This time last week…………..

This time last week a red weather warning was in place for much of Scotland. The first of its kind in Scotland for snow. Like a lot of people, we were unsure how bad it was going to be. Would it just be business as usual with a few inches of snow, were the met office and the government being a little OTT? We decided not to open the office on Wednesday and asked all staff to work from home. Staff safety was paramount. We didn’t re-open the office again until Monday 5th. It was interesting reading social media during Wednesday morning. We had quotes like “This is nothing like 2010”, “Have we all gone soft”, “Just get on with it”, “Its only a bit snow” then boom the “Beast from The East” hit in the afternoon. People were in a panic they had to get home!

Hindsight is great, and we were lucky that we made an early decision to work from home. Fortunately, as our practice is young we embraced the cloud from day one which means we can work anywhere with an internet connection.

Granted not all business are the same and several businesses will have been hugely affected by the weather conditions over the last week and no matter what contingency plans you put in place there is not a lot you can do if you have no passing trade. However, for those businesses that don't rely on the passing trade as much how did you best use those days stuck in the house? Could you have done some bookkeeping? Chased up outstanding invoices? Reviewed your P&L? You couldn’t have done this if all the information was in your office and you were stuck at home with no access to this information, all very frustrating.

Let us introduce the benefits of cloud accounting and Xero, our favourite cloud accounting software.

Technology has always played an important role in streamlining accounting and bookkeeping – from the spreadsheet, to email, cloud accounting and beyond.

What are the benefits of Xero accounting?

1. Xero is cloud-based software, meaning that you can use it whenever you have an internet connection. As your accountants, we can access your system to help and train you. No more relying on manual books and data backups!
2. It allows you to raise sales invoices quickly, email them to your customers and set up automated debt collection features.
3. It downloads transactions direct from your bank, resulting in real time accounting information and error free processing.
4. It integrates with a multitude of Apps so your software solution can be tailormade to your requirements.
5. You may very well see a reduction in your end of year accountancy costs because your bookkeeping will most certainly be improved.
6. Because Xero is cloud based, you are always on the most up to date software. No more loading updates and having issues with compatibility.

You could have been updating your Xero account in the comfort of your own home while all the madness was happening outside.

Maybe it’s time that you reviewed your current accounting and bookkeeping process. We would be delighted to help you. Please contact us if you think we can help you.

As I finish off this blog the latest news headline is that a cold front will be hitting us towards the end of the week, its called the "Pest from The West"………are you prepared?