Working from bookkeeping checklists in your head is a rookie move. Here’s how to go pro.

An accounting firm or bookkeeping practice is only as good as its processes – especially as it grows. If you’re still running your bookkeeping checklists workflow with a clunky document, an Excel spreadsheet, or worse – in your head – you may want to make some changes, STAT.

We get it. You know what needs to be done. You’ve got a lot to do. Taking time to stop and properly document your processes is time you don’t really have right now. So, you’ll do it when things slow down a little. The thing is – they don’t slow down.Your client base starts to grow, it’s time for you to consider putting someone on. But the actual process of trying to onboard a new staff member seems bigger than Ben Hur – because there’s no centralized, simple system to share on exactly what should be done and by when.Or – maybe you have spent the time to document your workflow and processes but it’s on a clunky, long-winded spreadsheet that takes just as much time to explain (and track) than it does to do the job. Maybe, you have processes in place but no way of tracking where your team is at, at any given time.No matter whether you’re a bookkeeper running your own business, or part of a large accounting firm managing a team of staff, there are many reasons it’s a good idea to review the way you’re documenting, and tracking, your accounting and bookkeeping processes:

• The exercise could be eye-opening – you may identify gaps, cracks and ways to streamline the way you’re doing things
• It gives you clarity on what’s required, and allows for someone to pick up the slack if you get busy or (heaven forbid) have a few sick days.
• It prepares your business for growth: scaling onboarding new team members is much simpler if there’s a clear structure and what needs to be done, when.
• You can ask mentors or business leaders to review and refine the way you run your practice.

Technology is here to help: use it

The single best way to ensure visibility across your practice processes is by using a workflow management tool, built for accountants and bookkeepers. Forget complicated checklists and spreadsheets. Great tech tools are now available to help you automate all your recurring tasks and practice processes, like bank reconciliation, BAS lodgement, TPAR deadlines and Superannuation Liability payments.Because these are schedules and recurring and hardly ever differ – they immediately lend themselves to automation. Using XBert, you can create Templates, for all of these processes and customize the task automation, assign different steps in a process to relevant users and even customize the time period for relevant client types.

Knowing what needs to be done, by when

Using a tech tool to automate your processes has more than just the benefit of being easy to use and having your processes out of your head. It also gives you the opportunity to have complete visibility across workflow, at any given time.XBert’s Work board is the holy grail of work efficiency for accountants and bookkeepers. Here you have complete visibility across your own work, and your teams. You can track where people are at, ask questions, collaborate and move through work with direct links into your accounting software. If someone is away you can simply reassign tasks or put them on hold – or if work is banking up for someone who’s really under the pump, it’s easy to see and offload some of the work to people who are less swamped.

Compliance made simple

Having a digital record of who has done what, when working on your client files, is a game changer not just for team training and accountability, but for compliance.XBert’s Tasks always have a record of who has worked on a task - changed the status, updated the information, made comments or even completed. This means if something is done incorrectly, it’s easy to go direct to the source and either upskill or rectify.You can also easily attach documents or files to tasks, for any relevant client information or details that needs to be known.

Want to smooth out your bookkeeping checklists and prepare your business to boom this coming financial year?

XBert's clever task and workflow management tools will not only save you time, they'll help you create a smooth, streamline system that helps prepare your business to easily scale.But that's just one feature. With XBert's extensive feature set, you will:

• Sleep better knowing your client files are clean and healthy.
• Have effortless visibility over the size and complexity of your client files.
• Stop stressing about client retention with White-labelled Client Consoles
• Free up time, and have the systems in place, to scale your business.

Start a free trial with XBert and discover why it’s the ultimate practice productivity tool for accountants and bookkeepers.

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