Converting your bookkeeping business can be difficult especially if your clients prefer your physical presence in the office. It is the only acceptable way for making them feel they are getting their money’s worth for your bookkeeping services. However, with the advancement of technology, virtual bookkeeping is fast becoming a trend that you are starting to consider following suit and gather virtual bookkeeping tips on how to convince your clients to go the virtual way.
The traditional way of providing bookkeeping services limits the opportunities to earn more. On-site services consume all your time as the clients may demand you to stand-by to perform bookkeeping tasks that may arise on the spot. If your business allows you to send your own representative, your client may reject your staff and insist for your usual attendance or may ask for someone who can be comfortable to work with. All these and more inconveniences are not to be experienced anymore when you start switching to the modern way of providing bookkeeping services. Here are some virtual bookkeeping tips to introduce the idea to your regular and potential clients.
Give subtle hints about your plans in order to pre-set their minds about the changes to transpire in the near future. Introduce the idea of virtual bookkeeping and its advantages and seek their opinion about it. Give them plenty of indications that you are considering upgrading your system to provide better services with minimal price adjustments.
Charge a lower rate than on-site services. In truth, virtual bookkeeping allows you to work on minimum hours thus it is fair to charge by the hour. The clients may find the system more economical since they can cut the cost in paying the fixed number of hours even if there are no bookkeeping jobs performed. With virtual bookkeeping, they only pay for the exact amount of work completed.
Assure the client that you are not going to banish out of sight totally. Having been used to your presence in the office can sometimes be a deterring factor in convincing a client to switch to virtual bookkeeping. Maintain personal interaction by visiting or calling them regularly especially when they need to celebrate a big profit gain or to discuss something to warn them about eroding finances.
Charge your transportation expenses to their account. As soon as a considerable amount is being consumed for your on-site visits, they can easily give in and agree to work with you virtually.
Start offering virtual bookkeeping services to new clients. It is better to begin a new deal using the new system rather than switch later. Aside from the difficulties in convincing the clients, it is doubly difficult to process the documents the second time around.
Understand your client’s initial resistance. Listen to their concerns, but make sure to deliver your points focusing on the benefits, efficiency, and convenience of virtual bookkeeping. Convince them to have a testing period to see how the new system really works.
These are only some of the few virtual bookkeeping tips in persuading your clients to utilize the modern way of tracking their financial and accounting records. As the owner of a bookkeeping agency, you have all the options to run your business in a way that you think is more profitable, efficient, and convenient. While you are bound to encounter initial resistance, the clients may gradually accept the new changes you are trying to introduce especially when they start experiencing the benefits. Much of their acceptance depends on how clever you present the new concept of virtual bookkeeping. In fact, much of their resistance may just be based on the speculative fear of losing you on-site.
Give them plenty of indications that you are considering upgrading your system to provide better services with minimal price adjustments.