QuickBooks is one of the most popular accounting softwares on the market. Because of this, there are many different ProAdvisors and QuickBooks consultants that offer QuickBooks support services. When deciding who to hire, you need to consider a few specific things to make sure that your QuickBooks project is a success. In this episode of MissionBusinessPodcast.com Bernard Roesch explains what to consider when hiring a QuickBooks ProAdvisor or consultant.
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Relevant Experience Needed For The Project
Certain types of QuickBooks projects can be very complicated. For example, complex QuickBooks installations that require job costing or inventory systems can require special needs to do successfully.
- If your QuickBooks consultant is not experienced with your specific type of project, the project can be at risk and not end successfully.
- For example, many QuickBooks projects require planning in advance to make sure that the QuickBooks configurations are set up the right way the first time.
- Once your QuickBooks is configured, it can be challenging to reconfigure it at a later time.
- An experienced QuickBooks consultant that has worked on similar projects will know some of the challenges that arise on these types of projects and will plan for those in advance.
Before making a hiring decision for your QuickBooks ProAdvisor or consultant, be sure they have relevant experience on the type of project that you need.
Consider The Total Project Cost, Not Hourly Rates
It’s very common for you as a business owner to research potential service providers based on their hourly rate. While hourly rate does impact the cost, a more important consideration when hiring QuickBooks consultants is the total project cost.
- One consultant with a lower hourly rate could potentially take three to four times as long as an experienced QuickBooks ProAdvisor with a higher rate would take to complete your project successfully.
- Rather than gathering proposals and making decisions based on hourly rate, be sure that you request detailed proposals that present the total project cost and timeline.
Support After The Project
Depending on the QuickBooks project you are pursuing, there will likely be a need for support after the project is complete. For example, maintenance and changes in configuration are sometimes needed. It’s important to plan for this long-term support at the beginning of the project so that you can anticipate what will be needed and how to factor in the cost for this work.
Below are a few options to consider for long-term support.
Hourly service as needed – You can request service from your QuickBooks consultant as needed and simply pay for that work on an hourly basis.
- While this is a simple solution, it can lead you to waiting too long to request support and additional work to maintain your system.
Fixed monthly retainers – The best option is usually a fixed monthly retainer.
- This ensures that your QuickBooks consultant has a vested interest in your long-term project success and gives you the opportunity to contact them for support at any time.
- By using a fixed monthly retainer, you can perform routine maintenance consistently on your system, rather than delaying support and maintenance work until there is a problem with your system.
We Can Help You Make The Right Decision
If you’re considering hiring a QuickBooks consultant for your project, contact Bernard today. We can provide you with a detailed proposal for your project so you can make a great hiring decision.
You can also visit MissionBusinessPodcast.com for more insights that Bernard has been sharing with us in the previous episodes.
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