How to Make Accounting Outsourcing Work with BOSS

Outsourced accounting can be a great solution to solve staffing issues and expand your business. But working with outsourced staff requires some adjustments in order to give you the best results.

Maximise Your Outsourcing Efficiency: Two Key Foundations for Success

Organisation & Communication

“ By adopting clear organisational strategies, you can avoid delays, reduce non-billable time, and support your firm’s growth ”

Organisation

Strong organisation is often the biggest hurdle. Many firms don’t realise their workflows may lack structure—or that some team members could be more systematic. A loosely organised process might work for a small in-house team, but as you tap into BOSS’ scalable resources, your in-house staff will need to step up to keep pace.

To get the most from your team, focus on leveraging their strengths. A sole trader can benefit from outsourcing, but as your firm grows, consider appointing an admin assistant—or dedicating an existing staff member—to handle queries from your BOSS accountant.

For this example, let’s imagine your firm has three staff: a Principal, a Senior Accountant, and a Receptionist.

The responsibilities for completing a tax return or SMSF should be split as follows—

Principal

—High-level review and final sign-off

Senior Accountant (or Client Relationship Manager—CRM)

—Conducts client interviews

—Answers queries from BOSS’ team on behalf of clients

Receptionist (or Client Services Administrator—CSA)

—Gathers all data ready for sending to BOSS e.g., last year’s tax files, this year’s MYOB file, supporting docs, etc.

—Prepares initial electronic work papers

—Drafts fee proposals

—Handles administrative tasks (typing, filing, photocopying, scanning, faxing)

—Prepares outgoing correspondence for ATO requirements

—Manages ASIC lodgements (reporting, updates, form preparation, distribution)

—Checks BankLink data in and out for clients

—Collates and prepares financial reports for clients

Any administrator, including a receptionist, can be trained in just a few days to become a Client Services Administrator (CSA), a role that lightens the load for your Senior Accountant (or Client Relationship Manager—CRM) by allowing them to focus on their core tasks. In some cases, a skilled CSA can even handle client questions, depending on the job’s complexity.

If you don’t yet have a CSA, don’t let that stop you from outsourcing. Start by being systematic, and as your firm grows, introduce a CSA to boost efficiency.

Some Key Organisational Tips

Beyond roles, a few practical steps can make a big difference—

Bigger Jobs Are Better

Preparing a job for BOSS involves some upfront work, so very small tasks—like tax returns you can complete in 30 minutes during a client interview—may not be worth outsourcing unless your workflow is highly streamlined. BOSS can handle small jobs, but for tasks under three hours, you’ll need to be exceptionally organised. See the simple prep steps that make outsourcing work best for you.

Expect Two Rounds of Queries

BOSS aims to send just one set of queries, but complex client accounts may require two rounds. Encourage your clients to respond quickly to keep jobs moving and billable. With outsourcing speeding up your workflow, delays from unanswered queries can add up.

Educate Your Client

If clients submit work close to lodgement deadlines, work to shift this habit. Send letters in July and December to prompt early submissions, including a checklist of required data tailored to each client.

Consider a Workflow Manager

Some firms use a workflow manager to keep tasks on track. This role involves delegating jobs, resolving delays, setting and monitoring targets, advising on improvements, and supporting HR. A CSA could also take on this role.

“ BOSS outsourced staff can do any work—including complex work—that an Australian qualified accountant can do ”

Communication

BOSS enables direct communication with our team via Microsoft Teams and email. If something isn’t quite right, reach out to your BOSS staff or a manager to resolve issues and ensure a smooth experience.

Queries

Good organisation supports clear communication, but handling queries needs special focus. Gathering all data upfront before sending a job to BOSS reduces the need for initial queries.

Mid-job queries from BOSS will arrive in a clear, organised Excel spreadsheet. Collect all answers from your client before sending them back to avoid delays from piecemeal responses.

BOSS typically waits for complete answers before proceeding, so ensure your responses are thorough to keep jobs on track and minimise interruptions.

Frequency & Feedback

Treat your BOSS team like in-house staff—use Microsoft Teams for quick chats about queries or job briefings, just as you would locally. Some firms include their BOSS staff in daily team meetings to discuss progress and resolve issues.

Your BOSS account manager is available to step in if needed, and if something isn’t working as expected, let us know so we can address it—we can’t fix what we don’t know about. Your firm’s investment in regular check-ins and feedback—especially early on—helps smooth out any initial hiccups and ensures consistent results.

“ As with a new in-house employee, schedule regular meetings during the first few months with your outsourced accountant to address concerns—maintain this supportive approach until both parties are confident everything is running smoothly ”

Tools

BOSS uses software to track job progress and productivity, sharing weekly Excel updates to keep you informed and help refine processes for better efficiency. We’re also familiar with a wide range of accounting software and can train our team on less common tools if needed.

In summary, stay organised, treat your BOSS team as part of your firm, and communicate openly to achieve the results you want. Learn more about working with BOSS.