So I was sitting down creating a document that described the different ways my clients could embrace virtual accounting, when it hit me. I should write a blog about. (cue angels singing). When I set out to write these blogs by goal was to write a minimum of one a week. Well things haven’t been quite going that way. So when I get the urge to write two or three in one week, well that’s just great news for you.
So here goes…..
I recently wrote a blog before about The 3 Benefits of Virtual Accounting. Those three benefits are 1. access files and data from anywhere; 2. immediate software updates; and 3. safe and secure storage and computing. But what exactly is virtual? With all the new terminology out there, like “it’s in the cloud” many business owners don’t really understand what it means for a business to be virtual. Allow me to explain.
Virtual by definition means “something being in effect even if not in reality.” It’s the appearance of something; the essentials of it being there without it physically being there. And in the world of business that’s a concept that is hard for people to grasp. Corporate America can’t believe that if you are not physically in an office that you are actually working. That’s why there are still companies that don’t offer tele-work schedules.
Well I’m here to tell you that it works and that it’s AWESOME! And what makes it so awesome is that it’s not only cost efficient but it’s also time efficient. Here’s how it works.
As a client you have five ways to get your bank statements, check stubs and invoices to me.
- Scan & Email – If you want to take the time to scan them in and then attach it to an email. This can be cumbersome if the files become too large to send in one email.
- Fax – The only technology old school accountants trust. Better make sure there is paper in it though.
- Snail Mail – Through rain, sleet, snow or hail; the postal service is always there. Hope it doesn’t get lost.
- Hand Deliver – When you only want to rely on yourself. Where will you squeeze that into your schedule?
- Put it in the cloud – (more angels singing) – Follows same concept as scan and email, except instead of email you save it to a remote server. And in some cases you can download receipts and bank statements directly from the internet, therefore no scanning.
The cloud option is by far the best and my favorite. It’s simple, easy and secure. Just save your document in a shared folder in the cloud, send me a message letting me know it’s there and voila! I can download it directly to my computer. The process takes less than five minutes. There are quite a few companies that offer this service. Some offer free and paid options depending on the amount of documents you want to store and others offer only paid service. My recommendation is to try one out and see how you like it. Dropbox offers a free account with ways to build your storage capacity. Once you’re done testing it out, tell us what you think. Is virtual really as bad as you thought?
Do you use virtual services for your current accountant? Why or why not? We’d love to know.
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