• HOME
• 
• ACCOUNTING

  SERVICES

• 
• BUSINESS

  SERVICES

• 
• VIRTUAL

  SERVICES

• 
• NEWSLETTERS
• 
• LINKS
• 
• ABOUT

  US

• 
• CONTACT

  US

About us

• Why us?
• 
• Who are we?
• 
• Two companies?
• 
• Introductory meeting
• 
• Virtual services
• 
• Virtual services risks
• 
• Privacy statement
• 

Click above to learn about our Accounting services


Click above to learn about our Business services


Click above to apply for your no-obligation consultation

Click here to download TeamViewer QS for Windows - no installation required

Virtual Services

What? No more trips to the office?

So what's all this virtual stuff about anyway? Well, the chances are that if you've used the services of a chartered accountant before, you probably know that to get a meeting with them, you have to schedule it. Then go to it. Of course some times you can get away with a phone call - but even that's usually followed by another bill.

And of course if you do all the work in your own accounting system, you'd like that to be reflected in the final result. Sadly all too often the accountant largely ignores what you've already done (based on their experience) - and the final accounts bear only a passing similarity to it. Sound familiar?

What about your place?

Well, we have undertaken something quite dramatically different. We use the client's system as our main system. Yes, we still do GST and accounts via BankLink for people who don't want their own system, but we figured if people have their own system, why not make it work properly? We started doing this locally - but soon saw the benefits of doing it virtually.

Sure we still do final accounts in our system, because other systems generally don't do professional accounts adequately. For example, most systems don't do depreciation properly, and tax can be fun. And there's also extra stuff required for accounts. So we use a system designed for chartered accountants (except usually with Xero). But we make sure that your system is basically right before we do this. Then we take it and do the final entries. And then we make sure your system is updated to include these and agree with the "official" accounts.

How virtual accounting works

Now having explained all of that, we should explain how we work as your virtual accountant - and how that lets us be part of your team in a more complete way. We don't need to be in the same room as you - we can do almost everything "virtually". When we "meet", we login in to your computer, and see what you are actually seeing. We can take control (with your permission) and work on your system - not just a copy which has to then be synchronised with it. We can also switch directions so you can see our computer for presentations, etc.

We like this approach for another reason - training. When we pick up an error, it's great to have the operator handy at the time. That way we can fix the transaction and show the operator so they know how to do it next time. We see this as an important way of reducing errors in the future. In fact if we find the same errors keep cropping up, we will eventually suggest we take over your accounts via BankLink. Our aim is always to minimise the effort required to get your accounts right.

Of course we still have to use snail post. We need your written authority to work for you - and to complete each year's accounts. We need final accounts signed.

How virtual business development works

First off, there is an element where being on-hand can provide valuable insights that simply can't be gained easily remotely. In particular our business depends on business owners being truthful - to themselves and us. This includes giving all facts - some of which may seem obvious to you - but are not to someone remote. It also includes being totally honest about something into which you have invested a lot of time and energy - some might even say your very soul. This is more difficult for us to assess remotely. So we take a risk here - but given clients pay, the risk is mainly to our reputation. As we always keep our commitments as short as possible, the risk is minimised, but it's something we simply have to live with.

While there are many aspects to our work, there are two main ones - both of which can be done virtually.

First is problem solving. Obviously before we can solve a problem, we must identify it. This happens in various ways, but one of our strongest tools is the business review. This tool has been developed by RAN ONE. They have now moved that to the next stage and implemented it via the web. That makes it a natural fit to our "virtual" business.

Second is coaching / mentoring. So many businesses are sadly run as jobs. If you're not sure what that means, read Michael Gerber's "The E-Myth Revisited" (and the "E" has nothing to do with Electronic - it stands for Entrepreneur). Our role is to help business owners work 'on' rather than 'in' their business.

While some tools we use are now on the web, others are on our local systems. Thanks to Skype of course we can talk to clients anywhere anytime. But thanks to another program (TeamViewer) we can connect to clients and, for example, work on their accounting system. But we can also turn the connection around, and let them see our system. Thus we can do presentations - or even play a video session. So, while I generally can't come to your place, we can work together.

Summary

So, in a nutshell, that's our virtual services - pretty much like "real" ones - but without the geographic limits. Basically, at last we have the tools to be part of your team - not just to do your accounts at year end. When you need us, we can be there to help you - virtually. We have found that a five or ten minute session can solve a problem, and educate you so next time it's easier.