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alternatives to accountingdepartment.com

About AccountingDepartment.com

We know that hiring AccountingDepartment.com is the best solution for most organizations nationwide. But we also think you should explore all the options before deciding which solution is best for you.

Whether you've already experienced every accounting department scenario available to you or this is the first time you've been made aware that you have options, we believe it is critical to understand all of your options before you make a choice. Why? Well, there are actually quite a few reasons we decided to lay it all out for prospective clients.

  1. A segment of our current clients needed to experience an alternative option first. Their reasons are numerous and varied—perceived cost savings, physical proximity, level of comfort with outsourcing to name a few - but they typically result in a painful and costly lesson learned. And ultimately result in a new client coming to us (or back to us) regretting having wasted a few months with a different option.
  2. Perception is a tricky thing. We've worked really hard to clarify perception and provide transparency against our perceived competitors in the outsourced accounting services world. But we also know how unique* we are—which means if you're used to one definition of outsourced accounting, you may think you know what we do or how we do it, but you likely don't. *We welcome you to find another outsourced accounting services company that can include Inc. Best Workplaces, Entrepreneur Top Company Culture, and Military Spouse Employment Partner among its many accolades—and understand that our great team is what sets us far, far apart from the rest. 
  3. You should be proud of your choice. We trust you are going to see the value in our services. But in case you really want to be able to explain the great divide between our services and other options, this is where you're going to end up armed with the right information.

Want to speak to some of our clients who have experienced other solutions? Ask us for references after your services demo.

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Internal Accounting Department

Sometimes keeping it all in-house seems like the best solution. After all, no one knows your business like you do. However, the ability to manage the accounting department is an entirely different challenge and often leaves organizations at the mercy of many risk factors. From a lack of back up support or standardized processes and oversight to increased fraud and privacy risks, maintaining a successful internal accounting department in a small or mid-sized business is a difficult undertaking even if you have the best people in place.

Meet An Alternative Accounting Department Option
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Your CPA

Your CPA plays a critical role in the financial management of your business. While they provide important tax planning and financial management for your business, this doesn't mean they're equally qualified to do your bookkeeping. They're actually two entirely separate competencies and CPAs rarely want to be doing your books (it really isn't what they're there for). They want complete and accurate books so they can be certain of the integrity of your financial data—which is why we partner with every client's CPA to work in tandem. 

In addition, some CPA firms that do offer bookkeeping services actually fill them through either another internal department, a freelance bookkeeper or even an outside company (like ours). Make sure you know who is responsible for each component of your accounting at all times.

Learn How We Work With CPAs
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"Traditional" Outsourced Services

The outsourced accounting services industry is about as varied as it can be. You can find overseas companies that are very inexpensive and primarily manage data entry. You can find new-to-market companies with a handful of employees focusing on niche industries or specific sectors. You can find outsourced services that outsource work to a network of independent bookkeepers or a revolving door of part-time, junior-level associates. The challenge is not only finding what you want but knowing what you're looking at.

The unfortunate side of the growth of technology is that anyone can have a pretty website. Look "behind the curtain" as much as you can to make sure that the company you consider employs a team large enough to support you and future clients, has processes and standards in place to scale and ensure adherence to deadlines and reporting standards, and has the infrastructure to meet your expectations. 

Get To Know The Difference in Outsourced Options
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A Local Part-Time Bookkeeper

The classic model for many SMBs is to hire an outside, local, part-time bookkeeper when first getting started. He or she comes to your office on some frequency (monthly, weekly) and manages all the invoicing, bill payment, expense reports, etc. Piles of paper give way to messes, information is at the mercy of privacy risks, and the company's financial picture is well known to a local, outside person who may very well not have much consideration for your privacy expectations.

Finally, it is accompanied by the same need for management and oversight as an internal department but with even greater risks as the outside freelancer is not accountable to you as an employee. This is usually the model quickly shed by a growing business as soon as possible.

Meet the Team Overseeing Our Clients
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Autopilot & A.I.

There are a tremendous number of new-to-market accounting tech companies entering the market offering to put your accounting on autopilot. We're still mystified by this one because removing the expertise and oversight from the process creates tremendous opportunity for inaccuracy. It also puts a tremendous burden back on you, the client, to be responsible for your own accounting. However, if you are accounting savvy and you are willing to do the work in order to save money, this may be a solution for you. Just make to keep in mind that getting advice based on auto-generated reports is only as good as the data behind the report. And don't get us started on the legitimacy of accrual accounting and job costing via this method...

Learn About Our Combination of People, Process & Technology
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The Gold Standard: AccountingDepartment.com

An Inc Best Workplaces 2022 Winner, Entrepreneur Top Company Cultures 2018, a Military Spouse Employment Partner, and a Gold Stevie Award winner for both Company of the Year and Employer of the Year, AccountingDepartment.com prides itself on providing technology-driven accounting services built by entrepreneurs on a mission to support businesses nationwide with a team of the very best accounting professionals sourced from around the country.

Led by our two Co-Founders, we're completely transparent about our processes and our people. You can see them on all the pages of this site. And when you become our client, you'll meet your dedicated team. They'll feel as close to you as your full-time employees do—and maybe even more like family. They're guided by a customized internal 200+ page process manual unique to your business. And bookkeeping, controller, and advisory services are the only thing they provide—so they have the time and ability to perfect those skills and deliver the best of the best in client accounting services.

Meet The Entire Team

See How AccountingDepartment.com Can Help Your Business - Request A Demo