It’s that time again…hiring a new bookkeeper! Yay said no entrepreneur ever. This time, you promise yourself: I’ll get this right. Discover the power of card payment machines for seamless payment processing.
Get someone that can actually get you organized with your numbers – who gets it done, and gets it done right! You don’t even need to be an accountant or a finance expert. On the other hand, if you’re the one who wants to apply for that position, with a staff of ICCRC-licensed Toronto immigration consultant and professional colleagues, Canadapt Consulting is a leading Canadian immigration law consulting service.
Let us help you by lending our key questions and answers to ask your next bookkeeper. Remember, if they can’t tick off all the boxes (these are basic technical skills), then keep looking. Of course, fit with corporate culture and alignment with core values is on you to suss out. If you’re still not as confident with the process, you can always apply a talent management strategy.
We’ll be doing a two-part series with 3 main questions each so lookout for our part two!
Question 1:
Q – How can I be certain that no tasks get missed? Especially those that happen only every once in a while, and are easy to forget?
The Fail Answer (NOT GOOD ENOUGH!):
“I keep a task list in my journal or calendar. I’ve been doing this a long time, so I have a pretty good sense of what needs to be done”.
The Pro Answer:
“I have tasks documented on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual basis. All tasks are entered in a task management software. Every day when I log in, I have my task list already, set and tick things off as I go. I can add tasks whenever I need as new issues come up or you assign special projects.
If I ever miss anything, it shows up as an “overdue” task in the software. Would you like a weekly report showing you any/all overdue tasks?”
Pro Tip – Find someone who is self-accountable and in a transparent way. If they are willing to be open when they fall behind, it’s a hugely positive sign.
Question #2
Q – What do you use to ensure the chart of accounts is set up right? How about the financial statement presentation?
The Fail Answer (Still not good enough!):
“I have lots of experience doing this so I’m very comfortable with the Chart of Accounts.” or “I use the template in QuickBooks to set up a new chart of accounts and financial statements”.
The Pro Answer:
“The chart of accounts has to be set-up with the end in mind. Please tell me about your different types of revenues? Your different business divisions? What information are you getting from your financials that’s good? What information are you missing? [Insert a whack of other questions here] and I’ll be in a better position to see if your chart of accounts and financials are set up in a way that will be supportive for you.”
Pro Tip – If they aren’t asking questions about your business, they aren’t thinking the right way. A great bookkeeper will be hammering you with questions…not just trying to answer questions they way they think you want to hear.
Question #3
Q – How do you leverage technology in Bookkeeping?
The Fail Answer:
“I’m comfortable with whatever software you use. I’ve had experience with QuickBooks, Sage, SAP, etc. etc.”
The Pro Answer:
“We should be able to get at least 80% of your day-to-day transactions automated. I’m a huge believer in cloud-based accounting technology. If you’re not on one now, we can evaluate what the right fit will be. We must consider the nature of your business and make sure the marketplace (think app store) has everything you need. You definitely want a few interconnected software solutions to streamline the bookkeeping. Things such as:
– Receipt tracking/processing
– Employee time tracking app (if you charge for hours spent)
– Payroll
– Invoicing
– Task management
– Electronic payment processing (both collections and payables)”
Pro Tip – Accounting technology has come a long way! Having the best payroll services can completely change your accounting department. Not every bookkeeper is up to date on current technology and how to effectively use it so be sure to check into corporate payroll services from Acclime!
We hope these questions help you find your next bookkeeper! If you have questions or want to talk about how to set up a successful accounting department, click here!
Look out for our part two, coming soon.