Using Keeper’s QuickBooks Integration & Client Portal together

Debra emphasized the immediate benefit gained from using Keeper’s QuickBooks integrated file review tools. “Instead of compiling ‘ask my accountant’ questions into a spreadsheet and sending an email out each week, I use Keeper’s Uncategorized Transaction report to reduce the painful email ping-pong,” she said. Debra also noted that Keeper’s uncategorized transaction report saved her multiple hours per week. “It was easy and simple to identify and mark transactions that required client input, and with only a few clicks, I could upload them directly in my client’s portal.”

To further increase the response rate from her clients, Debra set up automated email reminders to be sent at the beginning of each week. “I no longer worry about whether I sent that email. Keeper’s automation does it for me, and it saves me hours of time and headaches.” After receiving an answer from her client, Debra can code those transactions directly in Keeper and push everything back to QuickBooks Online, effectively tracking her work in the same place she’s doing her work.

 

Debra appreciates how easy it is to collaborate with clients using Keeper’s Client Portal. “I despised having to bother and harangue my clients because they forgot to answer my questions and send me documents,” she said.

Keeper’s Client Portal is far less intrusive and provides an additional layer of security when questions need to be asked. “My clients are responding twice as fast, and they love that the portal uses a magic link, so they do not have to manage another password.”

This setup allows Debra the freedom to easily complete mundane tasks in order to provide a bigger picture to the client regarding their financials. At the end of the month, Debra uses Keeper’s reporting tool to build and create an executive summary containing key statements, metrics, and KPIs; all custom-built to her clients’ industries. “I no longer have to jump back and forth between multiple applications to create the reports I want – and similar to the transaction questions, I can post everything directly in the portal.”

 

Keeper’s 360-degree client view (see ya, spreadsheets)

Last, but certainly not least: Keeper’s dashboard gave her the freedom to finally close out of the tab that held her all-encompassing spreadsheet. Now, Debra was equipped with not only the quality controls that she desperately desired, but also a high-level dashboard to help her stay organized each month.

Debra processes sales tax and payroll for over 25 clients. Prior to Keeper, she would consult her spreadsheet and cross her fingers, hoping that she would not forget a step. Flipping through various tabs and apps, Debra would slowly work her way through each client’s monthly close. To solve this problem, Debra worked diligently with her CSM in order to build out templates and rules for each specific client need. “I only had to think about these details once when I set my clients up, and now Keeper does the thinking for me,” she said.

Today, by leveraging Keeper’s CRM Dashboard, she can now get a bird’s eye view of all her clients’ properties; which clients require sales tax and payroll assistance; what might still be outstanding down to the task level; and how the month-end close is tracking as a whole.

“My ducks are in a row, and nothing falls through the cracks.”

 

Building a firm of the future

Debra has significantly reduced the time spent manually reviewing client files each month, thanks to Keeper’s automated workflows and her increased organization. “The flossing of my teeth is done automatically,” she quipped.  “I would not be able to manage 50 clients by myself without Keeper. The money I’ve made through my newfound efficiency alone has more than paid for this software.”

Today, Debra manages upwards of 75 clients, all on Keeper.

 

Client communication chaos

“The workload was getting so huge that it was difficult for Dave to oversee,” Greg noted. “Everything was still very manual at that time. There were no apps – other than QuickBooks – to run the business. Client questions were being tracked through spreadsheets and back-and-forth emails. There was a convoluted system where each client got their own email address, and their responses would often get filtered incorrectly. Client communications were quickly slipping through the cracks.”

These disconnected systems put unnecessary strain on the bookkeepers, clients, and Greg as a manager. Greg observed a pileup of scattered email threads and missed deliverables. Sometimes, spreadsheets containing questions and client responses would be wiped clean once the task was completed. Of course, this made managing and overseeing the month-end close process nearly impossible. With all these issues in mind, Greg was certain that REI Bookkeepers needed a tool to improve client communication and encourage organization of those exchanges.

 

“We were getting lost in a sea of emails. We needed a central portal that I could communicate with everyone through.”

Reducing month-end close time by 25%

Emma wanted a tool that would bring about process improvements and overall organization to the team. In search of the right software, Emma focused on:

• A tool that would allow the team to collaborate and track their work in one place
• A secure portal to communicate with clients and upload documents
• An ability to create standardized templates and operating procedures that are easily scalable when training new bookkeepers

With a centralized dashboard to spot-check her team, standardized templates and procedures for her two freelance bookkeepers to follow, and a secure client portal for customers to share documents and answer questions – Keeper checked all the boxes.

In the short time it took EBB to get up to speed in Keeper, Emma noticed that her team was closing the books in record time, a positive contrast to the hours it took with the previous manual process.

In addition to the time savings Keeper provided Emma’s team, it also improved her client relationships.

 

“Keeper’s easy-to-use Client Portal transformed a handful of our previously unresponsive clients into active and engaged customers. And within two weeks of using Keeper, it was very apparent that we could sit down and start facilitating new client relationships.”