After some research we found that green pc has been introduced by some people around the world and has been a great success. It has a saying that its energy costs reduced 60% of the current energy consumption. So a Low Power PC can be a great revolution for the people and countries.

Its not just about the power consumption, but they are also the cheapest found on market. If people are really concious about the energy and the money then, I suggest people surely should get a one. I have order a piece for myself, as every good things should be started from ownself.

Save energy, Save world – Go green.

You can tweet via anything you like that are listed on the directory. Posting and Updating new status using cool applications like iPhone, iPad, Android, Twitter, Google and more. You do not need to have the device or applications on your own, you just need to allow your Twitter to access and you will be ready to go. Just type any status you want to post via and press the Tweet button, and you see the tweet updated on Twitter time line.

So. What are the options?

* Sit it out – keep on doing the same ole’, same ole’ – hoping that things’ll turn out ok, or
* Take steps to make sure that your firm suffers as little as possible.

I’m opting for #2 and when I visit several of our accounting firm clients over the next few weeks I’m going to suggest that now’s the time to make a few changes. It really is time for old paradigms to change, for accounting firms to become much more commercial. Many of the following points, you already know should be being done, but, simply put, in most firms, they are not. Anyway, here are the points I’m going to discuss.

1: Check out new clients before taking on large engagements.

Why undertake a big job utilising the firms resources and the associated personnel costs if the new client has a suspicious history. For Australian firms, consider becoming a subscriber to Veda Advantage (AU$195 to join, AU$42 monthly subscription) Also useful when collecting payments.

2: Get all instructions in writing

This will NOT always be possible but, from an accounts receivable point of view, and whenever in doubt, absolutely vital. I have personally seen many hundreds of thousands of dollars NOT collected due to lack of proper documentation.

3: Get paid “up front” for long engagements

There are several companies that offer professional fee funding. 100% of a fee raised is paid to the accounting firm and the client “pays it off” over an agreed period. A “win-win” for both. The one we have suggested to Australian clients is FeeLink. There is no cost to the practice whatsoever. There is an interest charged to the client, but why should firms “carry” large debts on the ‘never never’ and provide an interest-free banking facility for their clients? Why take on new work for a possibly already financially strapped client without being confident of payment?

4: Get all arrangements in writing

When a client has a large unpaid debt and wants to “pay it off”, it should be policy to get that arrangement in writing (consider using FeeLink here as well). This post from our blog explains why.

5: Send a circular to all clients

Advise clients of two changes to policy

a: that “Due to (put in some reasons here – rising costs… GFC… over the last nine months many clients have been taking longer to settle their accounts than in the past…) the firm is obliged to start charging interest on any fees that are not paid within our normal credit facility unless there is an approved payment arrangement in place. (see point 4 above)

b: that a discount of 2.5% will be applied to payment of all fees that are received in the firm before the due date.

Always has been, always will be about good communication between firms and their clients. And vice versa. Establishing the intent of the client. It’s NOT too “heavy”. It’s commercially realistic. Sadly, many firms will continue to provide that interest-free banking facility. But, those that don’t, will not just survive, they’ll thrive.

Note from the author.

Have you ever wondered why a client does business with you and then ignores your invoice like they had no intention of paying it in the first place or they treat you like their own personal line of credit, leaving YOU dangling, waiting months for their payment? Unfortunately this situation is all too common and can even be puzzling for the most experienced business owner. If you’ve ever had to handle outstanding accounts or you are just so over non-payers, then our blog, “Chasing Slow Payers” – http://chasing-slow-payers.blogspot.com – is for you.

Real-world skills, solutions, tips & strategies to get more accounts paid on time, and, most importantly, how to maintain customer goodwill while keeping YOUR cash flow in the positive.

5 Rules of Thumb To Selecting The Right Accountant

1. Credentials – Look for the credentials of anyone that is calling themselves a professional. If you’re looking at an individual business, you will need to make sure that they are qualified to work on your books and won’t get flustered or frustrated when they see what they have to do. Professionals should be ready to show you their credentials and talk about their experience and anyone that is too shy to mention them, is not the right candidate.

2. Experience – Look at their tract record, and ask for experience. Yes, there are some great options to choose from when someone gets out of college, but if that’s not what you want, look for a good amount of experience. Without this, you’ll end up hiring someone that is prone to making rookie mistakes and can end up costing you extra money in the long run. Do not be afraid to say no to someone that you deem too inexperienced to handle your financial data. Remember, you’re in control over this process, so do not feel bad.

3. Licenses – Each city, each state, and county has different rules as it pertains to financial law. If you’re looking for an accountant, for instance, make sure that they are licensed to practice in your area. Remember, they have to be familiar with not only numbers and practices; they have to be familiar with the very specific laws that are in the county and location that you’re in. If they aren’t familiar with the local laws, the likelihood of them making a mistake exponentially rises. Don’t be swindled, make sure you ask to see the license number or even the license itself. You have to remember that you’re dealing with your livelihood and trusting someone outside of your business to help, so do not hesitate to ask questions.

4. Availability – If you’re looking for a professional that is available at all hours of the night, you’ll be hard pressed to procure services. However, if you’re flexible you will find that there are a lot of different accountants that will meet you at your leisure. Consider the availability of whomever you plan on hiring, just in case there is a financial emergency and you need them to see it through. If you’re absolutely dead set on finding someone that is 24 hours, available, good luck. Most professionals don’t meet those hours, but if you do find such an accountant, you’ll find a great thing, because money, as they say, never sleeps.

5. Price – If the prospect you’re looking at meets all the above points, consider the price that they charge. Remember, you have a budget to manage and you can’t just pay for the most expensive help you can find. You need to have a budget in mind and negotiate with someone in light of your financial situation. Most often, there is a flat rate that is paid, but in some cases hourly rates can be established and if you communicate well with your potential hire, you’ll be able to strike an interpersonal deal to ensure that you’re continually moving forward. Do not assume that they know your situation, so make sure you illustrate it from day one, so that they are fully aware of the financial stress you might be in at the time.

The above 5 rules of thumb are just the start. There are a lot of other things that require some attention, especially when it comes to dealing with your financial situation. If you own a small business or are simply trying to understand your economic structure a bit more, you need to make sure that you can trust whomever you’re going to hire. If you can’t trust a person with the above 5 things, you most likely won’t find them to be a worthwhile candidate.

Avoid large firms unless you can be reassured that someone will take care of your personal account. Some small business owners have found out the hard way that too large a firm is not the right place for an independent. There are exceptions to the rule, but in general larger locales can seem daunting.

Well, it’s now time for me to fight back against the world of black suits and professionalism, I now have an alternative online. I remember a few years ago when I first came across cheap accounting online. The internet in those day was a pretty soft target. Any Johnny come lately with a practising certificate could build himself a website and trade online. There was no trading history, no reputation that had been accumulated over a period of years. Instead there was doubt and mystery.

However, things have now changed. The world of cheap accounting has now changed into a very competitive environment, which if done properly can result in small fortunes for the owners. The onliners now have to be every bit as professional as their counterparts on the high street. They require considerable funds to invest each year in search engine optimisation and internet marketing. They face humiliation via forums and hateful blogs of they make the slightest mistake. It used to be the case that if you made a mistake, all the local town with a population of 80,000 knew about your failure. Now the stakes are that much higher. If things go wrong online, the whole of the UK with a population of 80 million will know about it!

It used to be the case that the onliners had no track record, again things have changed. Websites display trophies and certificates showing a track record of achievement spanning the last decade. Coupled with the fact that these guys have a turnover that would put the local high street accountant to shame, I would argue that the web traders have every bit as much credibility as the local guy and at a lower price to boot.

It is with this in mind that I decided to take the lower price online and haven’t looked back since. If I have a query, I simply take advantage of the unlimited support offered via email – it’s every bit as good a service that would have been provided via traditional methods.

Customers are also affected by the divide. The finance department may not know the status of a sale or outcome of a customer meeting and may chase debts/issue invoices inappropriately. The service department may not be aware of issues raised by customers to other departments. Customers reporting issues may not receive good service if the departments are uncoordinated. In such situations, the company is damaging its customer relationships, operating inefficiently, impacting cash flow and jeopardizing future bookings.

One Solution for All

The solution to this issue is ensuring that all the departments in the organization work together towards a common goal. The customer’s needs, issues and most importantly cash flow cannot take a backseat because of a lack of internal coordination.

All the affected departments must work together towards resolving this problem. They must ensure that all the major processes are aligned and that personnel are aware of the overall scheme of things. Organizations can get the much-needed sync by switching to a common cloud platform for the sales, services and finance departments. By working from connected CRM that shares the same data as the financial application and professional services automation tool, errors and discrepancies that inevitably occur when separate systems are used can be eliminated. Manual efforts are dramatically minimized, hence reducing the work of the sales team and the risk of making mistakes. A common platform is also ideal for monitoring whether a customer is credit worthy. The sales team can consult the credit background before selecting prospects or deciding what discounts or deals to agree with customers. They can view the status of the credits and also help with collections. In this way, all the three departments, sales, services and finance, complement each other.

Collaborative Tools

Organizations can also benefit from the collaborative tools available with cloud platforms like Force.com from Salesforce.com. Built in business collaboration tools like Chatter provide a stream of business alerts and conversation, which dramatically helps to improve intra-organizational communication. This real-time collaboration is very important for all the departments of the organization to have visibility about every aspect of the business relevant to them in real-time.

Accountants are professionals and are under a regulating body. Among these bodies are the IASB and FASB. Their main concern is to analyze the progress of a business and find out if there is more money coming in than the money going out or vice versa. It is the accountant who gives the clients sound advice of what strategies and moves the company must make. In short, the accountant works hand-in-hand with the entrepreneur to make sure the investment is going fine.

However, even as this may be the case, complaints are often heard from business owners themselves about their accountants. Here are among the most common complaints heard.

1.The client cannot get the accountant when the need arises and that the accountant does not return phone calls.

This is a common concern of clients. This is probably because one must have taken, instead of an accountant, a tax agent. When there is a need other than tax concerns, the one hired may not be very effective and finds it hard to explain oneself to the client. This is also probably the reason why phone calls are not returned. Furthermore, tax agents are concerned with past transactions and records which are necessary for completing a tax return while the accountant looks at future plans and works closely with the owner not only with tax issues but with the finances of the company.

What can be done?

The quickest and best solution to these complaints is to find another accountant. There is no point in staying with an accounting group that does not satisfy the needs of the client.

In doing so, the owner should review all tax returns and financial statements done by the accountant. Questions and clarifications have to be made before leaving this accountant so that ample and accurate information may be provided to the new accountant.

In choosing a new accountant, one should go for someone who works at a level that is higher than the previous one. After this is done, the owner must inform the first accountant that their services will no longer be needed for the next month.

Should the old accountant bill unreasonably, this should be clarified by the owner. Moreover the new accountant should have to formally inform the previous accountant of the changes.

2.Accountants never recommend what to do to improve things and that they are useless.

Many company owners say that their accountants are useless because they cannot produce management accounts on time. In answer to this, accountants say that it is their clients that do not provide the pertinent information on time.

Though the fault is on both sides, it is important for the accountant not to commit to something that it cannot fulfill because this can just disappoint the client. On the other hand, the client should be specific about what services are needed by the company. The manager, owner, or director should not presume that the accountant knows everything that is needed by the company.

If finding a new accountant will prove futile, then another solution is to get an accounting software. Software for accounting does not need to be operated by an accountant. This can be done even by the owner if knowledge and training are more than just basic. Accounting software packages are available and convenient. Like Shoebooks, a company that offers accounting software, the program can be installed on any computer. And since this is online, the account may be accessed by anyone who has the password from any computer or laptop anytime. This software for accounting provides power in the hands of the owner.

Anyone trading online nowadays should have an understanding of methods to conquer the various search engines, i.e. how you can appear high in the rankings for the search phrase. Hence, unless you possess a large pot of money to throw at SEO, you probably are confronted with operating inside a particular niche or accounting sector. Hence the emergence over the past few years of specialist accountants who tailor their services to suit the various search engines.

For instance, you’ll find cheap accountants online providing just tax refund services. They often ask you for a fee of approximately 15% associated with a tax received, but this is all they concentrate on and for that reason offer very efficient, economical services.

Another useful niche is that of contractor accountancy services. Contractor accountants often give a range of services targeted at the IT contractors who run their very own limited company at home. Simple as it sounds, the contractors will require annual accounts, corporation tax returns, self assessment income tax returns and payroll services. Again though, there are deals available which means you should look around to get the best price. The market is very competitive, with many similar services providers and so the ball is in your court.

Apart from the construction industry scheme accountants, there are very few niches left to discuss. Again, the CIS accountants process tax statements for any small charge and claim the right tax refund. Overall though, there is nothing more to be had online that the high-street accountant couldn’t have given for the same price. Online however, has the benefit that’s not provided by your local professional.

With one of these niches out of the way, we’re left with the general practitioners who attempt to trade online on the national basis. So far as I’m concerned though, no particular accountant sticks out. This could imply that they are all spreading their resources too far and have ended up as the proverbial jack of trades that simply can’t get far enough in the search engine ranking positions to face out of the crowd.

However, with this particular scathing criticism in mind, I would now prefer to claim that you ought to be utilizing an online accountant, for that simple reason that the costs are extremely much lower. The overall accountancy services required could be provided by literally anyone with a practising certificate. Shop around, get the best price and be thankful there finally is an alternative to overvalued high-street equivalents.

All I need to know, is the fact that a professional accountant is going to be preparing my accounts or taxes. Beyond which i don’t mind, I’ll assume that he or she knows what they are doing which the procedure is going to be straight forward. All I need to know is what will it cost me and just how long will it decide to try obtain the work done!

This is where the internet comes in. These days you can put an advert on the specialist website giving information on what you need done and hey presto, replies arrive in your inbox as though by magic. In addition, you will not be flooded with desperadoes vying for business either. Most sites allow a set quantity of responses and that is it, you are left to make your decision and take your chances. One thing though, you’re going to get replies from right across the country the only downside so far as I can tell. In the end, do you really wish to accomplish business together with your accountant via email and courier services. To be honest, I can not see the problem, in fact I’d rather do it by email than possess some guy in a suit reciting the equivalent of Shakespeare for 30 minutes.

However, that’s not the end from the matter. The next stage would be to think about “Do I really have to request quotations?”. I only say this since the internet is already saturated with online firms offering long-distance services at low prices fixed in advance. Their websites show their prices and all sorts of you need to do is literally choose what you want and press “proceed”, nothing could be more simple. The only draw back is the fact that most such service providers have terms and conditions proclaiming that their low price only stands should you choose your books to some decent standard. This however is the case with all of accountants. Should you agree a fixed low cost and upset the accountant, you will find your fees rising next year, so in the longterm, there is nothing really that different online.