I consider myself a workflow geek. Developing checklists, target dates, and processes, and seeing them through until the end genuinely excites me. As founder and CEO of One 8 Solutions for more than two decades, I am always looking for ways to master the newest work management platform to help my team and me streamline routine business processes for optimal efficiency.
For example, my commitment to streamline and maximize accounting and bookkeeping processes has been recognized over the years through certifications and awards from several leading accounting and bookkeeping titans. These include QuickBooks Online Advance Certified and Elite Level designations, the Insightful Accountant Top 100 ProAdvisor® list for the past five years, as well as a QuickBooks Online Integrations ProAdvisor by Insightful Accountant in 2019. I believe that these achievements, along with One 8 Solutions’ mission of being “a process-driven firm,” are the things that distinguishes us from other boutique accounting and bookkeeping firms across the country.
The workflow management issue
As we built our team from two in 2002 to a team of nine full- and part-time employees and contractors in 2022, we managed our workflow and tasks using three disparate technologies:
- QuickBooks® Online Accountant
- Spreadsheets
- Instructions in Microsoft Word or OneNote
This resulted in missed deadlines. In addition, the quality of work was hard to manage and communication among a growing team was challenging. Clearly, as we continued to grow, we needed a more robust platform to enable us to perform effectively at a higher level.
Enter Shahram Zarshenas, owner and developer of Financial Cents, who reached out to me in April 2020. After a brief ramp-up period, we hired an operations manager to help us implement and manage the workflow.
The result – a game changer
Financial Cents has been a game changer. They provided our team with accounting practice management software that allows us to scale our firm. In one comprehensive dashboard, we are able to improve on five key areas:
- Time tracking and invoicing.
- CRM accounting software.
- Tasks and auto reminders.
- Delegate and track recurring work.
- Collaborate with my staff.
A few takeaways
Workflow management is only one part of the solution to business growth. Workflow capacity is the other critical component by addressing these vital building blocks:
- The ability to see how much work and what the team is doing.
- Do we have enough internal capacity to fill immediate new engagements?
- Is there enough capacity to support the growth of the firm?
My inner workflow nerd has taken me to a whole new level with Financial Cents–and so has my company’s output. Workflow management is critical to the growth of any business and is directly related to the quality of the work you can deliver.
Regardless of what workflow management platform you choose, it’s important to consider the security measures when managing existing clients or onboarding new clients to keep their data safe. Doing business via the internet is a hacker’s paradise, and those of us in the financial services industry are at a higher risk for a cyberattack.
Editor’s note: This article was previously published on the one8solutions blog.
