Book-keeping
What input does BookCheck handle?
Purchase invoices and payments, bank transactions, petty cash, credit cards, factoring, accruals & prepayments and all month end entries. Reconciliation of everything possible including bank, VAT, PAYE and suppliers' statements. Clients handle any stock or order processing, create sales invoices, input the sales receipts and chase debtors. Optionally we can assist with the sales ledger.
Which software do you operate?
• Sage Line 50, Sage Instant and Sage One (in the cloud).
• Xero - in the Cloud
We will convert from any other system, including Excel, to the above. We are neutral in choosing between Sage & Xero, we will go with your choice. Of course with our great experience we can assist you in choosing as required.
We have a system which is neither Sage nor Xero - would you handle this?
So that we can be highly skilled and efficient we run only Sage or Xero systems. We will convert any system to Sage or Xero. Often such a change saves £'000s every year as the old system can be very costly in comparison, not only in maintenance but in much greater staff time required to run the system. This is such a hidden cost that most businesses are not even aware of it. We have a massive amount of experience in this area, built up since 1994, so do check with us for a professional consideration. Finding staff to run a Sage or Xero system is far easier than for other systems, consequently there is much less disruption and retraining required. Most accountants are familiar with Sage / Xero and generally prefer this software, assuming that it is well managed, which of course it is with BookCheck.
What is BookCheck Online and is it suitable for our business?
This is either Sage or Xero in the cloud, shared between yourselves and BookCheck, live 24/7, using a simple web connection.
Reasons for Sage Online include: Example 1 - staff at one office wanted to create sales invoices but the book-keeping is at another office. Example 2 - the company wanted to continue handling sales invoicing and purchase ordering but wanted the book-keeping to be handled offsite by BookCheck. Example 3 - the owner wanted 24/7 access from any computer. Example 4 – greater security and improved speed.
Call us for a discussion – we are very experienced, having hosted Sage since 2003, yes 12 years.
How are you different to other book-keepers?
In a word - quality. We only recruit very experienced book-keepers with proven skills, especially the ability to reconcile. We are totally focused on Sage and Xero. We are a team of 50 staff, established in 1994 so have a wealth of experience and cover. BookCheck has the greatest operational Sage and Xero experience and skill anywhere in the UK.
Being a lot bigger than other firms allows us to have sufficient and flexible resource to cope with changes, especially growth. These factors are often quoted by new clients in explaining their decision to move to BookCheck after suffering serious frustrations, gaps and recruitment issues. Even very good book-keepers are a problem if they can't provide you with enough time.
What are your fees?
We charge according to the time required which we establish after checking details. We know from experience that on average we will take 65% of the existing time as we are totally focused on the task and don't get side-tracked. We also do a much better job, including producing top quality Management Accounts, always from a qualified accountant.
Are we too small / too large for BookCheck?
Most of our clients have a turnover greater than £200,000 - we don't have an upper limit and have handled up to £24M.
Would you handle our book-keeping annually?
No. Most of our clients report monthly. Our role is to keep control of the book-keeping system and hence provide quality Management Information throughout the year.
Can you sort out a big mess?
Yes, that’s our special skill, sometimes with a team of up to 5 staff. We’ve never failed to resolve an inherited nightmare and we have over 30 years experience.
How can I be sure that your staff will have sufficient time to handle our book-keeping, especially if the workload increases?
With a Team of 50 we have extra flexibility in resources. We also know how to recruit more quality staff which other employers with less experience find very difficult and it’s getting tougher.
Management Accounts
Who produces the Management Accounts?
We appoint one of our seven qualified accountants who will check the quality of your SAGE or Xero system each month, make any adjustments that are necessary and then issue management reports directly to you under their signature. They will liaise with you to ensure that you have all the management information you need, custom designed to your own requirements.
What are Management Accounts?
Like the Year End accounts but tailored to your personal reporting requirements, usually monthly. The reports are Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet, Previous Year comparison and Budget comparison. We report in BAR - BookCheck Advanced Reporting
What reports do you produce?
Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet, comparison with Prior Year and Budget, VAT returns, Aged Debtors, Aged Creditors plus a wide range of tailored reports as required. We present in our superb BAR - BookCheck Advanced Reporting
What are the benefits of quality Book-keeping with Management Accounts?
Cash flow improves and hence profits increase as we produce accurate debtor data. Sound monthly reports allow you to manage your business more efficiently e.g. you can measure your overheads and monitor margins. We release management time to 'get on with the business' and you will feel much better too! At last you will be confident when reporting internally and externally to banks and investors.
Would you check our own book-keeping, make adjustments and produce management accounts?
No. Our role is as outsourced book-keepers who go on to produce these management accounts. As a minimum we would need to handle the bank reconciliation, all the other reconciliations and almost certainly the input and reconciliation of the Purchase Ledger.