Tech tips for bookkeepers: how to know you're using the right apps

If you’re tech-savvy, you’ve already come to terms with fact that technology is a crucial part of bookkeepers staying ahead of the game, delivering excellent service to their clients and finding the best efficiencies in their business. Even Australia’s Institute of Certified Bookkeepers agrees that bookkeepers should be assisting the journey to automating mechanical tasks and either begin or continue to invest their time in Business System and Performance Improvement.

However – if you’re more on the hesitant end, that doesn’t make the digital transformation of your bookkeeping business seem any less scary, or painful, especially if you’ve spent most of your career with desktop or manual systems. Or worse: if you’ve spent a lot of time implementing one system, only to find you’ve outgrown it, or it doesn’t quite deliver on the areas you need.

We’re here to tell you: using the latest tech and keeping up to date in developments, doesn’t have to be difficult. It doesn’t mean changing your add-ons every few months or even every few years. In fact, when you align yourself with the right companies, it can be an exciting journey that expands alongside your business.

So how can you take the fear and pain away from diving into the world of ever-evolving tech?

Here are a few tech tips for bookkeepers:

1. Look for tech solutions designed specifically for bookkeepers.

There is a huge range of add-on products available when it comes to almost every aspect of your business, including task tools. However, no matter how great a product is, if it’s not designed specifically for the way bookkeepers work, you will find holes and gaps in the service delivery. The best and most simple place to start is with the products built for bookkeepers. At XBert, we’ve spent hours upon hours talking with bookkeepers, finding out their pain points, what works, what doesn’t and how we can make your work life easier. It’s a commitment we adhere to every single day. Our users tell us our product is revolutionising their workflow, helping them save time, money and even keeping their head count low.

2. Choose a product that will grow with your business and goals.

There’s no getting around it: change management does take time and resources. When you invest in an add-on or tech tool for your bookkeeper practice, it’s important to ensure the time you’re investing is a) worth it and b) won’t be irrelevant in 12 months or so. Look at the current features of the product. How well do they line up with what you need? It’s also a good idea to check out the company’s development roadmap. Does it align with the developments you will need/want to see for your business? Ensure it’s a simple and transparent process to get involved in suggesting updates, feature additions and upgrades should you feel the need.

3. Great customer service and collaboration is a must.

Do your research. What is the customer service delivery like with the product you’re aligning with? Are they responsive? Open to suggestions and feedback? How accessible is the support team?These are all incredibly important questions to ask yourself before starting the process of implementing a tool into your practice. No matter how amazing the product is, there will come a time you need support and you don’t want to be waiting days for responses. Similarly, if you’re choosing to be an early-adopter, excellent customer service and collaboration is key to ensure you get the support you need throughout the early stages of the product releases. It’s also critical to having your say and your feedback feeding into their roadmap.

Leading technology solutions for bookkeepers

XBert has set out to be the most comprehensive auudit and productivity tool available for bookkeepers and we work closely with our users to ensure that happens.With almost 60 XBert AI-Audit risk alerts live right now (and more being developed all the time) you will rest easy with less manual tasks, reduced rework, knowing your data is accurate and the books are the cleanest they've ever been.Our integrated workflow managament tools will help you reduce your manual tasks, manage your team more efficiently and never miss a beat.If you're looking to scale your business, find efficiencies, manage more clients and have full visibility across your team - then you need XBert in your life.

Discover what XBert can do for your business by starting a free trial now.

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