I found that if I made the same rules for every client about how their paper was to be handled, that anyone who worked for me could pick up where the last person left off.
Basic rule #1 – every piece of paper is filed when it’s entered, you never have a to be filed pile.
Basic rule #2 – every piece of paper is sorted out when it arrives, and all the purchases are put in alpha order in a sorter, sales in numerical order, and deposits and cheques/payment info is in date order to be entered and put in the file awaiting the next bank statement / printout from the internet bank account and it’s then attached to that in that file.
Basic rule #3 – enter banking and payments from credit cards first, and enter all of them to AP unless they are bank charges or insurance monthly payments, which can be entered directly to expenses
.. and reconcile the bank and credit card statements first and often
Basic rule #4 – enter sales next, and then clear all open invoices, and send the client an open invoices report immediately so they can begin collection action – do this every time you get their paperwork and do it quickly
Basic rule #5 – it doesn’t matter how it was paid, all purchases are entered as Bills thru AP and that way, if they give you the same bill 5 times, you’ll catch it every time because you’re going to reconcile your payables as you enter your purchases.
Basic rule #6 – if you enter your banking and c/c payments and deposits right away and file them away, then enter sales and report to client, you’ll only have purchases in alpha order left to enter when you have time. They can usually wait unless there’s something to be billed out to a customer and you want to enter those next.
Basic rule #7 – never enter a purchase if you aren’t sure its for business. Have the Civil Penalties IC-01 handy to review with clients and staff and ensure that clients mark business reasons on everything, and on their bank and c/c statements, they put B’s for business and P’s for personal on every statement.
If you get your clients on board with how their paper will always be handled this way, and your staff do the same, you’ll find you are a ‘problem – free zone’ and you won’t lose clients paper or mix it up between clients (nightmare #1)
Get yourself several Sort-All’s from Staples and use them to store the payables after they are sorted until they are entered so that the wind doesn’t pick up lose paper and shift it under your filing cabinets.
Lock your office door and don’t allow your staff to take the work home unless they have a locked office.
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