Written by the OneBooks Team
When hiring a bookkeeper, whether a virtual, online bookkeeper or someone down on Main Street, it can be an extremely beneficial move for you, the business owner. It frees up your time while helping you reduce expenses.
Most people are familiar with fundamental questions about pricing, average delivery times, and basic qualifications, but now is your chance to dig a little deeper. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of five key questions you should always ask before you hire a bookkeeper. Doing this will help ensure that they have the knowledge necessary for the job, understand the needs of your business, and can help you build a solid financial future.
Key Questions to Ask Your Bookkeeper
1. What Kind of Services Do You Offer?
From an outside perspective, bookkeeping may seem like a relatively narrow field, but many services can be included under the overall category of bookkeeping. Some are strictly related to keeping track of your finances, such as reconciling your bookkeeping with bank statements, organizing your receipts, and noting all reimbursable expenses. However, bookkeepers can also assist with creating budgets, help explain the contributing factors affecting your numbers, and prepare financial reports you can use during stakeholder meetings. Consider what kind of services you will require for your business, and then ensure that the bookkeeper in question can provide those services.
2. How Can Bookkeeping Inform Our Decision-Making?
This can be an excellent follow-up question that allows you to get more specific about the potential benefits of hiring a bookkeeper. Not only will this give you a more concrete idea of the value a bookkeeper brings to the table, but it also serves as a way to demonstrate the level of knowledge of said bookkeeper. If they struggle to answer this question, they may not be the right fit for you.
3. How Familiar Are You With Our Industry?
All businesses need bookkeeping services, but the specifics of those services will vary significantly from one industry to another. That’s why it’s essential that your bookkeeper exhibit a high level of familiarity and expertise relating to your particular type of business. Asking your bookkeeper to talk about common bookkeeping issues specific to your industry and how they plan to address them is a great way to verify this.
4. What Are Some Areas Where We Might Be Wasting Money?
A good bookkeeper should be keeping your company afloat and helping you optimize your finances and grow your business as well. During your conversation, don’t be afraid to ask for concrete examples of how they plan to accomplish this. Identifying areas where money is currently being wasted allows you to reallocate those expenses elsewhere and improve the management of your resources. Still, to do so, you need someone with the proper background and skills.
5. What Can You Determine From Our Performance This Period Compared to Last?
One advantage of working with a bookkeeper is that they can provide you with the narrative behind the numbers. It’s one thing to look at a report and summarize the results; it’s another to be able to explain those results and give you guidance for the future. Finding out what kind of information your bookkeeper can provide will give you an idea of what you can expect from them going forward.
Schedule a Free Consultation and Find the Right Bookkeeper Today
Armed with these questions, you can ensure that the bookkeeper you speak to is the right fit for your business. At One Books, we offer free consultations to allow you to learn everything you need to make a decision.
