Hiring an accounting firm is an excellent idea for every small business. Accounting firms not only reduce the stress of having to worry about your accounting, but they also save you time and money that could be better spent elsewhere on your business. However, choosing the right accounting firm can be a challenging process.
That’s why we made a list of the five things you should look for when hiring an accounting firm.
5 Things to Consider When Choosing an Accounting Firm
1. Experience
When hiring an accounting firm, the most important thing you should look for is experience. Experience doesn’t mean you want to hire the oldest accountant you interview. Instead, you want to look for an accountant that has solved problems similar to ones you face every day. Ideally, they have worked with clients in the same industry as your business. The best way to discover an experienced accountant in your industry is to ask:
1. How they would solve your problems, and
2. How they have solved these problems in the past.
A good accountant will draw on their previous experiences to give you a helpful answer. An inexperienced accountant will stumble through their answer.
An experienced accountant will identify issues with your company and provide you with actionable advice. They will also be able to quickly and efficiently get your work done because they have done it many times before.
2. Expertise
If you are looking to outsource all of your accounting, you want to find a firm led by a CPA. A CPA ensures that you will be receiving accurate and reliable work every time. Obtaining a CPA license is a notoriously long and difficult process, so if you find a firm with multiple CPAs, you will know you are in good hands.
If you are only looking for a bookkeeper, you should ask if they are a Quickbooks Pro Advisor. Pro Advisors are trained to know all the ins and outs of Quickbooks. Although they are not usually CPAs, Pro Advisors do a great job of accurately keeping your books up to date.
3. Timeliness
Imagine if your accountant missed your tax filings. Or imagine if they didn’t clean up your books before an audit. You need to find an accounting firm that treats deadlines even more crucial than you do in your own business. The best way to determine if an accounting firm will meet your deadlines is to see how difficult it is to obtain a meeting. An accounting firm that has taken on too many clients is much more likely to have a hard time scheduling an appointment than one that is properly staffed.
4. Communication
Great accounting firms make you feel like you are their only client. They need to respond to your emails and return your calls promptly. It is not worth working with a firm that turns in excellent work but never offers advice or answers your questions. A good accounting firm should be working alongside you like a partner in your business. A good way to test the communication of an accounting firm is to reach out through their website to see how long it takes before they respond.
5. Reviews and Testimonials
Scroll through the Google reviews for accountants and accounting firms in your area. You should be looking for a firm with primarily positive reviews. Reading through these reviews is a great way to get a feel for how experienced, reliable, and communicative a firm is. It is also a great way to determine which firm might be the best fit for you.
Conclsion
At the end of the day, you need to find an accounting firm that gets the work done accurately and on time.
At Windstone Financial, we do just that. We are an experienced team of CPAs and accountants with a long list of happy clients in many industries. Click the button below to get in touch with us so we can take care of all of your accounting needs.
