Tips for finding the best accountants in Kent

Finding the best accountant in Kent isn’t that hard but you do need to know what you are looking for.

Do you want a light touch approach where you handle most of the finance admin and your accountant only gets involved for the tax return and annual accounts or are you after more of a business partner who can provide insightful reporting to help you scale your business?

1. Local expertise

   Since the pandemic, we are all used to dealing with customer and suppliers online, using Zoom, Teams or other conferencing software. However, sometimes it’s better to do things face to face. Having a local accountant in Kent means you can easily come to the office or we can visit you at your workplace to exchange documentation and get the benefit of in-person meetings.Online relationships are great but there’s no substitute for meeting in person. We welcome all our clients to visit us at our offices so you can see exactly how we work and tailor our services to our clients’ needs. We’ll even give you biscuits with your coffee!

2. Right level of qualifications

   When you’re looking for the right accountant for your Kent based business, it’s important to have people you can trust with your finances. Many accountants don’t have accounting qualifications which means they may not be fully aware of all the rules and regulations they need to follow.Check your accountant’s level of expertise and qualification before agreeing to work with them. For bookkeeping, look for MICB, FICB or MIAB after the person’s name. For accounting, it’s ACA, ACCA, ACMA or CPFA. If you’re looking for a qualified tax accountant, focus on people with ATT or CIOT.

3. Range of services

   Not all accountancy firms offer the same services. While it’s true that most look after self-assessment and Corporation Tax returns and annual accounts, some firms have a much wider range of services including management accounting, business advisory and strategic financial management. Whether you are an established business or a start-up, we’ll provide everything you need to succeed.If you feel your business is not getting the best accountancy support or need an accountant who can provide deeper insight into the health of your business, feel free to get in touch for a free consultation.

4. Accessibility and communication

   Accountants often have a reputation for being difficult to get hold or, being unresponsive to clients and only coming out of the woodwork once a year at tax return time. It can be incredibly frustrating having a finance related question and not being able to access your accountant for an answer.The best accountants in Kent pride themselves on providing prompt, clear communication with proactive support to help their clients grow. If you aren’t getting a decent level of communication with your current accountant, it’s much easier than you think to move to a new one.

5. Technology proficiency

   Spreadsheets of figures can be so confusing and these days completely unnecessary. Find an accountant who has embraced the latest technology such as cloud accounting and mobile based receipt capture to take away the headaches of managing your finance paperwork.Some accountants are adopting AI-based tools to help clients manage their bookkeeping faster and more accurately, so look around for technology savvy accountancy firms who are focused on helping their clients improve efficiency and productivity.

6. Recommendations

   The best accountants in Kent have fabulous 5* reviews online, perhaps on Trust Index, Trust Pilot, Google or LinkedIn. What do current clients say about the accountant you are considering working with. Do they provide a prompt response to emails? Do they keep bookkeeping up to date so data is accurate for decision making? Do they look for opportunities for the clients to scale their business? Are they prepared to share their network of good contacts to help clients?Formulate your own set of questions about the customer experience and ask the accountant for access to current or recent clients who might be willing to talk to you about their experiences.

Looking for the best accountants in Kent? We’re here for you

Your Kent business needs the right level of support. When you aren’t getting that from your current accountant, it’s time to change. It really isn’t as painful as you think – we can liaise with your previous accountant to get everything transferred to us. If you’d like to discuss our services, contact us for a free, no-obligation chat about your situation.