Intuit’s QuickBooks line of financial management software is about more than just keeping track of profits and expenses. Today’s Software as a Service (SaaS) platforms are designed to help companies gain better insights into their operations.
With accounting software, and more broadly, financial management platforms like QuickBooks, users can unleash powerful new ways to save on costs, reduce waste, improve inventory management, and take advantage of efficiency to grow their business.
To get the maximum performance from their software, companies of every size and industry turn to ProAdvisors for advice, guidance, and hands-on support. But what Is a QuickBooks ProAdvisor, and how can they help you get the most from your financial management activities?
Below, we’ll discuss several QuickBooks ProAdvisor benefits and how taking advantage of training and support from a ProAdvisor can positively impact your business.
What Is a QuickBooks ProAdvisor?
This new technology has given rise to a hybrid professional that is a mix of accountant or bookkeeper and software management specialist. That professional is a QuickBooks ProAdvisor.
A QuickBooks Proadvisor is an accounting or bookkeeping professional trained, tested, and certified by Intuit on a range of advanced, QuickBooks-specific topics and skill sets. Certification involves extensive training, a two-hour exam where you must score a minimum of 80% and a yearly recertification exam.
QuickBooks ProAdvisors hold special QuickBooks product certifications issued by Intuit. These certifications ensure they have the skills to guide you in your accounting practices.
QuickBooks’ comprehensive nature and flexibility are strengths that make it the go-to choice for businesses, but they also make it a complex tool to manage. So how does a business get the most out of this powerhouse software? By hiring a QuickBooks ProAdvisor.
QuickBooks ProAdvisors offers a wide array of accounting-related services, including bookkeeping and even tax-related services. Another advantage to using ProAdvisors is that the expertise and product-specific know-how you need to keep your accounting software running efficiently is exclusive to certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors.
What Are the Top 7 Advantages of Working with a QuickBooks ProAdvisor?
More than 82% of accountants say their clients are demanding more kinds of services than ever.
Here are seven of the top QuickBooks ProAdvisor Benefits you can expect:
1. ProAdvisor Training Deepens Your QuickBooks Knowledge
QuickBooks training with the guidance of a ProAdvisor can help you take full advantage of new technology. Whenever it is the most expedient to rely on their expertise, ProAdvisors are there to lean on for support.
Often, companies don’t fully use their software platform’s feature set. QuickBooks offers a rich feature set, and if you don’t know how to tap into deeper reporting and insights, you’re missing opportunities to bring even greater efficiency to your operations.
Hiring a QuickBooks ProAdvisor for your business allows you to unlock their wealth of knowledge so you can apply their wisdom to your bookkeeping processes.
2. QuickBooks ProAdvisors Ensure Your QuickBooks Is Set Up Correctly
Using your financial management software correctly can mean the difference between success and failure. Using a ProAdvisor’s services isn’t just about getting the proper training to get the most value from QuickBooks. It’s also about setting your software up correctly.
Companies can save a lot of money and thousands of hours of future headaches by hiring a QuickBooks ProAdvisor to set up your QuickBooks environment, including add-ons and customization. Setting up QuickBooks incorrectly can lead to inaccurate information that results in inaccurate financial statements.
3. QuickBooks ProAdvisors Keep You Up-To-Date
Our Fourlane team published an article about when it is time to upgrade your QuickBooks software. In that article, we talk about how updates on new releases can benefit your business. We also discuss the detriments of working with outdated software.
Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors regularly receive exclusive invites to QuickBooks events and conferences, as well as early access to news and updates directly from Intuit.
This means before a big software updatethat could impact your business is rolled out, your ProAdvisor can advise you about the changes it will make and schedule a time to make the updates for you. This way, you’ll be properly prepared to make full use of changes or upgrades while avoiding any operational disruptions.
4. You Get Access to a Network of QuickBooks Experts
In addition to staying up-to-date on the most current features and updates, connecting with a ProAdvisor provides an entire network of QuickBooks experts. This includes ProAdvisors that specialize in niche industries and can address your unique goals and challenges.
5. Your QuickBooks Software Will Be Customized to Your Liking and Needs
Work is easier to do and more productive when your accounting software is specifically designed to meet your needs.
A QuickBooks ProAdvisor can customize your QuickBooks software however you need. Since every company’s operations are different, you owe it to yourself to have the right QuickBooks software that specifically addresses the details you come across most.
You will always have a version that caters to your company and better helps your customers.
6. Save Time and Valuable Resources
Hiring a QuickBooks ProAdvisor will free up your time, allowing you to apply those hours to other aspects of your business.
Not only will you save time by better understanding your software’s functions and features, but your ProAdvisor will help fine-tune and optimize your QuickBooks so it functions with maximum efficiency.
7. ProAdvisors Help You with Cost-Savings
QuickBooks ProAdvisor-certified accountants enjoy the huge benefit of accessing exclusive discounts for additional QuickBooks features and services Intuit offers. There is a wide range of different add-ons, plug-ins, and features designed to help businesses from different industries increase productivity.
QuickBooks ProAdvisors can help you quickly decide whether your business needs an added premium feature, and better yet, they can even save you money with those exclusive discounts in the process.
How to Find a QuickBooks ProAdvisor
QuickBooks is the ideal financial management solution, but initially, it can be challenging to use. You need an expert who knows QuickBooks as much as they know accounting. This is where hiring a QuickBooks ProAdvisor can help.
Individual vs. Consulting Firms
When looking for a ProAdvisor, the first decision you will make is whether to work with an individual consultant or a consulting firm. The right choice will depend on the size of your business, your unique challenges, your budget, and your future goals.
For most companies, working with a firm is the best option because they have more resources they can apply to your needs. It is especially beneficial for businesses that require more advanced skills and a scalable solution.
Consider Their Certification Tier
There are a few levels of certifications offered by QuickBooks for their ProAdvisors. From the most basic to the most advanced, the levels are:
- QuickBooks Certification
- QuickBooks Advanced Certification
- QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions Certification
- QuickBooks Point of Sale Certification (exclusive to consultants who specialize in retail)
Only consider a consultant with the certification level you expect. You should also consider the consultant’s training, experience, and level of expertise in the industry.
Research the Services They Offer
Learn what services are offered by the individual or consulting firm. Before you hire them, you need to know they can provide the service and level of detail you need.
The best QuickBooks consultants provide a variety of services, so they can help their customers with whatever challenges arise. Having a wide range of services also indicates how knowledgeable the consultant is; if they offer more, there’s a good chance they know more.
Look for Positive Reviews
Look for a consultant with an excellent reputation for offering solutions that provide a significant return on the investment. There’s no better form of advertising than positive word of mouth. Online, word of mouth comes in the form of stars and comments. Reviews don’t just tell you broadly whether someone is capable, they provide a story of what it has been like for others to work with them.
Search by Location on Intuit’s Website
Intuit makes it easy to find a QuickBooks ProAdvisor professional near you. Simply go to their site’s accountant search page and view ProAdvisors by location. You can sort results according to locality, certifications, and other criteria. Change the parameters to find results that align with your needs.
Contact the Prospects
After you’ve narrowed down the candidates, you’ll want to contact them. Be sure you ask questions about their experience with clients, who they’ve worked for, and the size and complexity of organizations they have helped.
Find a QuickBooks ProAdvisor Today
Speaking with an Advanced Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor can help your company in profound ways. No matter the size of your business, maximizing your use of QuickBooks can provide an incredible return on investment (ROI), helping you grow your company by leaps and bounds. It can save you countless hours by optimizing how you view your data, providing new insights about your operations, and freeing your workforce to focus on tasks that earn more profits.
What you need is the right team you can trust.
Fourlane has many ProAdvisors on staff, each with advanced certifications in QuickBooks Desktop and Online.
Our QuickBooks experts have gone through an extensive training and testing process, so you can be confident your software and data are in good hands. To learn more about our QuickBooks consulting services and how we can help your company thrive, contact one of our ProAdvisors today!
