Accountants have more pressure than ever to work efficiently, especially with so many others offering similar services. Making the most of your time matters, not just for your bottom line but for your clients too. The right shortcuts and tools can help you stay ahead, keep standards high and finish up in time to enjoy your evening without still thinking about spreadsheets.
Automate Repetitive Activities
There are certain actions that you do multiple times in a day and that don’t require in-depth thinking. To shave minutes off the day, depending on how many of these tasks you regularly do, consider automating them. That frees you up for more complex things like brainstorming, marketing, and improving customer service. Automation has the added bonus of reducing human error, which, as much as you don’t want to admit it, can happen every once in a while.
Template Your Emails
Do you find you’re rewording the same types of emails again and again to clients? If so, why not create email templates that you can simply cut and paste, changing the customer name and date each time to make it appropriate? That’ll save time and also ensure that each email has the details in it that you want to include, so nothing gets missed. Be sure to use a professional style of writing to make yourself sound as good as possible, especially if those emails are going to new clients.
Do Similar Tasks Together
Your mind can get tired when you go from one subject matter to another, which makes things take longer, in general. Instead, group similar tasks together in your to-do list so that you get them done faster with less mental work. For example, review client expenses at the same time, rather than spacing them throughout the day. You’ll feel good when that particular task is done, too, before you move on to the next one.
Outsource Payroll
You don’t have to take on everything yourself. Save time with payroll for accountants. Using a dedicated payroll service, accountants can offload the payroll processing tasks without falling short on quality in any way. The services ensure your client’s payroll is done on time and compliant, giving you more time back in your day, week, and month. You’ll also find that the risk of human error is gone, which could otherwise happen with payroll in-house.
Set Deadlines, and Stick to Them
How does this save you time? Clear deadlines can keep you from having to wait around for approvals or client papers. Be transparent when communicating with those whom you need things early on, telling them when you need items ready, and they will be more likely to have them ready for you. Less waiting around time means you’ll get to the deadline faster, which makes everyone happy.
