7 Strategies To Future-Proof Your UK Accounting Practice
In 2020, the global accounting software market was valued at $12.01 billion. By 2026, it is projected to reach $19.59 billion with an 8.5% CAGR (Mordor Intelligence, 2020).
However, ICAEW statistics show that 25% of all businesses still use paper records. This number includes many UK accounting practices and that is a serious concern. There seems to be a disconnect with the traditional process driven accounting industry and the new age businesses. Technology has become too ingrained into the generation of today. The new age business owners grew up with the technology and are swift in adapting to it and they expect their service providers to be just as technology savvy as them.
UK accounting practices must also adapt to the needs of clients instead of remaining stuck with age-old methodologies. Taking action toward implementing digital innovation is the next step for many accounting firms. Changing with the times is a necessity to attract more customers and increase profits. Here are 7 strategies for preparing Outsourcing UK accounting firms for the future.
1. Invest in the cloud & automation technologies
Over the past few years, cloud technology has expanded more rapidly than ever, especially for the accounting industry. Automated accounting systems enable accountants to automate numerous accounting tasks. Much popular accounting software is now on the cloud and keeping data on the cloud is acceptable for most businesses. QuickBooks Online, Xero, Dropbox, Dext, FreeAgent, and Kashflow are some of the cloud software popular with accounting firms. Integra balance is an emerging accounting automation software and is quickly gaining popularity with outsourced online accounting firms for its bot-based accounting automation solution.
2. Create a referral plan
Any business benefits from word-of-mouth referrals, but accounting and tax firms benefit even more. The easiest approach to encourage recommendations is via a referral program that rewards customers for referring you to new businesses. For each referral, existing customers can receive free services or additional benefits to encourage them to reach out to their friends, family, and associates. Ideally, this could be a self-sustaining marketing strategy that gives you all the benefits without any additional marketing expense.
3. Reduce inefficient spending and outsource where necessary
Identify where you are overspending by reviewing all of your expenses. Consider operating your firm remotely instead of paying costly office rent. Accounting firms can save money by outsourcing almost all their bookkeeping, accounting and tax jobs. Many highly profitable UK accounting firms have been using outsourcing as a strategy for many years now.
Outsourcing helps your staff to spend more time with the clients, meeting them face to face and thereby creating opportunities to add more value addition, earn clients trust and possibly win more new business. There are several accounting outsourcing service providers, and you need to carefully select the right provider that will fit well for your firm.
4. Elevate your firm’s brand and perceived value
If your Outsourced accounting services are perceived as valuable, you can increase your prices. Branding and management, strategic marketing, and exhibiting thought leadership in your industry can help elevate your brand. Give your website a facelift, make it more user-friendly whether your users are checking it out from their laptops or mobile.
5. Review your current marketing strategy
Your marketing strategy can also be improved by identifying a suitable target market. Thanks to social media, reaching out to target audiences has become much easier. You might want to refresh your website’s content if you have neglected it for a long time. Consider SEO, online advertising, and social media marketing. Make optimal use of free platforms like Google My Business, directories, etc. Write blogs about accounting tips, growth hacks for business, and industry updates regularly. Use keywords to optimize your website.
6. Re-evaluate the pricing for your services
The market changes constantly, so you should always revisit your pricing. To become more competitive, you can increase your service fees or reduce them. Rather than using a set pricing model, switch to a value-based model. A new client may choose an accounting firm with lower fees.
7. Provide additional services and remove unnecessary ones
To stay competitive, it becomes crucial to provide services such as financial planning, retirement planning, bookkeeping, and payroll in addition to the basic services. This will also help you boost your revenue. Get your team trained via virtual programs/certifications in the areas of expertise you choose to add to your services. If you are providing services that are not making you any profit, it would make sense to remove them.
Implementing these 7 strategies will help you future-proof your accounting practice at least for the next decade. Now that you know how you can future-proof your accounting practice, you can put these tips into action. For your accounting outsourcing needs, check out services from Integra Outsourcing today!
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How Outsourced Accounting Services Can Solve the Challenges Faced by UK Accounting Practices
Introduction
As we navigate through an increasingly complex financial landscape, accounting practices in the UK face multiple challenges that range from regulatory shifts to the difficulties of digital adaptation. Against this backdrop, more and more accounting practices are considering outsourced accounting services in UK as a viable solution. Corient offers such services, tailored specifically to overcome these challenges. In this detailed piece, we delve deeper into the top five challenges and explain how outsourcing can be a game-changer.
Challenge 1: Regulatory Compliance
The Ever-Changing Landscape of Accounting Regulations
Keeping up with an ever-changing landscape of regulations is one of the most significant challenges for UK accounting practices. These regulations may encompass local laws, national standards like UK GAAP or IFRS, as well as industry-specific guidelines. Failure to stay compliant can result in severe penalties, including fines, legal actions, and a tarnished reputation.
The Strain on Internal Resources
Maintaining regulatory compliance often requires a dedicated internal team that can spend significant time and resources on understanding and implementing changes. Smaller accounting practices, in particular, find this difficult due to the lack of manpower and specialized expertise.
The Increasing Complexity of International Business
With globalization, even small accounting firms find themselves having to understand international compliance issues if they have clients doing business overseas. This adds another layer of complexity to an already demanding responsibility.
Solution: Expertise in Regulatory Compliance
The Immediate Benefit of Specialized Knowledge
When you engage with outsourced accounting services like those provided by Corient, you instantly gain access to a pool of experts specialized in UK and international accounting regulations. They ensure that your practice remains compliant, thus mitigating the risks of non-compliance.
Continuous Learning and Adaptation
Corient invests in staying up-to-date with the latest changes in regulations. This involves continuous learning and training, as well as keeping track of impending legislative changes to ensure you're not caught off guard.
Proactive Regulatory Planning
Instead of reacting to changes as they occur, Corient's outsourced accounting services include proactive planning for anticipated changes in legislation. This approach means your practice will be prepared for changes before they happen, reducing transition time and the associated costs.
Tailored Compliance Strategies
Corient understands that every accounting practice has unique needs. As such, they offer tailored compliance strategies that are adapted to the specific sectors or industries you serve, whether it's retail, technology, or non-profit.
Documentation and Record-keeping
In any compliance audit, documentation is critical. Corient ensures that all transactions and changes are meticulously recorded and available for review, providing an extra layer of security and peace of mind.
By incorporating these added layers of detail, the section on Regulatory Compliance becomes much more informative and offers a rounded understanding of the challenges and solutions involved.
Challenge 2: Technological Adaptation
The Imperative of Digital Transformation
In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, technological adaptation is no longer an option but a necessity. However, the journey from legacy systems to modern, digitized platforms can be daunting for many UK accounting practices.
The Risk of Technological Obsolescence
In an era where even small businesses are leveraging advanced software for operations, the risk of becoming obsolete due to outdated technology is real for accounting firms. The situation becomes even graver when you consider the speed at which new accounting software and tools are hitting the market.
Budgetary Constraints
Advanced accounting software and technological solutions come with steep price tags. For small to medium-sized accounting practices, these costs can be prohibitively high, leading to delays in technological updates and adaptations.
Skill Gap and Training
Even if an accounting practice can afford the latest technology, there is a significant challenge in training the staff to use it effectively. The learning curve can be steep, and the transition can result in temporary productivity losses.
Solution: Access to Cutting-Edge Technology
Instant Upgrades Without the Hassle
Outsourcing accounts to Corient means you no longer have to worry about technological obsolescence. They provide access to the latest accounting software and tools, ensuring that your practice remains competitive and up-to-date without the associated capital expenses.
Eliminate the Skill Gap
Corient’s team of professionals is already well-versed in the latest accounting technologies. They receive regular training to keep their skills current, which means you get the benefit of cutting-edge technology without the associated training costs or productivity losses.
Seamless Transition and Integration
Switching to a new system often involves a period of disruption. However, Corient specializes in making this transition as smooth as possible. They will handle data migration, system integration, and ensure that your team can seamlessly interact with the new technologies.
Security and Data Protection
In the digital age, data security becomes increasingly critical. Corient employs industry-standard security protocols and data encryption methods to ensure that all your client information is safe and secure.
Continuous Technology Upgrades
In addition to immediate benefits, Corient continuously scans the tech landscape for emerging tools and software that can further optimize your accounting practice. These upgrades are automatically integrated into your outsourced services, ensuring that you always have access to the best that technology has to offer.
Challenge 3: Cost Management
The Mounting Pressures of Operational Costs
Financial pressures are a reality for any business, but for accounting practices in the UK, this is especially pertinent. As overhead costs mount, there’s a continual search for ways to manage expenses without compromising on quality and efficiency.
Employee-Related Expenses
Salaries, pensions, benefits, and other employee-related costs can make up a significant percentage of an accounting firm’s operational expenses. Keeping a full-time, in-house staff for accounting tasks can be a heavy financial burden, especially for smaller practices.
Infrastructural Overheads
From office space and utilities to hardware and software licenses, the costs associated with maintaining a work environment can add up quickly. These overhead costs are often fixed and can weigh down a firm's finances considerably.
Training and Professional Development
Staying competitive in the accounting sector often involves ongoing training and professional development programs. These come at an additional cost and can strain an already tight budget.
The Hidden Costs of Errors and Re-work
In-house accounting teams are not immune to errors, and any inaccuracies can result in time-consuming and costly re-work. The financial implications can be significant, particularly for smaller firms with fewer resources.
Solution: Cost-Effective Operations Through Outsourcing
Economies of Scale
By leveraging outsourced accounting services from Corient, you benefit from economies of scale. Corient’s large, specialized team can perform tasks more efficiently and at a lower cost per unit, passing these savings onto your practice.
Reduced Employee-Related Costs
Outsourcing eliminates the need for full-time in-house staff for accounting functions, thereby saving on salaries, benefits, and additional employee-related expenses. You only pay for the services you use, making it a variable cost that can be scaled up or down as needed.
Zero Infrastructural Investments
Outsourcing with Corient means you don't have to invest in additional office space, hardware, or software licenses. This can significantly reduce your fixed costs, making your operation more financially agile.
Eliminate Training Costs
Since Corient's team of professionals is already trained and updated in the latest accounting practices and technologies, you save money on training and professional development, allowing your internal team to focus on core business functions.
Improve Accuracy, Reduce Hidden Costs
Corient takes pride in the high accuracy of their work. With stringent quality controls and multiple layers of checks, the chance of errors and subsequent re-work is greatly minimized, thus averting hidden costs.
Challenge 4: Talent Acquisition and Retention
The Talent War in the Accounting Industry
The accounting industry, like many other sectors, faces a talent crunch. Acquiring skilled staff and retaining them for a long period is a challenge for many UK accounting practices.
Competitive Hiring Market
The demand for experienced, highly skilled accountants is soaring, making the hiring market extremely competitive. Small and medium-sized firms often find themselves losing out to larger companies that can offer higher salaries and more extensive benefits.
Onboarding and Training Costs
Once talent is acquired, the onboarding process begins, often requiring an investment in training and development. This is both time-consuming and costly, particularly for specialized accounting roles.
The High Cost of Employee Turnover
Employee turnover not only disrupts workflow but also imposes additional costs in the form of exit interviews, severance pay, and the subsequent recruitment process. Plus, there's the intangible cost of lost institutional knowledge.
Solution: Seamless Talent Management through Outsourcing
Access to a Highly Skilled Workforce
By opting for outsourced accounting services from Corient, you immediately gain access to a highly skilled and specialized team of accountants and financial experts, thus sidestepping the need for a complex and competitive hiring process.
Eliminate Onboarding Hassles
Corient takes care of all training and onboarding, ensuring that their team is ready to tackle any accounting challenges from day one. This eliminates the need for your firm to invest in lengthy and expensive training programs.
Stable, Long-Term Engagement
One of the advantages of outsourcing with Corient is the stability it offers. You don’t have to worry about staff turnover and the associated costs, as Corient provides a consistent team to work on your accounts.
Intellectual Capital Retention
The continuity provided by Corient’s team means that valuable intellectual capital—like specialized knowledge about your firm's accounts—is retained. This is particularly beneficial in maintaining consistency and quality in your accounting processes.
Flexibility in Scaling
Whether your business is expanding or you're experiencing a slow period, Corient’s outsourced accounting services offer the flexibility to scale the workforce up or down according to your needs. This adaptability is a significant advantage in talent management.
Challenge 5: Scalability
The Necessity and Complexity of Scaling
For any business, growth is a double-edged sword. While expansion brings in new opportunities, it also comes with its set of challenges, particularly for accounting practices in the UK.
The Burden of Increased Volume
As your practice grows, so does the volume of accounting work. This could quickly overwhelm your existing resources, leading to delays, errors, and inefficiencies.
Investment in Additional Resources
Scaling usually requires an investment in human capital, technology, and infrastructure. This can be a significant financial burden, particularly for small to medium-sized accounting practices.
Time and Complexity
Adding more staff, implementing new software, and extending the operational footprint all take time. The complexity also increases, introducing new variables and challenges into your existing workflow.
The Risk of Overextension
In the excitement of growth, there is also a risk of stretching your resources too thin, which could negatively impact the quality of your services and ultimately, client satisfaction.
Solution: Agile Scalability Through Outsourcing
Quick Response to Volume Changes
With Corient’s outsourced accounting services, your practice gains the ability to swiftly respond to changes in volume. You can easily increase or reduce the level of service you require based on your current needs.
No Additional Capital Investment
By leveraging Corient’s existing infrastructure and team, you can scale your accounting functions without the need for significant capital investment. This makes scaling both quick and cost-effective.
Streamlined Processes and Workflow
Corient’s expertise in managing accounting functions for a range of clients means they have proven, efficient workflows in place. This allows your practice to integrate seamlessly into a scalable model with minimal friction.
Risk Mitigation
The flexibility that comes with outsourcing allows you to scale up or down as needed, mitigating the risk of overextension. You can test new markets or services without committing extensive resources, making your growth strategy both agile and prudent.
Strategic Focus
Free from the operational challenges of scaling your accounting functions, your practice can focus more on strategic growth initiatives. Corient takes care of the operational scalability, allowing you to concentrate on client engagement, market penetration, and service diversification.
Real-Life Case Study: Addressing Challenges with Outsourced Accounting
A UK-based accounting practice faced several of these challenges. They chose to outsource their accounting to Corient and were amazed by the transformation that ensued. In just one year, they saved 35% on operational costs and experienced a 25% increase in productivity.
Conclusion: The Compelling Case for Outsourced Accounting Services
The challenges facing accounting practices in the UK are manifold but not insurmountable. Outsourced accounting services provide a cost-effective, efficient, and adaptable solution. Corient specializes in alleviating these challenges, offering robust, scalable solutions that can grow with your business.
For those seeking to turn challenges into opportunities for growth, efficiency, and superior client service, reach out to Corient for a Outsourced Accounting and Bookkeeping Services in UK.
https://corientbs.co.uk/accounting-outsourcing-services/
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