The Best Way To Help Your Bookkeeper Help You

By: Rachel Raupp

There’s only one surefire way to help your bookkeeper/accountant help you: COMMUNICATE! Without voicing your opinions, concerns, comments, or appreciation, we will assume everything is fine. Open communication is vital to every thriving relationship, it’s no different for your relationship with your bookkeeper/accountant.

If you know what you need, tell them. If you don’t know what you need, share that, as well. For example, if you work on your own QuickBooks account but are unsure how to do something, ask your accountant/bookkeeper. This will eliminate the clean-up time if something goes wrong or things get messy. Then, they can share with you the correct way to do something, which will help you learn, and any extra dirty work will be avoided.

If there ever comes a time when your books do get messy, take a breath and remain calm. Things may seem complicated and impossible to fix, but your bookkeeper/accountant will figure things out. Be patient, kindly communicate your concerns, and don’t forget to thank them for straightening things out.

When you receive your financial reports and are unsure of what they mean, ask! Your financial reports are vital tools for you to use to analyze your business, they’re important to understand.

Any questions you may have can be answered if you vocalize them. Want to know if you’re using the right technology? Want to know what the best tools are for accounting? Want a referral to other professionals? Your bookkeeper/accountant can connect you with resources you may not have known about.

Communicate with your bookkeeper/accountant any changes that you’ll be making to your business. They shouldn’t be the last ones to know! Any changes to the structure of your business, large purchases, or new financial information are vital information for your bookkeeper/accountant to know in order to accurately complete your books.

Everything from small purchases to account information, from business structure to business goals - the more we know, the better we can help. Our job is to help you and your business thrive, so the more we know, the more we can help you grow.