As an accountant, it can be tricky to manage multiple clients. However, it’s an essential skill to learn if you want to succeed. Clients often demand fast results, making it crucial to maintain exceptional organisational skills.
There are plenty of ways to manage a steady roster of clients. With the help of QuickBooks Online Accountant (QBOA), you can efficiently manage, and build strong relationships with the people you serve.
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to client management. Every freelancer or firm handles clients differently, and you often have to tailor your approach to the specific client.
As long as you’re striving to be the best accountant you can be, it’s possible to efficiently manage multiple clients and grow a strong foundation with each of them.
Learn more about managing your firm in our resource centre.
Managing multiple clients requires time management. Begin with a structured schedule to track deadlines, appointments, and project milestones. You may want to use a shareable calendar or a digital planner, ensuring everyone in your team is on the same page and can visualise your deliverables.
The big picture is only one part of the story. You also need to master time management on a smaller scale, tackling tasks in your day-to-day. It’s important to focus on just one task at a time. This is called monotasking, and it makes your day more efficient by ensuring you can focus and complete one task at a time. You can use QuickBooks Time to help you and your employees manage time.
Learning how to prioritise your tasks is crucial. You need to recognise urgent projects that require immediate attention to ensure you’re focusing on what matters most.
One valuable method is the Eisenhower Matrix, which involves grouping your tasks into four quadrants:
The idea is to prioritise the tasks in the first category, schedule the second, delegate the third, and don’t do the fourth. Set aside 15 minutes at the start of your day to write your to-do list and categorise your tasks.
Setting clear expectations is essential if you want to maintain healthy relationships with your clients. You need to openly communicate your availability, deadlines, and project scope to avoid misunderstandings.
The most important part is to be transparent and honest about what you can deliver within your agreed budget. If there is any confusion, make sure you seek clarity and ask your clients questions.
Finally, make sure you document agreements and project details in a clear contract. This safeguards both parties and allows for adjustments as needed.
Remember, it’s acceptable to say no when it ensures better service for your clients.
Communication is a skill. However, it’s one that you should master if you want to keep your clients happy.
Part of this relates to setting those clear expectations in an honest, polite manner. But there are other facets to good communication, including accessibility. Make sure your clients can reach you effortlessly and get answers to any questions they may have.
Accounting can be fast-paced, and your day can become busy quickly. Set specific times to check your emails, ensuring you reply to all messages. Doing it at a specific time also sets clear boundaries, which means your clients won’t always expect an instant response. This even helps with monotasking, ensuring you don’t get swept up in an email chain when you’re meant to be doing something else.
When you’re trying to manage multiple accounting clients, tools can go a long way. Project management tools are invaluable when you’re juggling deadlines and projects.
Fortunately, there are tons to choose from. Certain tools, like Live Flow and Asana, are general project management tools. However, others like Financial Cents and Aero are project management tools designed for accountants.
Automation lets you do more with less. Technology is a great ally to accountants, and there are now countless tools at your disposal to help you automate various tasks, from invoicing to project tracking and beyond.
Evaluate your everyday processes to find out where your team is spending a lot of time. Then, see if you can find automation tools to help you cut through the clutter and boost productivity.
As your list continuously expands, staying up-to-date is crucial. Here’s a quick guide to keeping your client information current and efficient in QBOA.
You can add up to 2000 clients to your QBOA account. Doing so is simple. Clients who use QuickBooks can send you an invite, and you can add clients who don’t manually.
Now, all of your clients are in one place!
Access the Clients menu to see a comprehensive list of their information, from the assigned lead accountant to the status of tasks like Tax Preparation.
Easily make changes to a client’s information by clicking ‘Edit client’ in the Clients menu. Make any necessary changes, then press ‘Save,’ and the changes will update instantly.
You can also manage inactive clients for those whom you work with periodically or seasonally.
The QuickBooks suite gives you everything you need to manage your clients in one place. No more rushing projects, hunting for client information, or chasing invoices. Instead, your firm can be as efficient and proactive as ever.
Learn more about how to use QuickBooks for multiple clients with QuickBooks training and certification.
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