We love happy clients, so we’re always in the hunt for ways to make their business lives easier, more efficient, and less stressful.? One question we get quite often is, “how can I lower my bookkeeping costs?”? So we developed?a handful of great time-and-money saving tips that can help you keep your bookkeeping costs a low as possible.
#1 – Be Proactive
This is at the top of our list for a reason?being proactive can really streamline your monthly bookkeeping workflow. Here’s the math: streamline = lowered costs.
Don?t wait for your bookkeeper to contact you regarding the statements and other documentation needed to complete your work each month. Set a reminder in your calendar and proactively upload all known documentation to QBO at approximately the same time each month. Here’s the quick ‘n easy steps:
Sign into QBO > My Accountant > Upload Documents > Browse and select the documents to be uploaded
If you?ve worked with us for awhile, you already know which documents are needed each month. If you?re new to Rescue Me Bookkeeping, we will cheerfully (as always) provide you with a list, so you?ll know which documents you should upload.
Document Naming Convention:
This is also a biggie.? Do a good job of naming your statements each month and we won’t have to dig through a pile to find what we need to complete your work.? See math equation in #1 above. Here’s our recommended naming convention: statement ending date, bank name or abbreviation, type of account, abbreviated business name.
For example, if Rescue Me Bookkeeping, abbreviated as RMB, banked with US Bank, we would name the June 1-30, 2018 monthly checking account statement: 063018 USBank ckg RMB.? The savings account would be: 063018 USBank svg RMB. The credit card would be: 061418 USBank Visa RMB
If you have multiple checking and/or credit card accounts, include the last four digits: 061418 USBank Visa #4321 RMB
Payroll reports for check date 6/15/18 would be: 061518 Payroll Rpt RMB
Stay Current: Develop a bookkeeping system that works for you and keep it up to date.
Communicate using email, not text messages:
Please do not use text messages for questions. If we open a text message and can?t respond immediately, it?s off our radar. But your email can be easily tracked so we don?t lose sight of it or overlook responding to you. And the email gives us a paper-trail in case either of us needs to refer to it in the future.
Consolidate your communications:
If you?re working on your books and run into a question but aren?t yet done working on your books, type the question in an email but wait to send the email until you?re done working on your books. This way, if you run into additional questions, you can include them in the same email. Now we have just one email to keep track of and respond to.
Consolidate your responses: Each month, when we work on your books, we will send you one Word document with all our questions.
Do respond on the Word document
Use a different color font, or use ALL CAPS so we can easily see your answers.
Do not respond in the body of an email:
If you type your answers into the body of an email it takes time for us to match them up to the questions.
Wait to return the Word document to us after all questions have been answered. We know you?re busy and may not be able to answer all questions in one sitting. But if you answer one question at a time, it?s more time for us to keep track of whether we?ve received all your answers.
Mountains out of mole-hills: It?s always more efficient and cost effective to do something right the first time instead of correcting it later. If you make an error and aren?t sure how to fix it, or need to record a transaction you?ve never recorded before, or accidentally click something and bad stuff happens in your books, contact us before you try to fix it yourself. This isn?t a money-making scheme on our part, this is to save you money. We guarantee you will pay us more to un-do what you attempted to fix than if you just let us help you fix it first. It bears repeating? It?s always more efficient and cost effective to do something right the first time instead of correcting it later.
Google it: You can Google pretty much anything these days, including finding answers to many QBO questions. If you need to record a transaction in QBO that you?ve never recorded before, and like figuring things out for yourself, try Google it before contacting us.
Just because you can (Google it), doesn?t mean you should. This point may seem to contradict the previous one, but you need to consider the value of your time. You can easily spend considerable amounts of time trying to find your answer and figure out how to do something new in QBO. What might take you an hour could take us 15 minutes ? you do the math. And you may or may not get it right. Instead of Googling it, it may be worth paying us to figure it out for you (we?ve already spent hundreds of hours learning QBO, just sayin?). Plus, you have the assurance it?s been done correctly. Again? It?s always more efficient and cost effective to do something right the first time instead of correcting it later.
Separate personal cash and spending from business cash and spending. We understand that occasionally you may need to use your personal accounts for a business purchase, or vice versa, however it should not be a regular occurrence.
FREE Intuit Support: https://help.quickbooks.intuit.com/en_US/contact
Call or chat online with Intuit support ? use the above link to find the phone number or start a chat relating to your questions
Merrilee is a Diamond Level ProAdvisor, which is a fancy way of saying she has access to the highest level of support available. Try the free support first, keeping in mind that you?ll most likely be talking to someone who?s searching their database for the answer to your question. If it?s not working out, politely end the call and contact Rescue Me Bookkeeping ? if we don?t know the answer we have access to someone who will!