Outsourced Bookkeeping in the UK: Scope and Size

01 September 2024

Accounting and finance are huge industries in the UK. These industries have functioned typically for several years, but recent developments have changed the way firms operate and gave the conventional accounting industry a reality check.

In the current scenario, it has become imperative for accountancy practices to focus on expanding their portfolio and adding value-based services for their offerings to survive the growing competition. One of the easiest and most cost-effective ways of doing this is to outsource accounting and its core functions.

Bookkeeping is an essential component of accounting. It helps document a company’s financial transactions, which may come in handy during an audit or report preparation. However, it is also a cumbersome task that takes up most of accountants’ time and prevents them from focusing on additional services. Therefore, several practices now look at outsourced bookkeeping as a plausible solution to their staffing and scalability woes.

In this blog, we will delve into outsourced bookkeeping scope for accountancy firms and understand how it can benefit them.

The Demand and Supply Gap for Skilled Bookkeepers

Accountancy practices need no introduction to talent shortage. Over the years, these firms have struggled to hire skilled accountants and bookkeepers with up-to-date knowledge of the industry and good technical skills.

The impending staffing crisis is further aggravated as new-generation accountants prioritise their health, well-being, and career development over simply doing monotonous jobs.

With accountants moving to work with large accounting firms, small and mid-sized practices struggle to recruit and retain talented resources. Short-staffed, these firms find it difficult to broaden their scope as most of their resources are occupied with core compliance tasks such as bookkeeping.

Dealing with the staffing challenges while keeping operational costs in check is challenging. An easy and surefire way to deal with this is to outsource bookkeeping services. Top bookkeeping outsourcing companies employ highly skilled bookkeepers and train them extensively on UK accounting norms. Thus, these companies can effortlessly end the demand and supply gap for your firm.

Outsourced bookkeeping professionals are based offshore and work out of a delivery centre. These experts are trained extensively to adapt to diverse work cultures and manage complex bookkeeping functions. They can work as a seamless extension of your time and help your firm grow effectively.

Battling Scalability Issues with Outsourced Bookkeeping

Each year, the competition in the global business world grows severely. Accountants with small and mid-sized practices constantly struggle to beat large firms and scale their practice. To add to it, the growing staffing issues have further slowed down small practices’ efforts to attract new clients and retain the existing ones.

Adding new services, however, is a highly time and resource-intensive process. Since accounting firms struggle on both fronts, outsourced bookkeeping for small businesses can be a viable solution.

Outsourcing your bookkeeping function helps free up your in-house team and thus generates capacity. Your team can then focus on value-based services such as advisory and legal, which are in huge demand by clients.

Clients prefer working with a single provider to teaming up with multiple vendors for different services. When you offer a complete package of services, coupled with value-based additions such as advisory and legal, your chances of attracting new clients increase manifold.

Value-based services can earn good profits for an accountancy firm. Further, adding new clients guarantees a steady flow of income throughout the year. Thus, outsourced bookkeeping can help practices cut unnecessary costs, build capacity, earn profits, and scale effectively.

Must Read: An Accountant’s Guide to Outsourced Bookkeeping Services

The UK Outsourcing Scenario: Offshoring Vs. Onshoring

Outsourcing helps put an end to accountancy firms’ staffing and scalability issues. But if you plan to use outsourced bookkeeping services as a medium of cost savings, the offshoring versus onshoring debate is critical for you.

Hiring onshore professionals may be convenient for a practice in terms of collaboration and communication. However, if we are to focus on cost savings, offshoring is the most effective solution.

Offshore outsourcing helps accountants save big on labor costs as opposed to onshoring. This is the primary reason accountancy firms in the UK outsource bookkeeping services to India. In addition to competitive pricing, Indian accountants and bookkeepers are known for their up-to-date industry knowledge, technical expertise, and unparalleled dedication.

To learn more about our services, call +44 208 146 0808, drop us an email at [email protected], or log on to Outsourced Accounting, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services | QXAS UK (qxaccounting.com).

Hemant Mistry

Hemant is a senior accounting leader with over 20 years of international experience across the UK and Ireland. His expertise spans bookkeeping, VAT, management accounting, and financial reporting in compliance with IFRS. He is recognised for successfully managing process transitions, building and leading high-performing teams, mentoring talent, and driving collaboration in multicultural environments.

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