It is known that accounting task management tends to be extremely pulled – to say the least. In the midst of so many customers, processes, meetings, documents, calls, emails and tasks that accumulate, a great deal of control is needed so that nothing is forgotten or lost.
In order to maintain this control, it is common for notes, reminders and lists to be widely used, generating a huge and unnecessary accumulation of paper that can easily cause serious problems to the company, such as disorganization and lack of clarity in information, waste of time and bad use of space.
Therefore, the union between good process management and good task management system is extremely important to ensure that your accounting Office offer a quality service that exceeds customer expectations.
With that in mind, we prepared this article, bringing ten valuable tips to promote a good organizational practice in your office's accounting routines, optimizing your internal processes and leveraging your productivity.
What is Accounting Task Management?
Management of accounting tasks basically consists of conducting and monitoring the entire cycle of activities related to accounting from a company.
Combining business management practices with information technology, each step of the accounting processes is systematically mapped, monitored and improved, in order to optimize practicality and performance within an organization's accounting routine.
In other words, we can define Accounting Task Management as the already consolidated concept of BPM (Business Process Management) applied to accounting.
The importance of efficient accounting task management
As already mentioned, efficient management of accounting tasks is essential for the proper functioning of an organization, regardless of the business management model.
Up-to-date accounting activities provide those responsible with greater clarity about what must be done: rework is avoided and the team has more time to focus on other demands, such as developing a satisfactory service, in addition to producing a content quality – both aspects that bring the customer closer to the company.
Automated and intelligent accounting also makes it easier for staff to engage in meeting deadlines and meeting goals without delays.
Ten tips for a good management of accounting tasks
By now, you've realized that the routine of an accounting office (or accounting industry of a particular company) involves a multitude of numbers and information.
To operate efficiently, it is necessary to evaluate a series of variable factors, such as the different requirements of each client, the size of the companies and their respective demands.
Anyway, also certain standards to be followed, regardless of the particularities of each organization. Below, we list ten golden tips to implement satisfactory accounting task management in your company:
1. Basic organization
The first step for your accounting task management to operate efficiently is to structure your office in a clear and objective way: as obvious as it may seem, many managers sin in this basic aspect.
When organizing your customer service, consider factors such as tax framework, company size and the level of complexity of the tasks they will bring you. In the same sense, a solid customer service and support is essential.
It is in this communication that one of the most important ways of evaluating your own performance resides.
Keep in mind that the most diverse segments of the market are constantly changing, and accounting could not be different.
That's why it's important to be aware of different sources of related content: observe what other companies in the field have done, follow influencers in the area. You need to be aware of trends. Knowledge is power.
2. Internal mapping
Internal processes are routine elements, which is precisely why monitoring them represents the best way for the manager to identify the most important activities in the office, as well as the flaws that need to be better addressed.
All inputs, outputs and actions that make up the workflow must be carefully observed. Each process must be classified according to its complexity and the way it occurs.
Along with this mapping work, a flowchart can be an important tool to deal with the operations of each process in a more individual and detailed way, which can come in handy especially for the case of more complex processes.
3. Departmentalization
It is a valuable measure to establish a clear division of tasks and ensure a solid accounting routine, especially in small offices, which usually do not have this form of organization intrinsic to their structure.
With proper distribution, confusion in task assignment is avoided and it becomes easier to assess everyone's productivity and performance.
4. Document cleaning
With the huge flow of documents and papers that the accounting sector deals with, it is natural for documents that have already lost their usefulness to accumulate quickly, causing real confusion in the work environment.
From time to time, it is good to discard all documents that are no longer needed or have expired.
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5. Pay attention to the calendar
Considering the huge flow of information and tasks in which a strenuous work routine implies, it is essential to maintain a rigorously organized calendar.
Productivity management systems are very useful for automating reminders, but even a common virtual agenda can make a big difference.
6. Relationship with the client
These days, the importance of maintaining good customer relationships has become more blatant than ever. This is mainly due to the fact that we are inserted in a digital age.
Communication with the client must occur in the most direct, fast, effective and empathic way possible. If your digital presence is weak, the audience will quickly forget about you and look for your competitor.
7. Management platforms
There are an infinity of business management platforms on the market, almost all of them offering good accounting management features.
Knowing the particularities of your office, you will be able to determine which one best suits your needs. Just to name a few of the main ones:
Trello
O Trello is one of the most used project management software on the market. Through it, all the ideas and tasks of a company can be mapped, monitored and managed.
Teamwork is strengthened, as its interface, made up of boards, allows the sharing of information among team members.
Through Trello boards, users can very intuitively insert attachments, comments, lists, and more. And the best: completely free.
runrun.it
Widely used by large companies, the runrun.it offers excellent technical and operational features, which can be of great use to the accountant.
Unlike Trello, Runrun.It is only free for a short trial period, requiring the user to pay for it when the trial period expires.
TeamWork
O TeamWork is another project management tool. Unlike the previous ones, it is fully paid, not even having a trial version. It's not free, and it has no trial days.
It has good features for integration between those involved in the project and is of great help in managing work in general.
Asana
O Asana is a timesheet management platform. It works very similarly to Trello, however, using timelines instead of frames.
8. Digital documents
In the middle of 2022, we live at the height of the digital revolution. That said, it's inconceivable that your documents aren't properly digitized. Thus, your processes only gain in terms of organization, and, consequently, in speed and efficiency.
However, it is necessary to consider that virtual data can also be lost, especially if a hard drive is damaged.
Therefore, consider storing your data in the cloud, either through a traditional way, such as Google Drive, or through the accounting systems of document management software.
9. Identity Certificates
Identity certificates allow the accountant to access the client's portals and resources, making processes much faster, since the client does not need to be called every time a signature needs to be collected or some portal needs to be accessed.
10. Automated processes
We've said it and we've said it again: it's the age of technology. There's no reason to insist on a slow, cumbersome and redundant way of working, and keep doing everything manually, especially considering that many customers wait at the last minute to deliver the necessary documents.
By automating accounting processes and reducing repetitive manual work, you and your team are ready to take care of other important office routine matters, and human resources are directed where they are really needed.
As you can see, managing accounting tasks is an important aspect of any business, and by following our tips, you will be ready to further improve your accounting routine. And, if you liked this content, share it on your social networks!
