1. Pick the first files
Good first files are recurring, reasonably clean and owned by responsive clients. Avoid starting with your most complex or most behind client.
2. Check consent and engagement letters
Professional rules on sharing client information with outside service providers differ by jurisdiction and by the type of work. Read our guide on client confidentiality when you outsource, and update engagement letters if needed.
3. Set up access
Use named logins with multi-factor authentication. Give the minimum permissions needed, and keep a list of who has access to what so it can be removed quickly.
4. Write the SOPs and checklists
The SOPs and checklists are the most valuable things you will build. SOPs set out how each process is done, such as bank feed coding, reconciliations and the month-end close, step by step, so any trained team member does it the same way. The per-client checklist captures what is specific to each client: chart of accounts conventions, bank rules, how to treat unknown items, reconciliation standards, the query list format and deadlines. A good provider will write and maintain both with you, and train its team from them.
5. Run a test batch
Review the first month as you would a new hire’s work. Write every review note down, because each one becomes a line in the SOP or the client checklist.
6. Scale in waves
Add files in groups of five or ten. Track review notes per file and on-time delivery. When both are stable, add the next wave.
General information only, not legal, tax, audit or professional-conduct advice. Rules, standards and software features change, so confirm the position that applies to your firm before you act. See our disclaimer.
