Deadlines are part of life for accountants. The list can seem endless between juggling quarterly financial report deadlines, tax filing deadlines, and client due dates.
Add task management, general admin, and calendar management, and your workload can feel overwhelming. Instead of closing your computer at five, you may work long into the evening just to tread water.
So what’s the solution?
Hiring employees who understand taxes isn’t easy. But giving up on having a work-life balance isn’t ideal either.
You probably need an accounting virtual assistant.
Learn how a managed VA can transform your work life from overwhelm to balance.
Working with VAs wins you back time, so you can focus on providing high-quality accounting services to your clients.
Tedious tasks like calendar management, replying to emails, and data entry consume hours of your workweek.
By working with a VA, you can let them handle these repetitive tasks while you focus on high-value activities.
One of our accountant clients, shares how their VA helps them manage stressful deadline days.
“Today was another deadline day, and those can be pretty stressful, but [my Prialto assistant] Andi was amazing and made it so much better. She always goes above and beyond, especially during difficult times like the 10/15 filing deadline. She made tax season so much better. I really appreciate her and your company for being everything you promised and more.”
CPAs often face heavier workloads around tax season. Virtual assistants' flexibility and cost savings make them an ideal solution for lightening the load of tax season. Instead of taking on a full-time, year-round employee, you can choose to work with VAs at certain busy times of the year.
With services like Prialto, CPAs can easily scale their support units to meet changing business needs.
Ever felt there aren’t enough hours in the day? When you don’t have to spend time on repetitive tasks, you’ll have more time to focus on pressing issues.
When you outsource tasks like email and calendar management to VAs, you won’t have to worry about those distracting notifications coming through.
VAs can also work when you’re finished for the day. Imagine finishing a busy day of work with a long to-do list and having everything done the next day first thing in the morning! If your VA’s time zone is opposite to yours, like the Philippines is to the USA, the workflow of your firm can literally go on 24 hours a day.
Accountants can offload those time-consuming administrative tasks that take time away from meeting new clients and tackling revenue-generating work. These tasks may vary between accountants, but here are a few broad ideas:
If you're wondering, "What do accounting assistants do?" the broadest answer is anything routine, templated, and process-oriented. Virtual accountant assistants are not trained CPAs—they can't do what you do. Instead, they can take that distracting, time-consuming work off your shoulders.
Finding the right accounting virtual assistant for your firm will depend on your budget, workload, and the tasks you need help with.
Here’s everything you need to consider while choosing an accounting virtual assistant:
Using a managed virtual assistant service for CPAs usually costs more than hiring freelancers, but there are big time savings associated with working with managed VAs.
Finding and training freelance VAs involves more work. With freelance VAs, you’re responsible for the hiring, training, and onboarding. When you already have a long to-do list, these tasks can hold you back from outsourcing.
If you choose a managed virtual assistant service, you won’t need to be involved in these steps. You can simply offload them to someone else to handle.
If you want to save costs and time, managed virtual assistant services are best over the long term.
When you hire a freelance accounting assistant, you must ensure a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) protects your clients' data. As a certified professional, creating the contract for your freelance VA is your job.
A managed service is safer. Companies that manage VAs already have this covered and have professional contracts for their employees to sign. For instance, all employees at Prialto sign NDAs.
Do you want to be a boss who has to micromanage your VA? Or would you rather let a professional team manage your VA for you?
Most busy accountants find that letting someone else handle the communication and training of their VAs saves them more time.
Sometimes it’s unclear how much accounting software experience freelance VAs may have. Even if they say they have experience, it’s hard to know if they’ve received training.
When you work with managed accounting VAs, you can rest easy that they have training in
Quickbooks, Microsoft Dynamics, and other cloud accounting software.
At Prialto, we connect directly to your systems and tech stack. Our managers are also there to provide any extra support that accounting professionals might need on the back end.
Freelance VAs may come and go as they please. That’s okay if you’re at the end of your busy tax season. But what do you do if your freelance VA announces they’re quitting when you’re swamped with deadlines?
When you work with a managed VA, you get peace of mind that you’ll always have trained backup help if your principal VA becomes unavailable.
Managed virtual assistants can be a game-changer for accountants. They take on the routine tasks, freeing you from tedious hours of data entry and organization of financial statements. If you're starting a virtual accounting firm, virtual assistants can also help you set up efficient workflows, manage client communications, and handle administrative tasks, allowing you to focus on building your business.
With a managed VA on your side, you can streamline your workflow and focus more on strategic financial analysis and advising your clients. You'll be amazed at the amount of time you can save.
Are you ready to unlock over 25 hours of extra time each week? Discover how hiring a managed virtual assistant for CPAs and accountants can revolutionize your practice and give you the freedom to grow.
Using a virtual assistant for accounting tasks offers several benefits, including:
A assistant can help with accounting tasks, including:
A virtual bookkeeping assistant is a remote professional who assists with bookkeeping tasks, including: