Accountant recommendation
- Thread starter JenHewlett
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I can't understand why people go for remote accountants
I'm sure everything is fine until there is a more difficult problem that needs sorting
I send payslips, spreadsheets and account files by email but if a client was been investigated or needed a business plan which requires several hours of intermitent work I would find it difficult
I'm sure everything is fine until there is a more difficult problem that needs sorting
I send payslips, spreadsheets and account files by email but if a client was been investigated or needed a business plan which requires several hours of intermitent work I would find it difficult
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M
MBS Accountants
I think it can be down to you and what you require.
If you are happy with not meeting your accountant regularly (face to face), if ever and feel you can get all you require from them through non face to face correspondence then there would be no reason not to go down this route.
If however you feel there would be a degree of added value in having the opportunity to meet face to face then this would need to be weighed into your decision.
I think the most important thing is that you feel you can trust your accountant and they can provide all the services that you require at a price that is reasonable to you.
Best of luck ion making your decision.
If you are happy with not meeting your accountant regularly (face to face), if ever and feel you can get all you require from them through non face to face correspondence then there would be no reason not to go down this route.
If however you feel there would be a degree of added value in having the opportunity to meet face to face then this would need to be weighed into your decision.
I think the most important thing is that you feel you can trust your accountant and they can provide all the services that you require at a price that is reasonable to you.
Best of luck ion making your decision.
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It's hard to see that when you start out. But business isn't always smooth and the real value of face to face meetings will be when you hit some unforeseen crisis that requires rapid advice and resolution.
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With all the communication tools available today, I don't think you need to have a local accountant anymore.
Whilst the majority of our clients are based in Yorkshire, we have quite a growing number of clients all over the UK. Modern technology enables us to communicate with the clients as regularly as if they were down the street. We use web conferencing, Skype, MSN in addition to e mail and phone. Data exchange is made through website portals, which are far more secure than either e mail or Royal mail, so sage files and completed accounts are delivered quickly and safely, and the website acts as a back up mechanism for client files. Also, the growth in online accounting systems makes real time access to data for both client and accountant a breeze!
As an example, just before christmas, I carried out a one to one training course on using a particular accounting software with a client 250 miles away using web conferencing. It worked a treat!
Having said all that, a lot of our clients work in industries where using such technologies is the "norm" and they would use a lot of them anyway as part of their businesses.
Whilst the majority of our clients are based in Yorkshire, we have quite a growing number of clients all over the UK. Modern technology enables us to communicate with the clients as regularly as if they were down the street. We use web conferencing, Skype, MSN in addition to e mail and phone. Data exchange is made through website portals, which are far more secure than either e mail or Royal mail, so sage files and completed accounts are delivered quickly and safely, and the website acts as a back up mechanism for client files. Also, the growth in online accounting systems makes real time access to data for both client and accountant a breeze!
As an example, just before christmas, I carried out a one to one training course on using a particular accounting software with a client 250 miles away using web conferencing. It worked a treat!
Having said all that, a lot of our clients work in industries where using such technologies is the "norm" and they would use a lot of them anyway as part of their businesses.
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Whilst it is true that there can be numerous times when rapid advice and resolution are required this doesn't preclude working remotely with an accountant. Irrespective of where the accountant is located, the first thing most clients will do is pick up the telephone or e-mail. Should a face to face meeting be required there is always video conferencing which can be done via skype or msn.
We have been providing services remotely now for 10 years and I don't think our remote clients have ever had a problem with working in that way.
It really is often a question of mindset and when you consider how much business is now done online in varies forms from training to e-commerce it isn't really a big issue
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T
TheAccountancyOffice
Hi Jen
Happy New Year to you too!
It really is a question of choice and which method of working suits you and your company best. We provide services to local clients as well as remotely and have never experienced any problems and neither have our clients. If urgent issues arise we are always contactable via phone (speediest response), email, skype, msn etc like others have said. A great deal of our local clients tend to communicate with us via email as opposed to face to face because it's more convenient for them. We do offer free tea, coffee and biscuits for those that pop in though so there are benefits!
By working remotely, it provides you with greater scope for finding the right accountant for you - including competitive pricing. We offer our clients an online system where they can enter their own income and expenses and we do the rest. Alternatively, we can provide a full bookkeeping and accounts service for our clients using a courier service to receive and send documents. Each client is unique and has their own requirements so make sure you find the right service for you.
Best of luck with the boots!!
Happy New Year to you too!
It really is a question of choice and which method of working suits you and your company best. We provide services to local clients as well as remotely and have never experienced any problems and neither have our clients. If urgent issues arise we are always contactable via phone (speediest response), email, skype, msn etc like others have said. A great deal of our local clients tend to communicate with us via email as opposed to face to face because it's more convenient for them. We do offer free tea, coffee and biscuits for those that pop in though so there are benefits!
By working remotely, it provides you with greater scope for finding the right accountant for you - including competitive pricing. We offer our clients an online system where they can enter their own income and expenses and we do the rest. Alternatively, we can provide a full bookkeeping and accounts service for our clients using a courier service to receive and send documents. Each client is unique and has their own requirements so make sure you find the right service for you.
Best of luck with the boots!!
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Horse for courses. Luckily everyone is different - for some it works for others it doesn't.
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I can't understand why a remote accountant should be better value than a local one
I regularly have clients dropping things off, such as VAT returns, at the last minute. I had one at 1.30pm on Thursday. You can't do that remotely
If everything goes without any problems, which I appreciate is the majority of the time, I can see it working fine but what happens if there is a problem. Would you be prepared to visit? If so would you charge travelling time?
PS You've done a great job on your website. Mr Site is a great product for the small business.
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As others have said using a remote accountant is personal choice, there really is no reason why the service could or should suffer by working this way. The main advantage for many is that they can get a much a more affordable service than they would if they went with someone locally.
we offer a remote service ourselves, feel free to send me a Pm if you'd like more details.
we offer a remote service ourselves, feel free to send me a Pm if you'd like more details.
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Depends on what's local, Homshaw. Businesses based in London are likely to be paying higher prices to a London accountant than they would to one based in a "cheaper" town or City.
However, I personally don't think price should be a consideration anyway. There are many more important criteria that should be used when picking your accountant.
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About half our clients are local and half are remote, so I'm not biased one way or another. Most of my "remote" clients came from personal recommendation - mostly being relatives or co-workers of existing local clients. I find it works fine for clients with relatively simple business models, especially the likes of IT consultants and other freelancers.
I don't think it works quite so well for "bricks and mortar" businesses with more demanding needs - In fact I have two clients who started off as IT contractors and have moved onto bigger businesses, both employing staff and both growing strongly, but the distance is a problem as I can't do the meetings and other "hands on" stuff that they need (i.e. setting up their computer systems etc), so they have to get a more local "book-keeping type" person to go in and then that makes a kind of "eternal triangle" between the three parties which inevitably increases time spent etc. In both cases, I've suggested they need a more local accountant and told them I'm happy to resign and do a managed handover, but both are reluctant to change so we're doing the best we can at a distance.
For new potential clients, I don't really encourage remote working unless they are freelancers or similar and have simple needs. I do prefer being able to sit down and work directly with my clients so am looking at concentrating on more local clients for the future, at least within easy travelling distance should the need arise, rather than the other end of the country!
I can see that someone in the expensive parts of the country would want a cheaper accountant from the poorer areas, but otherwise, I am absolutely confident that any average business could find a perfectly good accountant locally - there are thousands of us about after all. It does seem a bit silly to randomly pick someone from the other end of the country without checking out a few local ones to see if they could do the same job just as well for similar terms.
I don't think it works quite so well for "bricks and mortar" businesses with more demanding needs - In fact I have two clients who started off as IT contractors and have moved onto bigger businesses, both employing staff and both growing strongly, but the distance is a problem as I can't do the meetings and other "hands on" stuff that they need (i.e. setting up their computer systems etc), so they have to get a more local "book-keeping type" person to go in and then that makes a kind of "eternal triangle" between the three parties which inevitably increases time spent etc. In both cases, I've suggested they need a more local accountant and told them I'm happy to resign and do a managed handover, but both are reluctant to change so we're doing the best we can at a distance.
For new potential clients, I don't really encourage remote working unless they are freelancers or similar and have simple needs. I do prefer being able to sit down and work directly with my clients so am looking at concentrating on more local clients for the future, at least within easy travelling distance should the need arise, rather than the other end of the country!
I can see that someone in the expensive parts of the country would want a cheaper accountant from the poorer areas, but otherwise, I am absolutely confident that any average business could find a perfectly good accountant locally - there are thousands of us about after all. It does seem a bit silly to randomly pick someone from the other end of the country without checking out a few local ones to see if they could do the same job just as well for similar terms.
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I too, have clients both local and remote and I think this really depends on the client and what their preference for the location of the accountant is, as either way, the relationship is workable.
My personal preference though, were I to be a client in need of an accountant, would be one local to me - But then, maybe I am being old-fashioned!
My personal preference though, were I to be a client in need of an accountant, would be one local to me - But then, maybe I am being old-fashioned!
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