Off-site, not out of Mind
How a Remote Bookkeeper Makes Sense and Saves Dollars
Mark J. Kilduff
For many chiropractic practices, an on-site bookkeeper is a luxury you cannot afford. Yet, for all of the late nights and weekends spent doing paperwork and paying bills, and the impact that has on the number of patients you can see, not having a bookkeeper at all is something you can't afford either. A remote bookkeeper provides a viable and more cost-effective alternative.
Before delving into why, it is important to get past the need for an "in-person" visit from your bookkeeper. An in-person visit from your friendly bookkeeper might seem like a better way to do business; if you want to socialize, it probably is. At the end of the day, though, your book-
“A remote bookkeeper provides a viable and more cost-effective alternative”.
keeper is probably using the same technologies, such as QuickBooks or other accounting software, as the remote bookkeeper. The only difference is that you are paying for that office visit.
Remote bookkeepers typically provide a number of services to replicate the in-person office visit. Those include:
• High-speed scanners with a secure connection for faxing hard copy invoices for payment. Most remote providers will place these machines in the chiropractor's office at minimal or no charge.
• Secure servers for all of your bookkeeping data for security and easy access. In addition to giving you remote access, it gives your practice the opportunity to go nearly paperless.
• Checkbook services, such as Bill.com, that enable bookkeepers to initiate checks for payroll and bills.
• Prepaid overnight boxes and envelopes. Power outages do happen, so providing clients with prepaid mailing
However, if you are tired of spending your nights and weekends writing checks and sending out invoices, then a remote bookkeeper can be an affordable solution for your practice”.
supplies ensures that, in a worst-case scenario, you can send bills, invoices, and other critical paperwork to the bookkeeper overnight.
You can make a very solid argument that the remote bookkeeper offers better service by utilizing technology and by not being relegated to working only on-site. Yet, just like the books they keep, the numbers tell the true story of why a remote bookkeeper makes more than sense than a fullor even part-time, on-site bookkeeper.
For example, let's say you hired a full-time bookkeeper for $15 an hour. For that rate, you are probably looking at an entry-level bookkeeper. At $15 an hour, that translates
to $31,600 peryear in salary, not including health and other benefits. Realistically, a $15-an-hour, full-time bookkeeper will cost your business more than $40,000. If you choose to go with a part-time bookkeeper at that rate, it will still cost more than $15,000 a year for someone with relatively little experience.
For a remote bookkeeping service, the cost can range from as little as $400 to $1,000 per month. Even at the higher rate, it's still less than the annual cost of a part-time bookkeeper working 20 hours a week without benefits.
In addition to saving on costs, most remote bookkeepers are seasoned professionals, and many have skills beyond bookkeeping (i.e., CPAs, CFOs, etc.). In the end, you are paying less for a greater level of expertise.
Obviously, that's a biased opinion from yours truly. However, if you are tired of spending your nights and weekends writing checks and sending out invoices, then a remote bookkeeper can be an affordable solution foryour practice.
Mark Kilduff is the president of Remote Quality Bookkeeping (RQB), remotely located in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, and serving clients in 44 states. For more information, visit www.myrqb.com.
