For your records, put together a more detailed write-up of your findings and any lingering questions or concerns you need to address in the upcoming meeting. At this stage, you’ll want to finish up any app or tool setup and ensure everyone has the necessary access. Additionally, ensure any documents giving you and your practice authority to act on behalf of your client have been signed and filed, if required. For clients, an onboarding process provides a clear understanding of what is expected of them and a sense of what resources and support are available to them as they begin working with the bookkeeper.
- A serious business must have inventory management, which is complex and demanding.
- Doing a little bit of administrative work upfront gets you set up to get paid on time.
- That’s when they get to see you “walk the walk” from your initial sales pitch.
- ‘Training’ them means teaching them what they need to know about working with you and using the critical technologies they need to interact with you.
- OfficeTools Workspace received the award for the category of Small CPA Firm Solution.
Be sure to let the client know you are always available if they have questions. This previous experience will make the team look competent and confident, reflecting positively on your business. Make sure you have a signed contract before beginning any work on the client. You will want to follow up with the client to collect any signed documents and payments if necessary. A welcome package of information could include an engagement letter, a proposal, a project description, an executive summary, a company overview, and a cost summary. These articles and related content is the property of The Sage Group plc or its contractors or its licensors (“Sage”).
Migrate your Client’s Data to QuickBooks Online
Reassure them that you understand the problems they are facing, and you can provide the services or assistance they need to get through them. This may seem an obvious service that you provide, but they may not know that, so you should articulate it. Perhaps the most important part of onboarding is the initial contact. The first conversation is crucial in establishing a relationship with the client, so it’s best to start with some basic introductions and then get them talking. Before you even think about onboarding, there is much to be done in the pre-work phase. You first need to identify who your ideal clients are and what services you are providing them.
These articles and related content is not a substitute for the guidance of a lawyer (and especially for questions related to GDPR), tax, or compliance professional. When in doubt, please consult your lawyer tax, or compliance professional for counsel. Sage makes no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness or accuracy of this article and related content. If you run into issues with a client, reflect and ask, “what could we have done differently in onboarding to prevent this? ” if there’s a clear answer, update your checklists and see if it makes a difference. There will be bumps in the road with any client, but if you’ve built a solid foundation from the start, you’ll manage them better and maintain a more positive relationship.
Business plan
After all, onboarding is not the only integral part of the client-accountant relationship. It’s still important to keep fostering trust throughout the entire engagement. Again, success is when all of the above is routine for both your firm and your clients. It’s important to provide the client with weekly check-ins and consistent updates so they can feel confident in your processes and keep everything on schedule. There should be some room to accommodate a client’s unique requirements, but the major steps should be replicable between clients and laid out in a clear, logical manner. The app automates time-consuming bookkeeping admin for your clients so they can focus on running their business—and send you accurate, structured data to work from.
Start by making a list of all the components that make up your onboarding process. Next, break down each step into smaller tasks so that each member of your team will know exactly what reaping the benefits of cycle counting they are responsible for and when each job should be completed. With everyone informed and aware of what’s to come, there should be no surprises, and the client should feel reassured.
Go over basic business information with one client, explain what you need from their side in order at execute within the just timelines, and go over the workflow process and this next steps. We consulted with thought leaders in the accounting and bookkeeping industry to put together a comprehensive guide to help firms standardize their onboarding processes. Then assign each team member a task and attach deadlines and instructions on how you want the project done.
Download free workflow templates
Apart from building rapport, this question can help you learn more about the company. For example, issues like business operations, its vision and mission, and employee management could come up in such discussions, giving you a better glimpse of what you will be dealing with. Accountants and bookkeepers enjoy nothing better than solving problems. It could be finding the 10-cent variance that keeps their books from balancing or scouring through financial records to save the company a few dollars. You can also customize it to fit your firm’s needs and share it with your team members.
- This article offers a thorough onboarding checklist to keep you ahead of the game and get you everything you need to begin working with your client.
- Similar to your legal onboarding tasks, your financial steps might vary based on the client.
- In reality, it’s rare not to have some clients you’d secretly like to drop.
- It is imperative to understand the value in a new bookkeeping client checklist.
Select the potential number of users at your company below to get started with your 14-day free trial. Some companies will only operate with one bank account; others will have two or more for various reasons. The more bank accounts, the greater the workload in terms of data entry and bank reconciliations. The sooner you know how many accounts the company has, the better your bookkeeping firm can prepare for the workload. It is also essential to see if they have a primary banker in the event of multiple bank accounts. It will give you a sense of their accounts receivable situation and workload.
Client Onboarding Checklist Template
To make your onboarding process trouble-free, consider putting action items like assign the internal team to the new client and follow the client on social media on your checklist for this stage. Set up your client’s file structure in your file storage system, e.g., Google Drive. Setting all customers up with the same file structure makes it a breeze for colleagues to work across multiple clients. Make it easy on yourself by creating a template that can be copied each time you need a new file structure. Ideally, keep a signed copy of your client’s contract in this file, or if you’re using an online tool such as Ignition, it will be saved automatically. A client’s first impression of a business sets the tone for a relationship that you hope will last a long time.
Increase practice efficiency by standardizing your onboarding process
This template is not only useful for planning, but also as a communication tool that can be shared with other departments and the new hire. Follow an onboarding checklist to ensure you cover all the bases, and use onboarding software to help you keep everything organised. Make sure you keep the client’s concerns and desires at the heart of the discussions you have with them, and ensure that your team is clear on the process. Here are the steps and activities you should be completing when going through the onboarding process with a new client.
The Ultimate New Bookkeeping Client Onboarding Checklist
On your checklist, include the items that need to be assembled, like swag or a personalized “welcome” video from your team, and check them off once they’re ready to go. Use CoraCloud practice management software with the branded client portal and document management to remain organized while meeting client expectations. Every business has long and short goals, which they create at different times.
Billing for this step will ensure that the prospective client whose file you’re reviewing is serious about hiring you, and it compensates you for efforts. This is the free phone call used to give you a feel for the client and for the client to get a feel for you. You may want to put a time cap on the length of this meeting, since it is free. Be sure and take notes; it makes them feel like you’re engaged in what they’re saying, and it will help you during step three of this process. Check out the following five-step onboarding checklist to help make your intake process a cinch.