[Question] How do you service your bookkeeping clients?

[ffsother]

I have two clients that I perform bookkeeping services for, but both of them I have to do onsite. I do all of thier A/P, A/R, entering it all into Quickbooks of course, monthly bank reconciliations, deposits, printing of checks for the payables and mailing of those checks (only after the client has signed them)...so how do you guys do it? How do you manage to do it without being physically in their office? I'm sure there are different ways, so how are you all making it work?

[Rebecka Melson]

It varies by client. There is no reason you couldn't do the bookkeeping from home as well. It usually requires setting up a system for obtaining the information. For my local clients I created a portable file system/organizer for them for picking up documents.

I bought some heavy duty expanding files w/ multiple slots from Office Depot and I label each slot for what goes in it (Bank Statements, receipts, bills, check registers, payroll reports, etc.) and the client fills up the organizer during the week/month and then I swing by and pick it up and drop off an empty one. The next week I return the organizer with the original documents and a backup of their QuickBooks file so they can file them and then pick up the next binder. I also created a checklist of items for each client as each one has different items so they can check the items off the list to make sure I have everything I need. This system has worked very well for my local clients that I do routine bookkeeping for.

Most of my clients are non-local and I do after-the-fact bookkeeping for them and they just email or fax me the documents I need and I access their computer via remote.

[mharris]

I agree with Rebecka. For clients you have to have a system in place that they follow. I do not go to their locations to work, I do their bookkeeping remotely as well. They drop off their info and I return it to them or they come back to pick it up. The only time I have had to go on location is to set up a computer for remote access (she was not good with computers at the time). Be sure to back up everything and communicate well.

[lanelt]

The majority of my clients are not local (I'm in Idaho, I have clients in Canada, Texas, Mississippi, California, etc.) so I have had to find a way to be completely virtual.

I have a dedicated server that all my clients (local or non-local) data files are stored on. My clients log-in to the remote server and they can use QuickBooks themselves and I'm able to log-in also. I tried using portable files but it never worked for me. My clients hated it, I hated it, it was just a bad situation. As soon as I started using the server option new clients saw me in a more professional light I found.

My clients can mail, e-mail, or fax information to me. Most give me access to their online accounts so I can just log-in and take care of things. I do have some local clients and two occassionally drop things off but for the most part I only work with clients virtually.

[kkaiser]

Thanks for asking the question, Shawna. I am currently doing annual input for tax clients and am getting my act together to approach them to work on a regular basis to make life easier on all of us. I still am grasping the 'virtual' concept/not physically being in their office; because they are local the picking up/dropping off a file folder sounds great. I am not that experienced with how to get information on servers but will be researching soon.
~~Kim

[White Rose]

I am wondering if it's considered part of bookkeeping service if you send invoices to agencies for your clients to be paid for their services?

[sfdbooks]

I am wondering if it's considered part of bookkeeping service if you send invoices to agencies for your clients to be paid for their services?

It's definitely a service, called invoicing. However, if you follow up with collection calls and are available for calls from the clients about their accounts then I would consider that full fledged Accounts Receivable.

[litlearth]

I wondered about this also. I have a client now that I go in to do his A/R and A/P and because it's randomly that he does checks, I would need to be there to do it. I go 3 times a week and I want to pick up other clients to do this for as well, but I want to know how to be able to accommodate them and make sure I'm accessible for my current client too. Hmmm. I would love to do them all from my own office. What's a good way to smoothly remove myself from his office to my office?

[VBPartners]

I have one client for whom I do their bookkeeping. Depending on their document load, they either throw everything on the fax to me or into a big envelope and mail it to me. Either way, there is digital documenation of all receipts, statements, etc. in their intranet folder. Works well for us!

[christinenc]

I am wondering if it's considered part of bookkeeping service if you send invoices to agencies for your clients to be paid for their services?

Hi White Rose,

That depends; when you say "send invoices", do you mean that you are actually creating the invoices or literally just sending them? If you're just sending them, then that is not considered invoicing, but mailing.

Christine