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A U T UMN 2 0 17
TIPS
W
hen your average work day
consists of driving from job
to job in a van or ute, keeping
track of a bunch of paper receipts
and invoices can be a real pain in
the proverbial. Many tradies are now
turning to the growing number of digital
options that allow users to log and
access this information with a mobile
phone.
These services usually store
information in the cloud so it can be
accessed from multiple devices. They
typically charge a monthly subscription
fee and have different rates for varying
levels of functionality.
“I recently spoke to an electrician
who said that previously, when a client
asked him to do an additional task,
he would have to go home, write up a
new invoice, email it to the client and
then wait to get paid. This was taking
him a significant amount of time but
with our online mobile app he was able
to create and send an invoice on the
spot while he was still with the client.
There are huge benefits in both time
and money in being able to digitise that
paperwork. It also enables you to serve
your customers more quickly which
is great for them as well,” says Intuit
Quickbooks vice president and country
manager Nicolette Maury.
Traditionally, management of
receipts involves a shoebox full
of paper that is carried into an
accountant’s office at the end of the
financial year before getting handed
over. The accountant then works
through it and lets you know how you
did in the last 12 months.
“The alternative with an online
solution is that users can throw away
that shoebox of receipts and store their
receipts on their mobile phone. This
way their accountant is kept up to date
in real time with how their business is
going and it allows the accountant to be
much more proactive in giving business
advice and helping them with their on-
going day-to-day business management
as opposed to looking backwards and
saying ‘hey here’s what you should have
done differently in the last 12 months’.
It creates a much more collaborative
and value-adding relationship with the
accountant as well.”
Mobile accounting apps can also
prove useful if you are struggling with
designing your own invoice either
through a computer or on paper.
Most apps have fairly straightforward
processes for setting up customised
invoices, allowing you to add your
company logo, choose the colour
scheme and adjust the layout.
“One guy I spoke to last week said, ‘I
have an invoice book and I tear a page
out of it and I write down the parts I’ll
need and the time required and I hand
it to them on the spot. Compare this
method to the electrician I mentioned
who can create an invoice on his phone
with his logo and his payment details
on it. He’s able to email that straight
away and is able to create a quote first
and have the customer sign that quote
on the spot on the ipad or on the phone.
This creates a much more professional
look for that small business and it
enhances the relationship with their
customer because they are able to
send the invoice straight away, the
customer’s not waiting to receive the
invoice and it enables the tradie to get
paid faster as well.”
Nicolette also stresses is the
importance of having a good
relationship with an accountant.
Enabling your accountant to see the
same data as you real time, creates a
stronger relationship and makes the
business more effective, more in control
for tax time and feeling more confident
that they’re on the right track.
Intuit
www.intuit.com.auPASSING ON PAPER
More and more small
businesses are doing away
with traditional paperwork in
favour of digital accounting
software that allows users
to quote, invoice, and accept
payments from clients from a
mobile device.