8 essentials in new bookkeeping service

When it’s time for change in your small business bookkeeping services, where do you start? With credentials, reputation, proximity, and price? Yes, but lots of people have those qualifications and yet they leave clients wanting.

  • What missing ingredient makes a bookkeeping service stand out?
  • What vital elements make up a long-lasting business relationships forged with common goals and fruitful results?
  • Is it possible to get great results from a bookkeeping service without skipping common courtesy and kindness in the process?

Credentials Plus!

When interviewing a handful of prospects for your bookkeeping needs, don’t just look at their credentials, analytics, newspaper write-ups, and accolades. Check out what kind of human being they are. It’s true that those who are faithful in the little things are faithful in much, so take note of their manners, and how conscientious they are.

Is there a mutual respect and the potential for mutual purpose to align in your relationship with the bookkeeping service staff? Here are some practical things to look for as you interview prospects:

1. How are their communication skills?

Bookkeeping services require proficiency with numbers, organization, and details. But it’s also vital your bookkeeper is proficient at communicating. They need to listen well and communicate with you well. You’re a business owner with unique business needs, and you and the bookkeeping service need to have a fluid relationship with open communication in order to truly succeed.

2. Are you a priority?

When interviewing, pick up the position which your business needs will take in the bookkeeping service’s world. Is your business their priority? How can you tell?

  • Are they respectful of your business’s specific needs?
  • Do they show up on time for your meetings and phone calls?
  • Do they respond in a timely fashion to your emails?
  • Do they understand your business objectives?
  • How are they at customer service and customer relations?
  • Realize that people like to work with people they like. Is there a natural connection in your business relationship?

3. Can they see the big picture to help improve your profits?

It’s great to have a bookkeeping service that helps you maximize tax deductions and never pay late fees because they are always on time, but seeing the big picture and giving valuable input can weigh even heavier in the long run.

You need to know the actual cost of running your business and plan for the future. A good bookkeeping service’s insight can go a long way as you plan for the big rocks of your business like:

  • Fundraising
  • Company growth
  • Acquisitions
  • Maintenance, repair, and needed upgrades
  • Facility location and renovation

4. Do they have a working knowledge of your specific industry?

Your bookkeeper needs to have an accurate understanding of your industry so they can make the correlation to your specific financial condition. If they know your industry, they will be able to spot patterns in your financial situation specific to your industry’s trends and operations. Avoid reporting errors and maximize tax savings by hiring someone who “gets” your industry.

5. Are they up-to-date on current technology?

It’s vital your bookkeeping service isn’t simply up-to-date on tax regulations that impact your company. They need to also be current on technology designed to streamline your business accounting, payroll, and tax deduction data such as everyday mileage, and food and lodging on trips. Your new bookkeeping service needs to be strong on integrated technology and use it with ease to better your business books.

6. Make no assumptions on a bookkeeping company’s organizational abilities.

Organization and attention to detail are critical skills for your bookkeeping service. But they need to not just be organized with the methods that worked 40 years ago. They need to take advantage of current financial software and project management tools that streamline retrieval of financial data and regular financial reports because of their excellent organization.

7. Ask open-ended questions to get a feel for how the bookkeeping personnel respond in different situations.

Ask your potential bookkeeping service questions about specific situations in order to learn more about their behavior. If they give you a one-word answer, ask more specific questions to uncover any hidden truths. Mature professionals know how to disagree without being disagreeable.

  • Tell me about how you came to the point of a win-win solution with a difficult situation in your business?
  • What did you do when…?
  • How did you conquer a problem while maintaining a good relationship with the people involved in the situation?

8. Don’t just look for skills with numbers in your new bookkeeping service.

When looking for a new bookkeeping service, after you make sure they are well qualified where the books are concerned, look for people skills, look for problem-solving skills, and look for the “care factor” in their work ethic.

Get the benefits of hiring the right bookkeeping service

  • Avoid unnecessary distractions from growing your business.
  • Skip the hassles of inaccurate bookkeeping or missing out on tax benefits.
  • Prevent the possibility of a business relationship riddled with unwanted conflict.
  • Sidestep the risk of late fees due to unreliable bookkeeping.

What makes Shockley Bookkeeping stand apart from their competition?

  • Real, live people who genuinely care about the work they’re doing for you.
  • You are treated with respect by the staff.
  • Smiles and courtesy abound.
  • The teamwork of their staff speaks volumes about their people skills.
  • If you’re like other business owners, you’re going to enjoy working with the Shockley Bookkeeping staff members and recommend them to others.
  • They’ll help you make a smooth transition into outsourced bookkeeping, whether coming from another service or starting this service for the first time.
  • With Shockley Bookkeeping, it’s not just about the numbers; it’s about the relationships with great businesses and championing the causes of the businesses they serve.

Contact Shockley Bookkeeping for a free quote and consultation. Take a look at our bookkeeping services. And, when it’s time to transition to a new bookkeeping service, we’re here for you.