We’d love to work with everyone, but we know that it’s not so simple.
If we worked with everyone who's interested in our services, we’d spend too much time trying to make them the right fit, and we wouldn’t have enough time to provide quality service to the people we’re supposed to be here for. Plus, working with the wrong person isn’t beneficial to them either; signing a contract to pay for services that aren’t a good match for their business is no joke!
We acknowledge that our services are not the best solution for every business, much like how not every business is an ideal client for us. However, when working together is the right fit for both parties, we can use monthly financial statements to monitor and grow your business, run your payroll efficiently while you maintain as much or as little control as you like, or both!
Continue reading to learn about the technical components, values, and beliefs that it takes for us to be a good match – both on the accounting side and the payroll side.
Technical Components of a Client
Here’s the base level of the CSI client pyramid: the technical components of the businesses that we work with.
Let's talk about similarities and differences in these categories for accounting clients and payroll clients.
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Business size and number of employees
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Location
- Owners
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Industry
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Financial position and budget
Business Size & Number of Employees
You need to be a small or medium-sized business that isn’t large enough to warrant having an internal accounting or payroll department. Essentially, this means your business is more than a hobby - it generates profits.
On the accounting side, there are no restrictions on the number of employees you can have.
On the payroll side, we generally suggest having 1-50+ employees like the average client, but we will consider taking on new clients with up to 1,000 employees.
Location
For both accounting and payroll, you need to be based and operate in the United States. We cannot service businesses in other countries due to variations in different countries' laws.
Owners
For both accounting and payroll, we prefer that the business owner be located in the United States. This ties into the prior point about location; it helps us provide a better service by avoiding language barriers and explaining U.S. accounting and payroll laws.
On the accounting side, we prefer to have only one regular point of contact with your company, which is typically the owner.
On the payroll side, we prefer to keep it to two or fewer points of contact with your company.
Industry
CSI has had over 50 years to work with a variety of industries!
On the accounting side, we can work with any industry except manufacturing and non-profits, as they don't fit our business structure.
On the payroll side, there are no industry restrictions.
Financial Position & Budget
If you’re interested in monthly accounting services, you must be in the position to grow, not struggling to pay your bills. This is especially true for new businesses. Think of us as protein powder, not a Band-Aid. For established businesses, we generally suggest having revenues of $500,000-$5 million+. However, we can still be a good fit as long as you have an annual accounting budget of $5,000-$25,000+, with the average client spending around $8,700.
If you’re interested in payroll services, there are no revenue requirements; you just need good cash flow! You must be able to pay your payroll taxes and have the funds to run payroll. Be sure it's set to come out of the correct account so your employees can get paid. We can be a good fit if you have an annual payroll budget of $1,500-$25,000+, with the average client spending around $3,000.
Values of a Client
To justify the purchase of an item, you need to understand and appreciate the value. The same can be said when you partner with a service. To ensure CSI’s services are right for you, you should value the following ideas and benefits.
Accounting Client Values
Accounting clients should value:
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Outsourcing
- Staying compliant
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Accuracy, timeliness, customer service, & communication
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Monthly financial statements to gain financial analysis and advice
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Monthly meetings with your accountant to review your prior month & plan for the future
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Tax planning, preparation, & filing to keep you in the tax loop year-round
- Improving profitability
Payroll Client Values
Payroll clients should value:
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Outsourcing
- Staying compliant
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Accuracy, timeliness, customer service, & communication
- Improving employee satisfaction
Agreements
You also need to have a certain mindset when thinking of partnering with a service. To ensure a good working relationship between you and your provider, it’s critical that you agree on certain points. The following are some points that we should agree on.
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Not all professional services are made equal.
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When it comes to business services, you get what you pay for. Cheaper is not better.
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Professional experience is invaluable when it comes to business services.
Not All Services Are Equal
Some accounting services offer lower quality and less detail, and others offer higher quality and a more complete service package. It is up to you to decide which service level is the best match for your business.
Many large, national payroll services offer poor customer service and have frequent employee turnover, whereas smaller firms focus on retaining employees who will offer great customer service.
You Get What You Pay For
Rather than moving away from a quality service in favor of a lower-priced one, consider what you can do to minimize your fees with a quality service first.
To do this with CSI, check out the factors that go into an accounting service fee and a payroll service fee.
Professional Experience Is Invaluable
An experienced accounting service will have a background of working with and offering professional advice on:
- Profitability
- Operating budgets
- Buying and selling businesses
- Your industry
An experienced payroll provider will have experience with working with:
- Various payroll taxes
- Garnishments
- Additional payroll features, such as time clocks & reports
A Match Made in Heaven?
Most likely, our staff at CSI Accounting & Payroll doesn’t know if we’re a good match or not - because we have no idea who you are! Luckily, you now have the information to decide that for yourself.
If you align with our…
- technical requirements
- values
- and agreements
…do you believe in love at third sight, or do we have to list a fourth point?
If you’ve been struck by Cupid’s arrow, you can get a free payroll proposal or schedule a free consultation.
If not, we understand! Now is a good time to either walk away or continue to learn about:
