From Taxes to Budgets: An Accounting Blog

Posted on: 4 June 2020

Today's small businesses are increasingly doing what many larger companies have already chosen: moving their administrative work to remote work. Remote work is safer for many employees, can boost morale, and is generally a cost-saver for the business.

If you think that your bookkeeping work might be better off as a remote department, how can you plan your transition? Here are five important steps to get your office out of the office. 

1. Use Online-Based Platforms

One of the early steps toward a remote work transition is to get everyone using an online bookkeeping platform. Quickbooks, for instance, offers an online version that covers multiple department's needs and is compatible with many online services by other providers. By transitioning now to this cloud-based software, the staff will get used to using it while they still have each other to call on. 

2. Get Everyone Trained

Moving to a new platform and expecting people to use it on their own requires that your staff all know how to use it well. Before you "go live," arrange for online training both as a whole group and for individual functions. For the best results, schedule early training sessions as well as follow-up training after users have been experimenting with the software for a while. 

3. Write Down Specific Responsibilities

Determine exactly what tasks and responsibilities each member of the department will have. In many small offices, functions are often done by whoever has time and job duties are fairly informal. If individuals are expected to work efficiently on their own, though, everyone needs to know exactly what they're responsible for. Try to assign specific job duties before software training so each person can focus on learning their particular tasks.

4. Create a Paperless Office

If you ever want to get everyone working remotely, your bookkeeping office will need to be as paperless as possible. Start this transition early, as it could take some time. You'll need to contact vendors, for example, to ask for paperless billing options. You may also need to scan older documents for research purposes. And you'll certainly need a cloud-based storage and organization system. 

5. Expand Communication

Finally, start making use of alternative communications methods even while your staff is still working together. Everyone will need to become adept at using texts, email, phone calls, and video conferencing platforms. And you'll need to manage both the work and personal conflicts through these remote methods. The best plan is to become better at them before they are your only routes of communicating as a team. 

Certainly, the earlier you can start these steps, the better your eventual transition to a remote office. Begin today by learning more about online accounting platforms and the training they each offer.

For more information about bookkeeping software online training, contact a company like Blueback Accounting.