Global Bookkeeping Week: The brave new world of bookkeeping
In celebration of Global Bookkeeping Week, we invited bookkeepers from across our global network to share their view on the future of the industry. Here Debbie Mirisch, the founder of Australian firm Biz Synergy, explains how technology has changed the way she sees her job.
There are goosebump moments in life. Standing up on stage at Xerocon Melbourne and winning the Bookkeeping Partner of the Year award was definitely one of them. Before that, we’d received the state finalist award, which was a mind-blowing moment in itself – we closed the office for the afternoon to celebrate.
Change is certain
This year’s win has created many ripple effects, not least helping to clarify what my team and I love about our industry. Given it is Global Bookkeeping Week, I want to reflect on this a little.
Firstly, it’s no secret that our industry is going through significant change. But contrary to what our initial reaction may be, this change is exciting – it brings with it so many opportunities. But I wasn’t always of this opinion at all!
Technology as an enabler
In fact, I clearly remember being at Xerocon last year and hearing the first mention of ‘artificial intelligence’ and ‘robotics’. Frankly, I was scared. I didn’t know what they meant for our industry, or even closer to home, for my team.
But since then, I can see that technology is the greatest enabler for deeper client engagement. Ironically, the rise of technology has brought more humanity than ever into the day-to-day business of bookkeeping.
The rise of the empathetic bookkeeper
To explain, I was recently asked, ‘What makes a good bookkeeper?’ And while many answers came to mind, at the top of the list was empathy. I definitely wouldn’t have said that 25 years ago when I started out as an accountant – or even five years ago when I switched to bookkeeping.
The rise in how much human values matter runs concurrent with the degree of in-depth data that’s available to us on cloud accounting platforms like Xero. Data not only tells us the story of our clients’ needs and challenges, it tells stories we previously couldn’t access as bookkeepers – at least not without a lot of time and hard work.
Having insight into a deeper picture demands we have a higher degree of emotional intelligence as bookkeepers. I believe our greatest opportunity as bookkeepers now is to empathise with our clients and their very real human needs. And then provide a bespoke business solution.
On the client frontline
As bookkeepers, it’s highly likely that we are one of the most frequent daily contacts in our clients’ lives. They don’t just get in touch with us when the accounts don’t reconcile. We’re often the first to be called when a cash flow crisis hits, or the first to be contacted when a personal crisis weighs heavily on family’s finances. And through the power of the cloud, we can look into the accounts and uncover what’s going on quickly and responsively – ready to offer a calm solution.
Let’s walk together
Congratulations to bookkeepers globally, who are treading the path as we transition into the brave new world of bookkeeping. It’s a far more rewarding path if you ask me.
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Source: Xero Blog
