Stratford-upon-Avon
13 The Courtyard
Timothy's Bridge Road
Stratford-Upon-Avon
Warwickshire CV37 9NP
The Government has announced plans to simplify corporate reporting and reduce the administrative burden placed on UK businesses. It estimates that the proposed reforms could save businesses more than £450 million each year.
The measures are expected to include replacing some paper-based reporting with digital alternatives, simplifying existing requirements and considering how artificial intelligence could make reporting more efficient.
For many business owners, this will be welcome news. Time spent completing forms and dealing with overlapping reporting requirements is time that cannot be devoted to customers, employees or business development.
However, simpler reporting does not necessarily mean fewer responsibilities for directors. Companies will still need to maintain accurate accounting records and provide reliable information to Companies House, government departments and other interested parties.
Greater use of digital reporting may make the quality of a company’s underlying records even more important. If information is incomplete or inaccurate, moving it into a digital system will not correct the problem. It may simply allow an error to be reported more quickly.
Businesses should therefore use the proposed reforms as an opportunity to review how they collect and maintain financial and operational information. This could include checking that bookkeeping is kept up to date, supporting documents are retained and responsibility for completing statutory reports is clearly allocated.
Directors may also want to consider whether their present accounting software and internal procedures will be suitable for an increasingly digital reporting environment. Older manual processes may become harder to maintain as government systems change.
The detailed reforms will need to be examined as they are introduced. In the meantime, a well-organised accounting system remains the best foundation for meeting reporting requirements efficiently.
If you are concerned about the quality of your business records or would like help improving your accounting procedures, please speak to us.
Grenfell James Technology Adoption Index
How does your business perform against others adopting financial tech? Find out with our interactive diagnostic:
1.
How does your business receive invoices?
A)
Invoices are mainly received in paper form
B)
Invoices are mainly received by email
C)
Invoices are emailed then automatically forwarded to a designated mailbox
2.
How are purchase invoices processed?
A)
Invoices are entered manually
B)
Invoices are attached to manually raised invoices
C)
Automated software (e.g. ReceiptBank, 1Tap, HubDoc etc) collates invoices
3.
How are accounts processed?
A)
Using Excel/paper-based
B)
Using Computer-based, offline software
C)
Using cloud-based accountancy software
4.
How often is business data revised?
A)
Data is updated annually
B)
Data is updated quarterly
C)
Data is updated monthly or more often
5.
How is banking updated for your business?
A)
Banking is updated manually
B)
Banking is updated by imports
C)
Banking is updated via a live feed
6.
How are bank payments made?
A)
Bank payments are manual
B)
Bank payments are made using bulk imports
C)
Bank payments are made directly via accounting software
7.
How are bank receipts reconciled?
A)
Receipts are chased and reconciled manually
B)
Receipts are chased and reconciled automatically
C)
A third-party platform is used to chase debts and collect fees
8.
How often are management reports produced?
A)
No reports are provided
B)
Reports are provided but often too late to be valuable
C)
Reports are automated with real-time information
Score 8-12:
Curious Exploration
Your financial technology phase is Curious Exploration
% of respondent businesses are in this phase too.
Switching accountancy systems may seem like an upheaval, but can be much more straightforward than most businesses imagine. From talking to our clients, they have found moving from paper invoicing and desktop-based accounting software to the cloud and apps quickly makes the transition process a worthwhile investment of time. Digital accounting solutions bring in streamlined processes, up-to-date business data and greater confidence in the accuracy of information when making financial decisions.
Grenfell James works with your team to fully assess the needs of your business and minimise the impact of any transitions for solutions we recommend.
Score 13-19:
Measured Discovery
Your financial technology phase is Measured Discovery
% of respondent businesses are in this phase too.
Once cloud accountancy software is in place, there’s still plenty of scope to improve your accountancy processes and make sure your business is maximising the benefits of adopting a digital accounting solution. Grenfell James assesses each business to understand how any implemented solutions are being used, identify areas for improvement and the needs of the business overall to support your business goals and achieve success.
Our team of experts can discuss a range of time-saving automation and get different apps and cloud-based solutions talking to create and manage a digital accountancy eco-system to help your business grow.
Score 20-24:
Bold Innovation
Your financial technology phase is Bold Innovation
% of respondent businesses are in this phase too.
You know the benefits of accounting technology and the impact it can have on your business goals. If you want to take it a step further, our team can conduct a systematic review of your processes, apps and business goals to ensure your digital accountancy ecosystem is keeping pace with the changing needs of a growing business.