Remote accounting is pretty challenging for firms. However, since it is becoming the need of the hour, businesses must know how to use it to their advantage. If you are puzzled about how you can overcome the challenges of tracking your accounts in remote accounting, here is a helpful guide for the same.
How to Keep Track of Your Accounts While Working Remotely?
Accounting and bookkeeping services is a task that requires undivided attention and focuses by the accountant. It is an utmost significant activity for which companies create a separate department in-house. Traditionally, this activity has always been conducted in an office with several files, paperwork, and a few employees. But ever since technology has picked up its pace, the revolutions in accounting have changed the way of working.
Companies today can avail themselves of remote accounting and bookkeeping services with the help of technological advancements. Although it is a new phenomenon for firms, only the leaders with far-sightedness can notice its value. It is not a passing trend but something that will stay for long. That is why many firms are switching their operations, downsizing, and decentralizing the functions to allow flexibility in their work. However, remote accounting is not a bed of roses. It entails various challenges that impact the firm’s decision to work remotely. Some of these hurdles include:
- Adapting to the new environment:
New is always challenging. Especially when the team has been working for a long time using conventional practices, it becomes nearly impossible to change their working methods. The routine operations, responsibilities, and workflow become a part of their life. When this routine suddenly breaks, it takes a lot of time for people to adjust. Particularly, if you have a large team, it becomes difficult to guide and manage them remotely.
Instead of working in a productive and motivating environment, they are now forced to work at home where the internet connectivity might be spotty, family members, and other ergonomic issues. The company has to deal with uncertain complexities in an already complicated process of accounting and bookkeeping services. Financial activities are interdependent and inter-connected. If there is a single fault in any one of the elements, the whole chain will break. It becomes challenging to meet the deadlines when you do not have any idea about the working situation of other persons.
Solution: Train the employees with suitable tools
Although the company can’t change the home environment of an employee, it can focus on other challenging aspects of accounting outsourcing services. There are numerous accounting tools available in the market that can streamline the workflow and communication in work from home occupations. A company can select the most suitable means that fit its budget and needs and train its employees. Also, about the working environment at home, employees should make it as productive, peaceful, and quiet as possible.
The tools will enable you to track the progress of employees working on accounts at home.
- Decision making and direct communication:
While working in an office, if your employees had any query, they could run to you or any other person to resolve it. However, at home, there is no such privilege. If you get stuck at some point, communicating it can become an obstacle. You may use emails, chats, calls, and other such features, but these can pile up, and the other person might miss addressing them.
Not just that, the decision-making process in accounting and bookkeeping services can get delayed due to connectivity issues. Keeping up with communication while working from multiple places is the biggest hurdle that can adversely affect the workflow. A company can suffer several breakdowns in closing the financial process.
Solution: Streamline, organize, delegate
One of the foundation bricks of a seamless accounting process is coordination. Similar to office work, remote working requires precise coordination in the activities, individuals, and software. Since interaction takes place from a distance, it becomes difficult to manage the accounts. But, if you organize, delegate, and chalk out responsibility and accountability, you can ensure financial success.
Coordinating the accounting and bookkeeping services is possible by sharing the schedules of every employee with one another. It will enable them to schedule their calls, virtual or physical meetings accordingly. Also, it would be best to create and monitor the deadlines regularly. The leader needs to track the worker’s progress and follow a proactive approach when things go downhill. The deadlines should be clear and precise, and no employee should miss them.
In remote accounting, try to focus on operations that directly relate to your work. Any random approach can slow down your workflow. The company should follow time tracking and management practices to see whether the accounts are correctly being handled or not. You can also rely on accounting outsourcing service to track down the efficiency and accuracy of accounting.
- Control issues:
While it sounds scary, it is not the reality. A company has to give up considerable control in remote accounting and bookkeeping services. Also, several activities require manual monitoring by employees (like inventory). Managing such accounts from distant locations forms a predicament for firms.
Solution: Effective management
While manual controlling is somewhat essential and cannot be avoided entirely, the management can plan around the workarounds. The company should refocus its entire control strategy and plan things accordingly using technology. When you delegate and decentralize your operations, the employees feel productive and allow consistent account tracking.
- Demotivated employees:
Working from remote locations does not always give the vibes like at the office. The staff may be tempted to procrastinate due to stress, demotivation, or personal issues. It may lead to inefficiency in accounting and bookkeeping services.
Solution: Healthy and positive relationship
A leader must ensure that the employee gives his best to his job. Constant communication, guidance, and motivation can lead to excellent results.
A firm can track its accounts effectively by building an infrastructure that supports remote working. It should provide efficient and coordinated client-employee-management communication wherein files can be shared immediately. You should use suitable video conferencing and meeting tools to communicate without any break. Also, by using a time tracking tool, you can analyze, manage, and schedule your activities.