To choose billing software for a wholesale business in Pakistan, check twelve things before you pay: whether it connects billing to stock and ledgers, how it handles udhaar, units, mistakes and profit, and what happens to your data. A printed bill is the least of it.
What should the software do with one invoice?
1. It should update stock and the customer's balance from the invoice. If you must also write the sale in a stock register or a khata, you have bought a printer, not a system. See what wholesale distribution software is.
2. It should keep a running ledger. Ask to see one customer's ledger with the balance after every entry, and ask what happens when a bill is entered with last week's date. Every later balance should correct itself. See how a running ledger works.
Does it fit how wholesale really works?
3. Credit. It should record a payment against the customer, not force you to match it to one bill, and it should show who owes what.
4. Units. It should let you buy in cartons or tons and sell in pieces or kilograms, with pack sizes that differ by product. See unit conversion.
5. Your trade. An auto-parts dealer needs part numbers; a cloth merchant needs design and colour. Ask whether product details can be changed for your business.
6. Returns. A return should be made from the original bill and put the goods back at their original cost.
Can you trust its figures?
7. No deleting. Ask what happens to a wrong invoice. The right answer is that it is reversed and stays visible. Software that lets a bill be deleted lets money disappear. See why invoices are reversed.
8. Real profit. Ask how profit is calculated. If the answer is sales minus purchases, the figure is wrong. See weighted average cost and COGS.
9. Users and audit trail. Each employee should have their own login and limited screens, and the software should record who did what. See users, roles and audit trail.
What about cost, support and your data?
10. Total cost. Add up the price, any setup fee, the cost of each extra user and the cost of support visits. A monthly package with support included is easier to compare than a one-time price with paid visits.
11. Support you can reach. Ask how you get help and in which language. WhatsApp support in Urdu is worth more than a manual in English.
12. Your data. Ask whether you can export your lists and reports to Excel, and what happens to your data if you stop paying. You should be able to take your records with you.
How should you test before paying?
Test with your own data during the trial, not with the seller's demo:
- Enter five real products with their units and one conversion.
- Enter two customers with opening balances.
- Make a purchase, two sales (one with a back date), a payment and a return.
- Check the stock ledger, the customer ledger and the profit figure by hand.
If the three agree with your own calculation, the software is sound.
Online or installed?
Online software needs internet but nothing installed, and you can open it from the shop and from home. Installed software works without internet but lives on one computer. The full comparison.
How M-Tech Logistics answers the twelve checks: one entry updates stock, ledgers and cash; ledgers recalculate; payments are on account; units and product details are set per business; returns link to the invoice; invoices are reversed, not deleted; profit uses cost of goods sold; users have roles and an audit trail; packages are monthly from Rs 2,500 with WhatsApp support; lists and reports export to Excel and data is kept if a package ends. It does not do batch-wise stock, barcode counters or FBR submission. See the packages or start a free trial.