New clients - straight onto cloud ?

TreadStone
TreadStone Registered Posts: 280 Epic contributor 🐘
in General accounting discussion
This question can be for those of you who have your own practice or are employed and use cloud bookkeeping software.

Do ALL new clients go onto the cloud ? If so, is this now simply a standard procedure ?

How many of you are looking to go 100% cloud ?

Curious.

Comments

  • MarieNoelle
    MarieNoelle Registered, Moderator Posts: 1,368
    If the client is happy to do their bookkeeping then yes I would put them onto a cloud software package so I can review the accounts remotely.
    If I do the bookkeeping I do it on VT+ as quicker and easier for me. I will wait and see the outcome of MTD to make any new decisions for these clients.
  • burg
    burg Registered, Moderator Posts: 1,438 mod
    We have recently changed to all new clients straight into the cloud. We are not aiming for 100% but as close as we can. We recognise we may still have a few.
    Our aim is for over 50% by the end of March 2017.
    Regards,

    Burg
  • TreadStone
    TreadStone Registered Posts: 280 Epic contributor 🐘
    At work I'm trying to suggest that we use HMRC's MTD as an excuse to push more clients into the cloud. Whether it happens in 2018 or not, I believe it's inevitable, so I'm pushing to implement the transition now (I still think it should have been started 12mth ago).

    I genuinely like the thought of having more of our clients data in a digital format instead of the mishmash of their own spreadsheets, cashbooks, fag packets etc ( some of which are pretty crappy).

    Plus, I'm sick of hearing "well you'll never change them". No you sodding won't if you just keep accepting some of the sub-standard crap we get handed in. Why would they change if no-one is telling them otherwise ?

    So maybe this is the chance we've been waiting for to get clients to up their game (and ours).





  • burg
    burg Registered, Moderator Posts: 1,438 mod
    @TreadStone - We have used MTD as a driver even if it does not go ahead. We have taken it as exactly as you point out. We have too many varying methods of how clients present info to us. Some are good, some are ok and some are down right terrible. We have always focussed on improving the poor ones and the ok ones where possible. It has led though to some clients requiring certain staff to do that work.

    We are now systemising so much of the practice that only the very smallest and simplest jobs won't chasnge over, for now. We will still have a few larger businesses who have their own bookkeeper on Sage Line 50 too.

    MTD has been a good reason really to convince ourselves to push these changes. It acts as a good convincer to clients too but ultimately it just made us get ourselves sorted. We had been using cloud bookkeeping before but this really made us step things up and have a clear plan and methodology.
    Regards,

    Burg
  • TreadStone
    TreadStone Registered Posts: 280 Epic contributor 🐘
    edited November 2016
    We share similar thoughts then Ian. It's definately an opportunity to "tidy things up".

    The practice where I work has a very similar set-up ie. larger clients with own bookkeeper on Sage 50, smaller ones with only a handful of entries so easier to record on a spreadsheet etc etc.

    The problem is, I don't think we do enough for the ones in bewteen who need pushing and advising that there are alternatives to record keeping. Even if it means more work initially for us, I believe it will benefit the practice (and the clients) longer term.

    I live in hope.....

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