Outsourcing Accounting Services: Pros and Cons

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Last Updated on March 12, 2018 by Work In My Pajamas

When running a small business, outsourcing accounting services is always a good idea. Without having to deal with this tedious task, you will have more time and energy to focus on improving the quality of your products or services and increasing your profit. Not only this, but if you let the experts do all the accounting for you, you will be guaranteed that all of your accounts are run efficiently. But if you are struggling with the decision whether you should outsource accounting services, you should take a look at pros and cons of hiring an outside company to do all the accounting for you.

Pros

Pro: Financial Savings

It is no secret that hiring an outside company to do all the accounting for you is going to save you money. When you hire employees who are going to be in charge of accounting, there are many expenses you will have to cover such as their wage, insurance, equipment, office space etc. On the other hand, if you outsource accounting services, there is only a small fee you will have to pay to the company you have chosen.

Pro: Time Savings

Just think about how much time it would take you to manage in-house employees who deal with accounting.  Managing their equipment, organizing relationship-building activities and trainings are just some of the time-consuming things you would have to do if you opt for an in-house accounting team. If you decide to outsource accounting services, it is up to the provider you have chosen to deal with all of these tasks.

Pro: Quality Services

Another advantage outsourcing accounting services has is the fact that companies you can hire are specialized in the work they do. This means they have a lot of experience and are able to deal with any issue that might come up such as what you can write off on taxes as a small business owner. Another great thing about hiring an outside company is that they have to hone their skills constantly in order to keep up with their competition. This means you will be provided with top quality services no matter what.

Pro: Improved Cash Flow

When running a business, your cash flow is always of great importance. In fact, a lack of cash flow is one of the most common reasons why some businesses go under. If you hire professionals to deal with accounting for you, they will also predict your cash flow and even help you come up with the ways to get some extra cash for your business. That’s why when outsourcing accounting services, you should always opt for experts who provide cash flow forecasting services.

Cons

Con: Less Control

Still, if you decide to outsource accounting services, this also means you will have less control over the finances of your business. Even though most of the service providers will train their staff according to your needs, there is always the possibility that something won’t be done the way you planned it. That is why some businesses decide to hire an in-house accounting team that can help them stay in control of their business’ finances.

Con: Time and Distance

Even if you manage to find a service provider who fits all of your needs, this still doesn’t mean they will be located close to you. Even though all the documentation can be emailed, there is still nothing that can replace having an accounting team physically present in your office. When communicating with the service provider online, chances are some of your questions won’t be answered straight away or some of your requests will be overlooked.

Even though there are both pros and cons of outsourcing accounting services, hiring a company to deal with the accounting for you is always a good idea. This is especially the case with startups and small businesses.

3 thoughts on “Outsourcing Accounting Services: Pros and Cons”

  1. Outsourcing is being done in roughly 2/3rds of organizations for three key reasons: IT cost savings, IT efficiency and business value, and to level the playing field for small organizations. Check this link http://www.virtualoctober.com/ to know more.

  2. All the businesses are always under intense time and cost pressures. Most of small to large scale business owners struggle to make everything in control, as a result of which there is no more time left in the hand to spend on their key strengths. Maintaining all the accounting process perfectly, is one the major step towards the growth of the business. I genuinely find your blog as an useful one as it delivers some important information regarding the pros and cons of outsourced accounting in a business. I personally concluded that it has more benefits over demerits. But from business point of view we can’t neglect those demerits because a small mistake can smash the whole business empire. So, on a final note I can say that it is better to use a leading accounting software services for getting better results.

  3. Outsourcing your company’s bookkeeping ensures accurate results and will save you more time and money. Thanks for sharing.

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