface of Best products is part of its Suite concept, which was introduced last week at the company’s Insights reseller conference, here.
Foster said that Best will explore whether it can allow accounting firms to privately label the service when they resell it to their clients. The time frame for the accountant version depends on how quickly Best can get the MAS 90 and Accpac editions to market. Foster said that Best employees who worked with Peachtree when it was owned by ADP are drawing on that experience to help the company become an important player in the payroll market.
--Robert W. Scott
