Does outsourcing your accounting make sense for your small business?

Outsourcing accounting services has long remained a privilege reserved only for larger corporations. But now, the affordability and cost effectiveness of using outsourced accounting services is attracting small businesses as well. Small businesses normally have a lot of functions and very less resources for completing them. Using expert bookkeeping and accounting service providers for outsourcing accounting functions save small businesses a lot of resources, which can then be utilized somewhere else within the business.

But the main query a small business entrepreneur will have is this: Is outsourcing accounting services really worth it for my small business? The answer to this is complicated and requires evaluating the pros and cons of using a firm for financial functions of the business.

There are advantages attached to hiring a firm for outsourced accounting which are especially applicable to small businesses:

The first and most important advantage of using an outsourced accounting service provider is its cost effectiveness, with an attractive possibility of saving up to 40% costs compared to in-house hiring.

Small business accounting requirements can be handled easily by expert bookkeeping and accounting service providers through their expert staff

You can choose to hire only those services which are applicable to your business

You save valuable time by using accounting services which you can then dedicate to the core business activities

You don't have to hire, train or retain in-house accounting staff

One drawback that can be associated with outsourcing accounting functions is that there are many companies which are into the domain of accounting services and it is a difficult task to filter out the experienced and genuine ones from the inefficient ones. So select an accounting service provider with a lot of care, and take the following factors into consideration:

Does the outsourced accounting service provider have experience in your industry?

Can it provide valid references of its current/past clients?

Has it dealt with accounting functions of small businesses?

Can the accounting service provider provide doorstep service if required?

Is the accounting firm ready to sign a contract with you detailing the terms and conditions and guarantees of service?

Is the accounting service provider flexible enough to allow you to scale your bookkeeping and accounting requirements up or down?

Are the data security measures of the outsourced accounting service provider in question enough to protect sensitive information related to your small business?

In case you get positive responses to most of the questions posed above, you can rest assured that the firm you are considering outsourcing accounting services to is an appropriate one for your business.

There are many advantages of outsourcing accounting services for small businesses, which far surpass the disadvantages. If you get the right service provider, it can become a partner in helping you develop your small business. As a small business owner, you can consider hiring a professional bookkeeping and accounting service provider who will help you focus on the core activities of the business and grow it appropriately. (Mark Waltzer)

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