The Ultimate Guide to Creating a Comprehensive New Bookkeeping Client Checklist

Getting a new client in a competitive market takes a lot of work and dedication. Despite that, your hard work's success depends on your client onboarding process. It is imperative to understand the value in a new bookkeeping client checklist. A good client onboarding checklist determines whether a customer will remain faithful to using your products.

It also increases conversion rates, improving your customer base. One of the best ways to have a successful client onboarding process is to have a new bookkeeping client checklist for onboarding . But how do you make a client checklist, and what questions should a bookkeeper ask a new client? 

If you're planning to develop a new bookkeeping client checklist for onboarding, this guide is for you, as we’ll delve deeper into that and much more.

How Do I Onboard a New Bookkeeping Client?

You need a set process to help you onboard a new client. This can be done by establishing a new bookkeeping client checklist.  You can achieve this by:

Call for a Meeting

The first thing you need to do is schedule a meeting with the client. Having an in-person meeting with the client is advisable to get to know one another better and grow trust. However, a virtual meeting can also be done. Have a good agenda for the session. 

Review the project’s details and answer any client questions during the meeting. Also, let the client know your preferred work hours and your contacts.

Go Through Your Roles and Responsibilities

Before agreeing to work together, take your time and review the project's goals, achievements, and processes. Talk about the roles and expectations of all the team members toward the Quickbooks new bookkeeping client checklist. Be transparent to avoid misunderstandings later, and make sure your client gets clarifications where necessary.

Talk About the Expectations of the Project

When developing the bookkeeping onboarding checklist, ensure you know your client's expectations or goals. Let the client also understand your perspective on a successful project and give them time to share their view. Then come to a common agreement on goals to make the project successful. 

Set Plans For the Future

Have communications plans for a new client checklist for bookkeepers to enable you to deliver with fewer challenges. Create a project-specific communication system that your team members and clients can access without challenges. 

You can access accounts, previous accounting systems, and inventory records through the communications system. Knowing the taxation and reviewing previous invoices, financial statements, or documents can also be easier.

Also, have plans to report progress or meet goals to the client. Also, let the client know if you need anything, like accessing the internal systems to work seamlessly. 

Lay Grounds for Feedback

Feedback is important in any setup, and it leaves both parties satisfied. So give the client time to ask any burning questions and be ready to provide solutions. Listen carefully and be honest if you don't have an immediate answer. You can ask the client for more time to do follow-up or research.

Take Notes and Do Follow-Ups

Remember to note important details during the client onboarding meeting and follow up later to ensure everything runs smoothly.

What Questions Should a Bookkeeper Ask a New Client?

As an accounting or bookkeeping firm, one of the challenges that you may encounter is deciding what questions to ask a new client. However, the onboarding process can be easier after creating a bookkeeping client onboarding questionnaire that guides you on what to ask. Remember, the questions can help you solve a problem or meet the client's expectations.

Some of the questions your QuickBooks new client checklist questionnaire can have include:

What Is the Client's Business About?

The bookkeeping client onboarding questionnaire is like an interview where you want to know more about the customer. So start with the basic, simple questions to help you understand what they deal with. Let the client tell you their business name, address, and industry or nature of business. 

Make this an open-ended question to learn more about the client. If you're doing an online bookkeeping process, don't provide an answer. Instead, let the client answer it their way.

What is Your Business Entity?

This question can help you know the client's business structure, and it affects the accounting onboarding checklist and tax reports. Know whether the new client is a sole proprietor, partnership, S-Corp, or C-Corp. 

The answer the client gives to this question can also help you know the next questions to include in your accounting new client onboarding checklist template.

Are You Expanding or Downsizing the Business?

Every business has long and short goals, which they create at different times. So, a company knows whether it wants to expand, launch a new product / service, or merge with others. Through this question, you can also get a chance to become a financial advisor, which attracts more pay from the client. 

As a financial advisor, you can use the client's financial reports to help them make key decision-making. You can also advise them or do a gain-and-loss forecasts for their future projects using your prior work experience.

Does the Business Have an Inventory?

A serious business must have inventory management, which is complex and demanding. Know the type of inventory the business has, its volume, and the type of inventory management system they have. Also, ask if the inventory is part of their balance sheet or expenses.  You can assess the client’s inventory situation and offer the best inventory services through it.

What Should Be Included In Client Onboarding?

Quickbooks new bookkeeping client checklist should include the following:

• Written proposal.
• Signed contract with your terms and conditions.
• How to collect payment from the client
• A welcome mail or pack.
• A document for basic information (you can get this information using a questionnaire).
• Access to accounts and the accounting system 
• Taxation, previous invoices, and financial statements
• Meeting with the client and starting to work.

How Do You Make A Client Checklist?

You can make a new client checklist for accountants after knowing the size of the company and its structure. After that, you should create the best steps you want your new bookkeeping client checklist to have, like individual tasks. 

Then assign each team member a task and attach deadlines and instructions on how you want the project done. You should also plan for an orientation meeting to brief the team members about the client, their goals, and their challenges. Remember to review the legal, contract, and sales documents as a team. 

Give Your Team Easy Work When Creating A Bookkeeping Checklist for New Clients

The success of the onboarding with a new bookkeeping client checklist project depends on how collaborative the team members are during the processing. To make work easier for your team members when onboarding a client, introduce the best collaborative tool that makes communication easier. 

Use Basil practice management software with the branded client portal and document management to remain organized while meeting client expectations.

Contact us to learn more about the best tool to make your onboarding process easier.