How To Find A Reliable Bookkeeper

Introduction

Finding a reliable bookkeeper can be one of the best decisions you make for your business. It takes away the strain of having to manage everything on your own and frees up more time in order to focus on other aspects of running your company. Finding a good bookkeeping service provider is not easy, but once you find one who suits your needs and budget requirements, it becomes easier for both parties involved to achieve mutual success. Nowadays there are many different options out there for choosing a professional who can handle all sorts of accounting needs, from payroll services to financial reporting and everything in between…

Article Summary

This article is a step-by-step guide to finding a reliable bookkeeper. It will help you navigate the process, from assessing your needs to reviewing candidates and making the final decision.

• Evaluate your business: what are its current and future needs?

• Research local bookkeepers: use Google search, LinkedIn, and social media to find them.

• Hire an independent contractor for small businesses or hire an employee for larger ones.

Introduction

Bookkeeping is a vital part of running a small business. In fact, it's the backbone of your company's financial operations. But if you're not an accountant and don't have an accounting degree, then you may not be familiar with the basics of keeping track of monetary transactions.

There are a million things to consider when choosing a bookkeeper for your business: how much experience they have, how easy it is to communicate with them, whether or not they can take on more clients if needed—the list goes on and on! We've put together this guide to help you find someone who has all these traits as well as one more important key: reliability.

1. Look for a bookkeeper who has experience and expertise.

When finding a bookkeeper, you should look for someone who has experience and expertise. If the person is already working with another client, this can be a good sign that they are reliable.

The best candidates will have both the time and expertise needed to do the job well. They should also be familiar with your business' industry so they know what paperwork needs to be done and how often it needs to be done.

2. Check if they work in the same time zone as you.

If your business is located in the US and you’re looking for a bookkeeper, it makes sense to find someone who also works there. The last thing you want is for important work emails (or even invoices) to be sent at 6pm on Friday because that’s when your bookkeeper finishes their day.

If they don’t live in the same time zone as you, then what can be done? Well, there are tools like Google Hangouts or Skype that allow you to communicate with them during the hours when they are awake and working. These tools may require some setup time but once set up properly, can save a lot of hassle later on down the road.

3. Assess the depth of their knowledge of your industry, business type, and accounting software.

Once you've found a few bookkeepers, it's time to assess their expertise and determine if they're the right fit for your business. If a bookkeeper has been recommended by someone in your network, be sure to ask about the company's experience with businesses like yours.

Ask them about their experience with accounting software such as Xero or Quickbooks Online (QBO). If they don't have experience using these platforms, find out why they believe they can still do a good job for you.

Finally, ask how many years of experience they have in your particular industry or business type—the answer should be at least two years if possible.

4. Ask if they provide regular updates and reports on your financial records.

It's important that you receive regular updates and reports on your financial records.

How often should these be updated?

What does this include?

Are these in a format that works for me?

Do I receive them by email or can I just log into a website to see them myself?

5. Ask how they handle emergencies, mistakes, or glitches in your bookkeeping system.

If a bookkeeper makes a mistake, how will they handle it? Ask them to explain the process they have in place to deal with mistakes or glitches and how they handle emergencies.

If your bookkeeping system crashes, will the company be able to recover your data without losing any information? What if there is an emergency at their office and they can’t access your data? Are there backups of all work completed for you on their end so that it is safe from being lost as well?

Your ability to run your business depends on having up-to-date and accurate financial records. That being said, you want someone who knows what they are doing when it comes to keeping those records organized and secure.

6. Make sure that they are approachable and easy to contact when needed.

When you are looking for the right bookkeeping service provider, make sure that they are approachable and easy to contact when needed. This can be achieved by asking a few simple questions:

• Are they available during normal business hours?

• Do they have a 24/7 emergency contact number?

• Do they have a phone number that can be reached after hours (even if it is only on the weekend)?

If your chosen bookkeeper answers yes to all of these questions, then chances are you’ve found yourself a winner!

7. Ask if there’s a security protocol in place for the exchange of sensitive information and documents.

Security is important to all businesses, but it becomes especially important when you’re dealing with financial documents that contain sensitive information like credit card numbers or social security numbers. A good bookkeeper will have a standard protocol in place for the exchange of confidential files between you and them, so be sure to ask about it during the interview process.

8. Find out what perks come with their bookkeeping services package, such as integration with programs like QuickBooks Online, tax preparation services, etc…

If you’re looking for a bookkeeper to join your team, it’s important to know what perks come with their services package. For example, do they offer QuickBooks Online integration? Do they provide tax preparation services? What kind of experience do they have in the industry and how long have they been working with clients like yours?

These are all things you should find out about before deciding who will be responsible for managing your company’s finances.

Make your final decision

Once you have chosen the expert you want to work with, ensure that your expectations are clear from the get-go by discussing your requirements and preferences before signing your contract with them to avoid misunderstandings later on that may jeopardize your relationship and cause stress for both parties involved.

It’s also important that all parties involved in a contract have an understanding of what they are getting out of it. If there is any confusion around what is agreed upon during negotiations, this can lead to problems down the road.

Conclusion

A reliable bookkeeper will help you stay on top of your finances, so make sure to find one that’s right for your business. It’s not always easy to find someone who fits the bill, but there are some key tips and questions that can help narrow down the search process. When looking for a bookkeeper, take into account their skill set, experience with your industry or business type (if applicable), and time zone so they won’t be waking up at 2 AM every day just because they live in another country! After all these things have been taken care of then try them out before hiring them full-time because if it doesn't work out then there's always another option available later on down the road.