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Five Keys to Managing a Mobile Accounting Workforce

Communication Makes the Difference

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The days are long past when accountants were tethered to their office or cubicle. Today, you could be at a client site in Bangalore, your team could be in California, and your east coast client could be working in Russia, all joined together on a conference call that sounds like everyone is down the street.

The technology side is already in place. But on the soft side, the human side, many communication challenges remain. How can you continue to manage when work teams and clients are scattered from here to Timbuktu?

Here are the five keys to managing a mobile accounting workforce and how to keep the quality high and the ball rolling on projects when we are not in the office.

• Visibility vs. Availability
• Clear Communications
• Trust plus Accountability
• Client Contact
• Flying Blind

Visibility vs. Availability

Your mobile team will need to understand the difference between visibility and availability. Workers tend to assume others will know they are available, but coworkers may see lack of visibility as lack of availability.

A mobile worker may need to go out of his way to communicate his availability to the rest of the team.

Real World Example: After commuting one hour each way from home to work every day, Tamara Bongi, CPA and partner of Hood & Strong, LLP in San Francisco, was able to cut her days in the office from five to three. One day a week, she works from home, and another day a week, she works in a closer branch office of her accounting firm.

“Consistency in schedule is very helpful as is really being available – not just disappearing. I try to frequently remind people where I will be and when I will be leaving (my schedule is not usually foremost in their minds), especially if I am looking for something. We also have a daily sign-in sheet that shows where everyone is and how to reach them,” says Tamara.

To make sure her team knows she is available for questions on any day of the week, Tamara responds quickly to their emails. She also spends more time walking around the managers’ and staff offices on the days she is in the office. “I always get stopped for questions when I pass by my team’s offices,” says Tamara.

I try to frequently remind people where I will be…

Clear Communications

A lot depends on how well you communicate to your team. Make sure your conversations with your team include the following points:

• Set clear objectives about the project or deliverable you are assigning.
• When working with a team or committee on a project, make sure the roles of all team members are defined and communicated to all and that everyone knows what they are supposed to do and by when.
• Ask your employee or vendor if they have the right level of resources and support that they need to meet your expectations. Make sure all of the administrative issues are worked out: logistics, technology, meeting management, and other needs.
• Give your team some flexibility and independence in carrying out the project.
• Define and communicate a clear process to report and resolve problems and conflicts that come up during the project.

Real World Example: Michelle Long, CPA, Advanced Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor, and owner of M. Long Consulting, LLC of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, stresses the importance of good communication when working with vendors. “If I'm working with a subcontractor, I make sure she knows what I expect to be done and when to reach out to me for questions. Communication with clients and subcontractors is the key. You cannot assume they know -- it is important to clearly communicate your expectations,” she says.

Trust plus Accountability

Learning to trust your team can be a challenge for some accountants. You can’t see them hour by hour to see what they are doing, yet you have to trust that they are getting the work done.

However, it can’t be blind trust. Most accountants solve this challenge by managing results and not the process. As long as the worker gets the job done at a high level of quality and by the due date, then the accountability is there, and the trust should follow.

Client Contact

Clients want you to be there for them when they need you. How can you stay in touch with your clients on a work-at-home day?

Real World Example: When Tamara is out of her office and has a client appointment, she conducts it via a conference call or web conference. “If need be, I go to their offices or home or try to meet somewhere in between,” she says.

Real World Example: Michelle, an Advanced Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor, says, “I've conducted remote consulting/training sessions while on vacation or business trips. Within reason, I like to be available when my clients need me. In many situations, the client can wait and it isn't urgent. However, when it is important and cannot wait, I make every effort to be available to my clients.” On a business trip, she says, “I always take my laptop and cell phone (which is a smartphone), and that is all I need to work!”

Flying Blind

The hardest part of mobile working is relying solely on verbal cues with no visual clues to help you understand the nuances of the interchange. This is a little bit like flying blind. Without face-to-face interaction and the telling facial expressions that go with it, accountants need to be extra sensitive to tone of voice, word choice, and even sighs. Some tips to get the most out of a mobile conversation include:

• Listen intently to both the words that are being said and any messages that may be expressed subtly. Confront these subtle messages one-on-one with the team member. For example, if you sense frustration in a team member, it could be they need a resource that you can deliver for them.
• Email has even fewer clues than a phone conversation. Invite your team and clients to disclose problems and challenges that they need you to respond to. Otherwise, how would you know what they need?
• Stay abreast of how your team is sharing roles and responsibilities. Are the team dynamics healthy? Is there cooperation? Are conflicts being handled in a constructive fashion? If not, take steps to get the team back on track.
• Be sensitive to any distractions and how people are managing them. Distractions are one of the challenges of working in multiple locations, and there is a learned skill to handling them in a way where productivity is not adversely impacted.

For some things, you really need that visual. For example, job interviews are best handled in person.

Real World Example: “We are interviewing for accounting staff and managers right now,” says Tamara. “I really prefer to interview candidates face-to-face.”

Quality of Life

Being mobile is often about improving your quality of life and “having it all.”

Real World Example: “Once, I took a break from the beach, went up to the hotel room, and via remote access, was able to conduct a consulting/training session with a client. I needed a break from the sun and the client was thrilled,” says Michelle, author of Successful QuickBooks Consulting: The Comprehensive Guide to Starting and Growing a QuickBooks Consulting Business.

That’s a long way from the accountant who is bound to her desk all week.

Sandi Smith, CPA, is a soft skills trainer and business coach located in Silicon Valley, California. She is a frequent contributor to Intuit ProConnection. Her web site is www.sandismith.com .

Last Updated: 01/12/2009