The past three months have seen a lot of change. We’re unable to visit friends and family as we once could, we’re expected to stay home unless we’re buying essentials, or employed as a Key Worker. This means any form of work/home dynamic you had before has changed, in ways that are noticeable, and in ways that are not.
For example, my husband is a Key Worker, but I am working from home. I have spread everything over my dining room, so we’re not able to eat at the table. Stones Accountancy is far more digital now, so I’m still able to keep in constant contact with colleagues and clients but the dynamic is slightly different. No one is bringing me a coffee except me. Some of our clients have found the silver lining of lockdown, and enjoyed the enforced break as an opportunity to finally do that ‘bit of DIY’ they’ve been avoiding, or working in their garden, working on their sense of wellbeing.
I found myself thinking, ‘their priorities have changed, and I can free up more of their time to do these jobs, by taking a responsibility off their hands.’ A responsibility that involves a lot of paperwork. A responsibility Trades, in particular, hate. Bookkeeping. And is there a way of using a digital process to help flatten the curve and increase efficiency? Actually, yes.
We’ve all done it. Collected our receipts in the glovebox, or coin dish in the car until they’re overflowing. Scribbled reminder notes that fall between the seats. It’s not pretty, and there’s a way to avoid clogging up your van with all those receipts, and pass the responsibility of bookkeeping back to me.
If you take a photo of the receipt, as soon as you’ve got it, you can upload it onto our bookkeeping software and throw the receipt into the recycling. It also means you can create an invoice then and there, and email it directly to your client. No more waiting, for them or for you.
‘But my accountant says I have to keep everything!’ – You are. The software monitors and keeps a digital copy of your receipt for you, safe and sound. You can even connect this software to your bank statements, so that you don’t have to actively print copies for us to do your bookkeeping. And it means we don’t have to iron out a nine-month old receipt which has faded, and is – for some unknown reason – sticky.
If Digital Bookkeeping sounds like something you’d be interested in learning more about, email us today!