You’ll know when its time to change accountants.
Cloud accounting has closed the gap between a business and their accountant and, although we’ve always thought there should be ongoing dialogue and contact throughout the financial year, there really is no excuse these days for that not to be the case.
What are you looking for from your accountant?
This is the key question and the first answer on the list must be this:
Our accountants MUST understand our business
The rest of the wish-list will vary from business to business but might include:
- They know how to do the work we need them to do
- They can help us to improve profitability and cashflow
- Good at day-to-day business issues, not just the year-end
- No surprises
- Happy to visit my business regularly
- Comfortable with technology (but not fanatical)
- Easy to work with
- Good value for money
Other points may be important to you and your business but start with a list and score how well your current accountant meets your requirements.
How to change accountants
Once you’ve decided it’s time to change accountants – tell the incumbent.
There’s a dance we do as one accountant steps down and another takes their place. We all know how to take care of that and it’s not really a big issue.
What’s much more important is to give the new accountants access to your bookkeeping software so they can see what’s really going on in your business.
You’re changing because something isn’t working as well as you need it to and so you can expect a period in which your day-to-day bookkeeping and workflows are brought up to the standard you need.
Pretty soon everything should settle down into a regular pattern of work and communication and you’ll find you’re getting what you set out to achieve.
You may even look forward to the meetings!
Every time I visit the accountant it’s like going to a bloody funeral
MD of a high-growth business
If now is the time to change your accountants….
You probably guessed that we can help!
So let’s speak, let’s have a chat about your business and what you’re trying to achieve by changing accountants.
We can then meet – free of charge – and figure out if we can work together to help you get where you want to go.
Call Michael Austin on 020 7125 0270 or email info@bluedotconsulting.co.uk and let’s go from there.
And remember:
A bad accountant can be like a KGB sleeper – a problem hidden in plain sight!
Michael – @bluedotmichael
Related links:
Improve your business by changing your accountants
Annual accounts – a milestone or a millstone?
Switching accountant – you can kiss a lot of frogs
Outsource your accounting and bookkeeping
Chartered Accountants – Bedford House, Fulham Green, London, SW6 3JW
