Multiple clients

Hello,
I don't actually have any clients yet & am just starting out but I would really love your help.

My knowledge is in Sageline 50 accounts & don't know if any of the other options, Quick Books seems to be really popular works along the same lines.

My question is do you ask your clients to purchase a registered copy of the software which you then access remotely or do you purchase a multi-user licence which is obviously very expensive?

Also, how do you protect your information? Are there integral password protections or do you use special software?

Thank you for your time, I really appreciate it.
Sarah

[Karen Mitchell]

Hi Sarah,

I too am just starting out. I will be doing some work for my family. They are in S. California and I am in N. California. I plan to use their copy of QB's already in use on their computer which I will access through logmein. Since they are a small company it should work fine for us (only one user at a time can use the program). I have heard others say they use QB on line. With this option your customer pays for the account and gives you the accountant access.

Good luck - let me know how things work out for you.

[Rebecka Melson]

I have my own registered copies of QuickBooks as well as access clients' copies using remote access. I don't recommend sharing multi-user licenses with clients or even subs. It could turn into a nasty situation of who owns what if you ever split ties. Multi-user licenses should only be used in-house on your own server so that you keep control of the software and you can deny someones access if needed.

I won't use the online version of QuickBooks either. I think there are too many security issues there, also the online version isn't as fully functional as the regular version.

[Karen Mitchell]

Rebecka,
I was surprised to read you thought there were too many security issues with the online QB's. Since I may consider this an option for future clients, would you share what your concerns are? I just don't want to start with something that is not the best option.
Thanks -

[LoriLee]

Rebecka,
I wanted to get your opinion on using the Quickbooks Accountant vs. and/or QB Pro for multiple clients. Would you still recommend your clients having their own vs and/or license or would you offer it as a benefit. Would love to hear your thoughts.

[Rebecka Melson]

Rebecka,
I was surprised to read you thought there were too many security issues with the online QB's. Since I may consider this an option for future clients, would you share what your concerns are? I just don't want to start with something that is not the best option.
Thanks -

Obviously dealing with bookkeeping you are handling confidential and sensitive information. I'm sure QB has great security features in place, but I'm just not comfortable having that type of information in the control of someone else on their server or online where it is more susceptible to being hacked.

[Rebecka Melson]

Rebecka,
I wanted to get your opinion on using the Quickbooks Accountant vs. and/or QB Pro for multiple clients. Would you still recommend your clients having their own vs and/or license or would you offer it as a benefit. Would love to hear your thoughts.

I have a couple of clients who do not currently have their own copy of QuickBooks. I use mine and just provide them with monthly financial statements, the client does not have access to their QB file. If the client wanted access to their QB file they would have to purchase their own copy and license. This soley depends on the clients needs/wants. In these cases, the clients don't know how to use QB, don't want to learn how to use it, are satisfied just receiving the reports and therefore don't need their own copy of QB.

I have always used QB Pro in the past, I just recently purchased the 2008 Premier Accountants edition because I am gaining more clients that use different versions of QB. The Accountant's edition is more expensive but it provides you with all the different software versions, except for Enterprise.

Thanks very much for the replies, answers my dilema perfectly.

Now have to get the clients.
Sarah

[LindaK]

Hello,
I don't actually have any clients yet & am just starting out but I would really love your help.

My knowledge is in Sageline 50 accounts & don't know if any of the other options, Quick Books seems to be really popular works along the same lines.

My question is do you ask your clients to purchase a registered copy of the software which you then access remotely or do you purchase a multi-user licence which is obviously very expensive?

Also, how do you protect your information? Are there integral password protections or do you use special software?

Thank you for your time, I really appreciate it.
Sarah

Having multiple clients does not require one to buy a multi-user license. You would create a separate QB file for each client. If you will be handling payroll, you will need to pay for a separate payroll subscription for each client. That is something like $99/year. I'm not sure how much each additional payroll subscription costs.

The only reason you may need a multi-user account is if you are to install on more than one computer. An issue with multi-user is there are many functions that cannot be performed in multi-user mode. You have to switch to single user mode to perform those tasks, thus making it very nerve racking trying to juggle more than one person accessing the software at any given time.

[Kbennitt]

I have use QB with several clients and like Rebecka I have my own copy (Pro version) and my clients have their copy of the software. I would love to upgrade to the accountants version but don't have the client base to support that at this time.

I have used the online version before and leave the decision for such up to the client. However the limits of the online version make it difficult to work with and I find even the reports somewhat useless. I don't have the security concerns that Rebecka states as I have talked with QB's onlined development team and their tech support staff before allowing my clients to go this route, but its not the safest option available and I do let my clients and potential clients know that it would be my last option when working on their accounts.

for the most part I do quarterly updates for clients so they send me the backup copy of their file and I work with that and then return it. Each client is unique and I like that QB allows the user to setup their file exactly how they want it to function.

Best of luck!