How can I verify a bookkeeping practice’s reliance on one accounting software?

Request a client-by-platform table. If almost every file lives in one product, you are buying a practice exposed to that product’s pricing, features and outages. That is not necessarily bad, but you should see it plainly. Look beyond the list. Ask who holds the subscriptions: the practice or the clients? Are staff trained only on that product? Ask also whether clients chose the software or the practice chose it for them.

Test portability. Can client data be exported in a usable form, and has anyone actually done so? A practice that has never tried may be surprised at how hard it is. Check whether any advisory work is built around that product and would not carry over to another platform.

Finally, ask the seller what happened the last time a software change or price rise upset clients. Their answer shows how they handle disruption. Also ask whether staff or clients have complained about the product, and whether the practice has a fallback if access is lost for a day. A quiet backup routine suggests the owner has thought about this risk before you raised it.

Key takeaways

• Build a table of clients and the platform each one uses.
• Find out who holds each subscription and who chose the product.
• Ask for proof that data can be exported and reused elsewhere.
• Ask what the practice would do if the platform went down for a day.