In Our Opinion
Top Tips for Choosing an Accountant
Peter Alcock head of business development at Wilson Henry LLP, Chartered Accountants and Business Advisors in Liverpool offers some important tips when appointing an accountant....
1. Recommendations
The best advert any accountant has is its clients
or contacts as raving fans. Find out what makes
the recommended fi rm stand out from the rest.
Do they have written client testimonials?
2. Website
Any good accountant will have a decent
website – look for the services it provides and
any useful downloadable content. Does it talk
more about the benefits than the features of
their offerings?
3. Ring them
First impressions count for a lot. How do they
answer the phone? do they screen calls?
do they sound like a can do’ firm? At Wilson
Henry we have a policy of phone answered in
two rings and no call screening – you are put
through to whoever you ask for!
4. Meet them
What immediate impression do you get when
walking into their offi ces? Have they bothered
to research your business and your sector?
Have they understood your key challenges? Do
they talk compliance or more about proactive
advice they can provide? Do they appear
passionate about your business? Is there a
good chemistry between you?
5. Specialisms
What is their service offering? Many firms
profess to do everything – beware! Do they
have the specialists you need whether it’s
for example tax; finance raising; strategy; IT
systems or straight compliance?
6. Charges
What is their charging structure: is it rate
per hour or fi xed quote? Do they offer free
elements including helpline? Do they provide
guarantees over turnaround time? Do they offer
a menu of services for you to choose from?
7. Response times
Peace of mind is everything and this is often
measured by the response times. How long did
it take to come back to you with a proposal or
perhaps a solution to a problem you had after
first meeting them?
8. Comparisons
Don’t just go to one firm, try out several and
score them. Does one stand out from the rest?
Do they have the capability of meeting your
needs not only today but also tomorrow?
Wilson Henry LLP, 145 Edge Lane, Liverpool L7 2PF
This article appeared in the April 2011 edition of EN the magazine for Entrepreneurs
