What should you look for in an accountancy partner?

Behind every successful business is an effective accountancy partner.

As the third party responsible for your business’ finances, it is crucial that you are confident in their expertise and ultimately select the right accountant for your specific needs.

But what makes the ideal accountant? And how can you pinpoint if they’re right for your business? We take a look below…

Service offering

Often an accountancy firm is viewed solely on their accounts-based service and whilst this is of course a crucial component of their service offering, typically their offering delves much deeper into a business. Here at Ellis & Co, for example, we offer a wide range of services to support our clients with their accounts, but also to provide business consultancy to ensure they are consistently growing and thriving.

Industry expertise

An in-depth knowledge and experience of working with an industry is key when looking for an accountant. An experienced accountant will have worked with businesses across a wide variety of industries and will therefore understand the nuances of a business working within said industry. Furthermore, with this knowledge, your chosen accountant will be able to benchmark your performance against other businesses and provide guidance on how to remain competitive.

Location

Despite the fact that many businesses are utilising virtual technologies to communicate both with their teams and their suppliers following the pandemic, many are still opting to source an accountant within the local area. Not only does this make it much more effective for an accountant to get to know a client (and vice versa) but it also hugely benefits the local economy long term.

Accountancy software

Extensive knowledge of leading accountancy software packages separates the adequate accountants from the expert accountants. They should have enough knowledge of software such as Xero, QuickBooks, Sage and FreeAgent to be able to assist in their set up or migrate from another package, as well as train relevant team members in your business how to use them to their full potential.

If you are seeking the expertise of a leading accountant in the Chester or Wrexham areas, the team here at Ellis & Co would love to discuss how we can help to take your business to the next level. Contact us today by completing our contact form or calling 01244 343 504.