How do I check how many bookkeeping clients still use paper receipts and mailed cheques?

Ask for the client list with a column for method. Sorting it shows how many clients are paper-based, how many are mixed, and which are fully digital. Do not rely on a verbal estimate. Ask who is responsible for each paper client, and how the paper is received, scanned and stored.

Then see the real effort. Sit with the bookkeeper handling a paper client and watch how receipts are sorted and typed in. Ask how many follow-up calls are needed for missing items. Check the time records against the fee and see whether the client is still worth the effort in your own view of it.

Ask about cheques as well. Who deposits or reconciles them, how often do they go missing, and does the firm deal with them for clients? Ask the seller whether paper clients are older, whether any are likely to retire, and whether the firm has ever tried to move them online. You may want a gentle plan to move them, but not in the middle of a busy period. Ask what the typical cost in time is for the paper clients compared with digital ones, using the staff’s own timesheets as evidence.

Key takeaways

• Get a client list tagged by how each client sends records.
• Watch the real handling effort for a paper-based client.
• Compare time spent with the fee charged.
• Plan a gentle move online, outside busy periods.