Hot Service Offering: Accounting Software Training

By: Molly Pensyl, Marketing & Business Development Manager 

Many business owners choose to use some type of accounting software to assist them with the financial tasks that come along with their day-to-day operations. This is more than a wise decision on their part. It saves them time and navigates them away from costly errors that usually come along with simply winging it with the use of spreadsheets and other tools.

There are many software options out there to choose from. Most of the time our clients select the software that will best fit their needs based on the various convenience features offered by the platform. Cloud-based works best for some business owners, while a more traditional desktop version suits others. QuickBooks continues to be a leader in the accounting software space, but we encourage business owners to evaluate all of their options before investing in software.

Learning the software they choose is where we come in. Our team is highly trained in a number of accounting software. Yes, most of the accounting software available today is very user friendly. Yes, most business owners can navigate through the software waters and come out on the other side knowing enough to be dangerous….but not dangerous enough in many cases.

Think back to the last time you bought a car. You likely spent some time exploring the dashboard of your new ride, clicking buttons along the way and becoming familiar with all of the important features. Everything was fine until you turned something on that you couldn’t turn off. Or, you couldn’t locate something vital like the button to open the gas tank. Cue the owner’s manual, which you probably then read cover to cover so you could drive your car fully informed of all it could do for you. Accounting software is no different… a business owner can find their own way up to a point, but without proper training, they likely leave certain features undiscovered and untouched.

The software training offered by the Holbrook & Manter Business Services & Solutions Team is designed to teach the business owner about each and every corner of the software so they can use each feature that will help them handle the accounting tasks associated with their operation.  Often times a certain event has led the business owner to reach out to us for training. Perhaps they made an error within the software that led to an issue with invoicing and bill pay and that affected their cash flow. Maybe something was missed because the books didn’t balance correctly. Often times they can see unused features within the software and they need those explained. No matter what the reason, we can help!

Our training allows the business owner to remain in the driver’s seat (last reference to cars and driving, I promise!) when it comes to the accounting for their business. Our training sessions can take anywhere from a handful of hours to a bit longer, depending on the business owner’s level of familiarity with the software. Elements we can uncover and/or educate you on during training may include:

• Setup of the accounting software. With the proper setup of the accounting software it can make the entire account process streamlined and more efficient and will save hours later when you are trying to quickly pull together information at year-end for your accountant. For example, it is important to set up the chart of accounts the right way to present correctly on the financial reports. Another example is if you need to print 1099’s at year end, we can show you how to set up the vendor account correctly to accurately track the information to report on the tax forms.
• Finding out what information you want to get from your accounting software so we can show you the tools to use to get it quickly and easily. You may be a contractor who wants to see reports on job profitability or you may be a service provider who needs to pass along several expenses to customers and wants to make sure those costs aren’t being overlooked. Once we understand your business and the information that you need from the accounting software, we can show you how to enter the information and where to see the results.
• Weakness of the accounting software. We know enough about the accounting software to know what their strengths and weaknesses are. With this knowledge, we can help you to pick the best accounting software option for you (if you are unsure which software to buy) or we can help to identify and integrate third party apps to your current accounting software to get the best solution possible for you.
• Educating you on what you don’t know or the questions you don’t know to ask. While you may think you only need the accounting software to keep your income and expenses organized for your tax return, we can show you other features within the software that will help you to grow the business and stay on top of other deadlines for your business. From the accounting software dashboards to reports, we can show you how to better understand your cash flow, budget for the year and review cash forecast for future years. This can help you to make better decisions regarding the growth of your business such as when to hire the next employee or when to buy equipment. We can also show you how to enter tasks and reminders to make sure that you don’t forget about due dates for tax requirements such as payroll taxes and sales tax.

You have invested in your accounting software in order to better your business and save you precious time. Know all that it can do for you by scheduling a training session with our team today.