Like most industries, accounting has its busy periods. Accountants will also have certain weeks or months which are pretty quiet in comparison. However, unlike retail where you can take on extra staff over Christmas, for instance, you can’t simply add an accountant to your team for a short period and drop them afterwards.
So, what’s the solution? Read on as we take a closer look at peaks and troughs in accounting and how to deal with them effectively.
Peaks in accounting
From the self-assessment deadline on 31st January to the turn of the financial year on 5th-6th April, there are a number of deadlines for companies and sole traders to deal with throughout the year. Needless to say, these deadlines also matter for accountants, who process tax returns or balance the books on their behalf.
For accountants, these deadlines inevitably lead to an increase in enquiries from new clients. After all, what better time for a business to realise they need help with their accounts than when a tax deadline is looming?
However, put that on top of the existing workload, keeping everything in order for existing clients, and accountants have quite a stack of work on their desk. Nobody wants to turn business down, so what can you do?
Working through the troughs
In contrast to peak business times, troughs are those weeks or months in between where things can get a little quiet. First and foremost, it’s important to use these peaks and troughs to plan ahead and complete any work that could help smooth things over when it gets busy.
Accountants will no doubt advise and assist their clients to plan ahead financially, and it’s best to do the same with your workload. If clients like to have an annual or biannual catch-up, get it done now before the rush begins. Or use the time for valuable staff training which could help out further down the line.
Flexible working
When the busy periods do come, it’s important that you’re prepared to do extra work and even extra hours where required. But you don’t want it to take over your life. Nobody wants to be stuck in the office till the late hours.
That’s where cloud computing can help. Using a hosted desktop, you can log into your work desktop from any device. Access all the data and applications you need while you’re at home or on the go, so you can be more productive without it disrupting your work-life balance.
Better collaboration
How much of your time, even in busy periods, is spent chasing up clients to discuss their accounts? Or waiting on them to submit crucial information? With cloud software, this can be dramatically reduced.
51% of accountants report that cloud software improves collaboration with clients. Why? In short, you can provide instant access to the files, figures and financial reports that your clients want to see, and they have a clear place to upload anything that’s required on their end.
Hosted desktop for accountants
At Green Cloud Hosting, our hosted desktop solutions help accountants stay on top of their work even in the busiest periods. With more flexibility and improved collaboration, you’ll be able to deliver the same high standards for your clients throughout the year.
To find out more about how we can help you, get in touch with our team on 0161 979 0691.
