Embracing effective bookkeeping and other accounting practices is essential for businesses, offering a multitude of advantages. While enlisting the services of an outsourced bookkeeper can streamline these processes, it's equally crucial to identify the key qualities to prioritize when selecting a bookkeeper. Discover how accuracy and expertise align with the best accounting packages for your business's financial success.
A friendly face
Choosing a good bookkeeper can be difficult, however, once you have found one, the process should run smoothly. Having a friendly bookkeeper will help to encourage communication and won’t deter you from asking some of your burning questions about accounting. Keeping a close relationship with your accountant or bookkeeper will truly help to make the process a lot more enjoyable and efficient. They are there to help you and ease your bookkeeping stresses, so make sure you outsource a bookkeeper who makes you happy.
Workload
Furthermore, outsourced bookkeepers should help reduce some of your stress as your workload should be decreasing. By designating the bookkeeping aspects of your business to someone else, it is expected that you will have more time and energy available to truly focus on your speciality within your business. If your bookkeeper is only increasing your priorities list, he or she is not a good bookkeeper! Investing in an outsourced bookkeeper may seem like a scary decision, especially for small businesses who are worried about cash flow, however, a good bookkeeper should not even raise this question. Once you find the perfect bookkeeper for you, you will find the ability to reallocate your time and resources into aspects of your business that deal specifically with its performance and growth, and away from all of the accounting and bookkeeping. Therefore, when you are outsourcing a new bookkeeper, take note of your workload before and after their help. It may take a couple of weeks to get started, but once all has settled, consider whether this bookkeeper is actually helping you and your business or whether they are just causing extra stress for you.
Organisation
Whilst the imagery of bookkeepers drowning within the depths of endless receipts is becoming archaic, the new approach to bookkeeping is not too far off this idea. With new online software and programs available to accountants and bookkeepers, such as Xero, it is still important that your bookkeeper is able to store your transactions and information in an organised manner to prevent the occurrence of avoidable errors. If your bookkeeper is constantly asking you to resend documents because they have simply lost your original email in their never-ending inbox, take precaution, because this is a big signal of an unorganised bookkeeper. Without a clear system to file your important documents, your bookkeeper may fail to record all of your invoices and transactions. This will only cause further stress for you and your business and may even lead to a last minute scramble to find your missing transactions to balance your accounts!
Advice
Another benefit of outsourced bookkeepers is that they are able to provide you with professional insight and advice. Having had a plethora of clients and the opportunity to watch businesses grow, bookkeepers often know the telling signs of a progressing small business and are also able to better pick up on the business’ negative accounting practices. From here, they can help to bring attention to any problems, providing you with possible solutions and alternatives. Additionally, they can highlight any positives of your business and may provide you with insight into how you can further emphasise and improve these aspects. This feedback is invaluable and only provided by the best bookkeepers who are willing to help their clients and simply want the best for you and your business. Moreover, don’t be afraid to ask for advice. Some bookkeepers do not give out unsolicited advice as some customers don’t want that feedback, but if you are someone who wants to be informed about the financial health of your business, ask your bookkeeper, because a good one will give you some tips without hesitation.
There’s no discussion that bookkeeping is a critical aspect of any business, however, it takes a good bookkeeper to help realise any benefits. As many business owners don’t particularly specialise in accounting practices such as bookkeeping, it can be helpful to outsource a professional bookkeeper to help you and your business. Thus, you can use this blog to determine whether your bookkeeper possesses the above factors and if they are the right choice for you and your business. If you would like to get in contact with a bookkeeper, you can get in contact with us and book a consultation session right here!
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