Did you know good process management can be great for scaling your bookkeeping firm? The larger your business grows, the easier it can be to lose control. You have to trust that the other members of your team are representing your brand well; you can’t be everywhere at once!
Leveraging your processes can help prevent variation in client services and experiences. When your processes are under your control, the firm is under your control too! So, here’s how you can get started taking charge of your operations — and scaling your firm through them.
Write Your Processes Down
You should control your processes — not the other way around! The first step to taking control of your operations is writing them all down. It might seem a little redundant, especially for the more simple jobs you take on at your bookkeeping firm. However, having recorded processes can help you with onboarding new team members, standardizing services across your firm, and improving day-to-day workflow. To start the recording processes, make a list of all the tasks you do throughout the day, and then break those tasks into the individual steps it takes to achieve them.
Make Some Changes
The next step is getting feedback and… being ready to make some important changes. While recording your processes, you probably noticed some things you hadn’t before. Namely, some tasks may take way too many steps. Gather some feedback from your employees regarding issues in their workflow to find the source of the problems. Maybe a lack of integration between your apps is causing the hold-up; maybe it’s a general lack of clarity. Once you’ve identified the problem, you can alter your processes accordingly in order to streamline procedures and further free up time and resources.
Systemize Systemize Systemize
The real key to scaling your firm through leveraging your processes in systemization. When you think about big businesses, like chain restaurants or grocery stores, what are their main appeals? No matter which location you go to, you’re likely going to have the same experience. That’s what you want with your bookkeeping firm. Every client that comes to your firm, no matter the team member they work with, should have the same experience. Having recorded, efficient processes can help you with that. As your team members are working through their daily tasks, they can refer to the written processes. Then, they’ll all be completing tasks in the same fashion, without missing a step.
Scaling a firm is like scaling a mountain — it’s one step at a time. With each process that you record, improve, and standardize, you’ll make your bookkeeping firm more efficient and thus more profitable. With the resources you free up, you’ll be better able to take on more clients and ensure that each client receives the same, excellent service. Need some help getting started? Check out our guide for recording your bookkeeping processes!
