Replacing Your Accounting Provider: How to Find A Better Fit
Is your gut telling you it’s time to replace your accounting provider, but the thought of changing seems more daunting than sticking with what you have? In this blog series, SST provides practical next steps on how to identify and how to select the right accounting provider for you.
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After you’ve identified your organization’s need to change accounting providers, what should you do next?
- Ask around. Ask colleagues in your industry for recommendations. Are you already familiar with other providers who work in your space? For example, if your organization is a small business or nonprofit, which firms specialize in your industry? These professionals will likely provide more in-depth and comprehensive service.
- Identify your needs and what needs aren’t currently being met. Consider developing an RFP to help communicate the specific services you’re seeking. For example, if you know you have a particularly challenging account to reconcile, be up front about it. Discussing the issue with potential new providers will give you a good sense of if they’ve encountered something similar, if they have any suggestions to make it better and how they handle added complexity.
If you’re not sure what your needs are, ask yourself if you’re getting the financial information you need to make timely, accurate decisions for your business or organization.
If not, why? Is the information timely, but not accurate? Or vice-versa? Is it presented in a meaningful way that’s useful to your organization’s leaders and board? If not, what would be a better format for your organization?
- Contact the potential providers and schedule a call. Just like with anything, finding an accounting provider who is a good fit for your organization is essential, and this is a key step in letting them get to know you and your team.
Next in the series, we will share our top tips for what makes a CPA partnership collaborative and successful. For additional insight on selecting the right accounting partner for your organization, visit our blog resource page or contact our experts today.
