Need an Accountant? Here Are 7 Tops Tips to Help You Choose One By Mark Thomas Walters At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Every business, regardless of its size, needs an accountant to look after the reporting of its finances. With financial reporting being something that has to be done right, first time around, then it is of the utmost importance to employ the services of a professional and efficient accountant.

With so many accountants to choose from those, getting the right for the job is no easy task. These 7 tips will go a long way towards making it easier for you though...

1) Analyze your own needs. If all you need is a company to put together your statutory reporting at year end and sign off then a larger, 'brand name' firm may be appropriate. For a new business needing a lot of 'hand holding' and direction, a smaller, more responsive firm might be more suitable.

2) Ask for an initial meeting. The initial meeting should be free, with a partner, and will allow you and the accountancy firm to see whether there is a match between what you are looking for, and their ability to provide it.

3) Get a detailed, transparent pricing list. Don't accept general answers as far as pricing is concerned, as otherwise you may be hit by unexpected, hidden charges at a later date. Tell them exactly what you need and ask them to tell you exactly how much it will costs. Also, be sure to agree on what terms, and on what timescale, payment can be made.

4) Ask for testimonials. What better way to find out how good an accountancy firm is than by asking their current clients? Simply being given a list of company names isn't sufficient. Neither is a selection of quotes. What you really want are the names and contact details of senior people within some of the companies that already are already their clients.

5) Look over their website. What is your general impression of their company website? Is it easy to navigate and find what you're looking for? Is it up to date? Though not a conclusive factor in itself, a company who put time and effort into their website are more likely to make good use of technology within their services.

6) Use the internet for research. Enter the name of the accountancy firm into Google and look through the results brought up. What you are looking for is recommendations and comments in general. Forums on your best bet as what is written there is almost certainly going to be unbiased. Be prepared to spend 15 minutes or so going through at least the first 5 pages of results.

7) Ask yourself if they are proactive. When you try to contact them initially, think about how quickly and efficiently they responded. Did they reply or phone you back straight away? Did you get passed around to a few people before finally being able to get answers from someone? You can take their initial speed and comprehensiveness as a guide to what to expect from them in general should you become a client of theirs.

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