6 Tips on How to Make your Accounting Outsourcing Engagement Work

Are you struggling to keep up with the day-to-day accounting responsibilities of running your busy accounting firm? Does your team feel overwhelmed by the constant pressure of bookkeeping, accounting, and taxation tasks?

If you find yourself in any of these situations, it may be time to consider outsourcing some of your accounting responsibilities to a specialized firm. Outsourcing can provide much-needed relief and support to free up your precious time and resources.  

However, there’s one question that a lot of firms are asking: How can you make sure that outsourcing works in your favor? In this blog post, we will explore the keyways to make your accounting outsourcing work for you. 

Understanding Accounting Outsourcing

Accounting outsourcing is the process of hiring a specialized provider to assist your firm in completing various accounting tasks, therefore increasing your capacity to deal with more clients without compromising service quality. 

It is an attractive solution for professional services firms, especially for those who are having a hard time hiring qualified talents in their country. Aside from this, accounting outsourcing also offers a lot of advantages, such as: 

1. Higher Cost Savings

A good way to achieve higher cost savings is when you decide to outsource your accounting needs to an offshore location like the Philippines. In addition, these specialized accounting service providers often leverage economies of scale, resulting in more cost-effective services for your organization.  

Read: In-House Vs. Outsource Accounting: The Difference 

2. Access to Expertise

Let's be real, service providers that specialize in outsourcing have a team of professionals with extensive knowledge and experience in various accounting tasks. By partnering with such experts, you can tap into a wealth of expertise giving you enough space and flexibility to train your outsourced employees according to your unique way of working. 

Doing this ensures seamless integration and empowers them to adapt quickly to your company's culture and processes, saving you from the potential headaches and burdens that may arise. 

3. Scalability and Flexibility

Outsourcing allows you to easily scale up or down your accounting services based on your business needs. During peak seasons or times of expansion, you can quickly ramp up your outsourcing requirements, while during slower periods, you have the option to reduce costs by decreasing the outsourced workload. Just make sure to communicate your intention to scale with your outsourcing provider so they can make the necessary adjustments. 

How to Make Your Offshore Accounting Engagement Work? 

To guarantee the effectiveness of accounting outsourcing, consider these six (6) tips: 

1. Clearly define what your objective is

Make sure to define your goals and expectations. This includes the results that you want your outsourcing partner to achieve and the key deliverables they need to fulfill.  Doing these, you and your outsourcing partner can both have a clear grasp of the parameters and limitations of the outsourcing engagement by discussing and outlining these in detail up front. 

2. Research, choose and select a reputable accounting outsourcing firm

Finding the perfect outsourcing partner right off the bat can save you from unnecessary hassles. For this reason, you should be sure to search for a company that specializes in the particular service you need, such as bookkeeping, accounting and taxation services. And what's even more important? ensure they have a proven track record, satisfied clients, and a highly skilled team of accounting professionals you can rely on. 

3. Maintain an open, honest, and regular communication

Like any successful relationship, communication is everything to build a strong foundational relationship and partnership. In the context of business, you should make sure to have regular check-ins with your chosen service provider to ensure that everyone is on the same page and no barrier is on the line. 

Read Next: Knowing the Efficiency of Outsourcing as a Business Strategy 

4. Set Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

To gauge the performance of your outsourcing partner, it’s important to have specific measures in place. We recommend establishing KPIs as it will help you evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the outsourced tasks. 

Set measurable goals or milestones to assess your service provider’s progress against the agreed-upon expectations. Doing this will help you identify any issues that may arise early on and allow you for timely corrective actions whenever necessary. 

5. Provide them access to relevant information and resources

Why do I still need to provide my service provider with additional information and resources? I thought everything was provided? Providing your outsourcing partner with access to the necessary information and resources can improve their familiarity with your internal processes. Among the areas where access is necessary are your accounting software and any relevant policies or procedures that will help them to do their job properly. 

6. Establish and foster long-term partnership

Finally, instead of viewing the outsourcing company as a separate entity, we recommend building a collaborative partnership and inviting them to open dialogue and recognizing their contributions. Doing this will probably create a sense of partnership and motivate them to consistently deliver exceptional results for your organization. 

The Bottom Line

While it is important to keep in mind that outsourcing engagements can vary based on different factors, implementing the six suggestions in this article can raise the chances of a successful accounting outsourcing engagement. As such, it is advised that you take these tips into account in order to optimize your experience and achieve desired outcomes. 

In addition, having the service of offshore accounting services is all about a matter of careful planning, effective communication and building a strong relationship with your outsourcing partner.  

Are you looking for a competent accounting team that can act as an extension of your accounting firm? 

Consider working with D&V Philippines. D&V Philippines is a specialized accounting outsourcing company that has been in the industry for over a decade.  With its success stories from clients, it can take your accounting needs to new heights. Our experts are constantly undergoing rigorous training to make sure the best quality service is what you will get. Schedule a free consultation with us today to learn more about how an accounting outsourcing engagement can work for you. 

You may also download our free Outsourcing: How to Make it Work guide to gain a deeper understanding of how you can achieve success in outsourcing.