Here’s what you’re looking for: Penny Breslin

Includes details for the Client Operations Manual.

By Penny Breslin
It’s Not Just the Numbers

Moving from compliance to reliance services is not an easy task. If you are feeling a bit overwhelmed at this point, that’s okay. However, the joy of offering back office support (BOS) services and working closely with clients to help them meet their goals is well worth the effort. Having a strong team, clear procedures and technology that works for you are the building blocks that allow you to succeed in this endeavor.

MORE: After You Check Your Cybersecurity, Help Others | Cover These Five Areas of Information Security | Three Examples: Pricing Your BOS Value Add | Use Timesheets for Productivity, Not Billing | Revisit Your Back Office Support Procedures | Federated Search: What It Is, Why It Matters | Accounting Tech Tools to Minimize Your Pain | Do Your Apps Play Well with Others? | It’s OK to Have Favorite Clients | Ten Questions for Teamwork | Yes, You Can Be an Outsourcer
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The next layer is the clients – meeting with them, working with them and setting up the procedures to ensure that you are truly their advisor. When you carefully select your clients, take the time to understand their needs and goals, and hold them to a paperless work environment, both your team and clients will reap the rewards.
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How to thoroughly safeguard client information.

By Penny Breslin
It’s Not Just the Numbers

Your clients trust you with their information; however, in today’s world, where sensitive information can be compromised and distributed, clients want assurance that their information is safe and that you are protecting them from identity theft.

MORE: Let Tech Make Communication Easier | How to Craft a Service Level Agreement | How to Maximize On-Site Client Meetings | Sixteen Guidelines for Naming Conventions | You Have to Manage Three Kinds of Procedures | Tech Tips for Back Office Support | Decoding Accounting Tech (and All Those Acronyms) | Digital Marketing Strategies Level the Playing Field | Eight Tasks to Delegate Today
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Although certain state laws (check with your state); federal laws such as Gramm-Leach-Bliley (GLB), which covers individual privacy disclosures; and the AICPA rules of ethics do provide some protection, we recommend that as the trusted business advisor, you should disclose to your clients how you:

• Safeguard their information in your office and on your servers
• Securely transmit sensitive data
• Closely supervise access to authorized parties only

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How to create effective systems.

By Penny Breslin
It’s Not Just the Numbers

Open and clear communication is essential when you provide back office support (BOS) services. You cannot take on this type of work and not stay on top of it. Previous examples have shown what happens when you do it right. Here’s what happens when you don’t.

MORE: How to Craft a Service Level Agreement | Three Examples: Pricing Your BOS Value Add | Use Timesheets for Productivity, Not Billing | Revisit Your Back Office Support Procedures | Federated Search: What It Is, Why It Matters | Accounting Tech Tools to Minimize Your Pain | Do Your Apps Play Well with Others? | It’s OK to Have Favorite Clients | Ten Questions for Teamwork | Yes, You Can Be an Outsourcer
Exclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

Case Study: When You Don’t Keep Up Your Side of the Agreement

A CPA wanting to provide BOS services to his clients contacted us to help with the first setup. The software of choice by the business owner was QuickBooks.
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BONUS: A sample checklist.

By Penny Breslin
It’s Not Just the Numbers

Anytime there is a business relationship between entities, expect to see a contract or some form of written agreement. In outsourcing, as in many other relationships, this is called a service level agreement (SLA). This agreement is used to establish the scope of the engagement. It clearly states who is responsible for what, when, where and how. It provides a quid pro quo that you can verify with the business owner(s), so that both parties are fully aware of their obligations.

MORE: Three Examples: Pricing Your BOS Value Add | How to Assess Needs for a Client Proposal | Best Practices for Source Doc Permissions and Handling | Every Back Office Support Client Needs a Playbook | Strengthen Client Ties with Workflow Tools | Understand Your Online Marketing Options | Narrow Your Prospects by Choosing a Vertical | Build Your Team, Then Choose Your Clients | How Back Office Support Adds Value
Exclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

The important thing is to go through each function and each area with the business owners(s), have them read it with you together and check off each item so that they are clear on what you expect from them, and so you are clear on what deliverables you are promising.
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How to take that big first step.

By Penny Breslin
It’s Not Just the Numbers

The big part of pricing is the value added. How do we go from fixed to value-added pricing where the firm actually can really make a difference and move from just back-office support to client advisory services? The steps to get there mean providing the base of BOS so that you have the needed knowledge to perform client advisory services.

MORE: How to Assess Needs for a Client Proposal | How to Maximize On-Site Client Meetings | Sixteen Guidelines for Naming Conventions | You Have to Manage Three Kinds of Procedures | Tech Tips for Back Office Support | Decoding Accounting Tech (and All Those Acronyms) | Digital Marketing Strategies Level the Playing Field | Eight Tasks to Delegate Today
Exclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics states that about 20 percent of small businesses will fail in their first year and by the end of the fifth year 50 percent will fail.
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Use an anticipatory set to make things easier for both sides.

By Penny Breslin
It’s Not Just the Numbers

In 2000, our company created a QuickBooks training DVD. The owner wanted it done professionally and hired a movie company and rented a studio. The RFP went out. All proposals received had a fee for discovery.

MORE: How to Maximize On-Site Client Meetings | Use Timesheets for Productivity, Not Billing | Revisit Your Back Office Support Procedures | Federated Search: What It Is, Why It Matters | Accounting Tech Tools to Minimize Your Pain | Do Your Apps Play Well with Others? | It’s OK to Have Favorite Clients | Ten Questions for Teamwork
Exclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

Today, if you were to hire a development team to create, update or install code, they would charge you a certain amount for discovery before they would do any actual coding. What you are paying for is the development of the anticipatory set and a clear definition of the scope.
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Plus two traps to avoid.

By Penny Breslin
It’s Not Just the Numbers

“We can evade reality, but we cannot evade the consequences of evading reality.” – Ayn Rand

The reality is that the robots and AI are here, and they will eventually take over much – if not all – of the day-to-day work that is typically done by a human interacting with a computer. You may not like it, but you cannot avoid it. So utilize robots to make your life easier.

MORE: Use Timesheets for Productivity, Not Billing | Best Practices for Source Doc Permissions and Handling | Every Back Office Support Client Needs a Playbook | Strengthen Client Ties with Workflow Tools | Understand Your Online Marketing Options | Narrow Your Prospects by Choosing a Vertical | Advisory Services Done Your Way | AI Is Not Your Enemy
Exclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

Prepare for Your Meeting

Do your homework before going out to the client’s office. If this is an existing client where you have been doing standard compliance work, review the data in their accounting program and make sure you are working with up-to-date information. If this is a new back office support prospect, ask to review their accounting data before going out to their offices. If they are not open to this, it may require an extra visit. The steps below assume you have either worked on the client’s accounting in some capacity, or you have had the opportunity to review the accounting files.
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