Transitioning Your Clients to Cloud-Based Relationships
Mindsets, Apps & Processes For A Smooth(er) Passage To Working Remotely With Your Clients
I’m hacking this blog out on the fly.
Forgive its “messiness.” I wanted to get this out asap since this is how I feel I can help our community in this time of unprecedented change. I can’t help with payroll (thanks to the many APIs* out there keeping us updated), but I can help make your clients feel more confident and equipped to work with you remotely.
* Accounting Professionals I Admire :-}
It’s not about the apps that will help you manage a virtual practice.
I’m not going to talk about cloud accounting programs.
“ You are likely getting the idea how useful these applications are for working remote.”
This is a blog about the how-to’s, apps and idea links. This is for you to use as a cheat sheet, copy and paste or share outright to help your clients continue working with you through these challenging times.
Tools they are going to need
Online Banking
Yes, you read that right. Believe it or not many folks do not have online banking.
Here’s how for Canada’s “Big 5”.
Enable Online Statements
Again, you’re thinking doesn’t everyone do this. No, no, they do not. And just because they have online banking does not mean eStatements are activated. Usually, you have to go into your accounts and activate this.
Activate auto-deposit for eTransfers
I cannot stress enough how important this is!
Secure, quick, seamless transferring of funds for both the sender and the recipient.
Get your banking set up to receive CRA funds
Here are the links for the Big 5
And the others…
You can set up direct deposit through these institutions as well: Alterna Bank, Alterna Savings, ATB Financial, Coast Capital Savings Federal Credit Union, Desjardins, KOHO Financial, National Bank, Peoples Trust, Simplii Financial, STACK, UNI Financial, Cooperation, Vancity, and We Financial.
CRA is also adding Meridian Credit Union, Motusbank and Servus Credit Union to the list. See CRA direct deposit page for more information.
A Means of Paying Their Taxes Online
Have them set this up through their banking sites. For individuals, this is generally done through the “pay bills” portion of their banking site. There will be a separate place to do this for business accounts - often a redirect to a separate site within their banking ecosystem.
A Means Of Filing Their Taxes Online
You obviously cannot “Represent A Client” who does not have their own CRA account. Well duh!
Here’s a link to help them set theirs up
And then they can set up auto-deposit. Which would be incredibly useful right now, no?
How do my clients authorize me?
Now You Need Applications For Them To Share With You
Source Documents
Your clients can upload to these apps. Not only will you have the ability to gather their receipts remotely, they will be organized and filed neatly for you, but the data will be automagically extracted for you! And you can choose to have them published to an accounting platform for you.
Sensitive documents and information
Send them instructions with a link to upload to your storage site. These instructions should tell them to bookmark your shared folder.
Here’s a link to share with them on bookmarking.
They still need to pay their bills and get paid
These apps are for small- to medium-sized businesses
I’m hoping once online banking is established, individuals will be using e-transfers and online “bill pay”
Plooto for receiving and making payments
Waypay for making payments
Rotessa for receiving payments
A note for both SMBs and individuals - activate “auto-deposit.”
Right! Now! No “pita” passwords and much more secure from the hackers!
You may need to help your clients navigate these processes
You will not be seeing them in real life for some time to come. So how are you going to teach them to use these new apps and processes? How can you help them get into “the cloud” and a paperless world with a minimum of frustration?
“How can you be their calm in this storm?”
I’m guessing you do not have time or patience to write out too many instructions in detail. You’ll have to craft that Client Handbook later.
Communication Tools Are Critical Now!
You can still “see” your clients. You can screen share. You can keep the human element in your relationships!
Virtual Meeting Applications
Zoom is my personal favourite
Here are instructions I send out when sending my Zoom Link.
“A few key points to make this a successful meeting.
This is a somewhat scripted session.
But it would be great if you had some of your thoughts ready ahead of time too.
There are no dumb Q's!
Mute yourself if you are not asking a Q or making a suggestion.
Make sure no one is vacuuming or otherwise causing noise and distractions in the background.
Practice "Zooming" first to make sure you are ready for our meeting. Here's a "how to use Zoom" video.”
There is GSuite’s Hangouts Meet
Skype by Microsoft
“If your clients are hesitant and/or older, “meet them” where they are already comfortable. Many, many individuals use Facetime to keep in touch with their families & friends. Start with that. You can’t screenshare but maybe you can show them your screen with your phone/iphone as you are working.”
Managing Bookings
Make it easy for your clients to get their time in with you. They may be shy to reach out, and you need it to be seamless for them. In your communications, make sure you put a link to your online scheduler.
You have an online scheduler, right!?
Some of the apps below do much more than scheduling, but for very low or no cost. Don’t rule them out because they do more than schedule.
I can only hope this helps keep the work going and the relationships strong with your clients.
Here is a link to my resource page for more details on working in cloud applications.
And here’s a link to my partner page. These are the ones I have vetted and believe mightily in their power. Most of the applications on my page are for you to manage your work and your teams, but some of them cross over into cloud collaboration with clients.
There are many more apps in all the categories I mentioned above, but I simply wanted to get ya’ll moving on easing the pain of continuing to be the rock for your clients.
Simply yours, Kellie :-}
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I sell cloud accounting templates, standard operating process handbooks and client guides.
