Most accountants have a relaxed mindset regarding backing up their customer’s cloud accounting data. Primarily because the accounting platform providers have such great security and redundant copies of the platform. While this may be true in most cases, you need to know, all accounting platform services tell you to back up your file information…without exception.
Do hacks happen? Yes here’s our previous article on how often, if it’s reported. https://wowzerbackupandrestore.com/2022/11/18/accountants-hacked/
Does data corruption ever happen? The simple answer is yes, more frequently than you think. If there is a server error, even a short outage, you will lose some data when it restarts. It’s just a fact of the internet and cloud accounting. It may appear in the form of duplicate transactions or missing transactions, but it’s almost guaranteed to happen at some time. Here are just a few examples of service outages: https://status.xero.com/history
So, what else can you use a backup for outside of the emergencies mentioned above?
Your client has decided to do their bookkeeping themselves and has hired a new administrator who will keep them up to date. The conversation 6 months later goes like this.
Customer: Uhm hi Vince, remember when we took on a bookkeeper a few months back?
Accountant: Sure, how’s that going for you, working out well, I hope.
Customer: Well, that’s why I’m calling, it didn’t go so well and now our books are a complete mess, we really need some help, I can’t make heads or tails of the reports, I’m completely in the dark on my financial position.
Accountant: Hey don’t worry about a thing, I kept a backup of your file from 6 months ago we can bring it up to date in no time. Just invite me back to the file and I’ll get my team on it right away.
Customer: that’s great, how will you do that?
Accountant: We can just restore our copy of your file to a new organization, and we’ll just connect the bank feeds and do the bookkeeping the right way.
Customer: Oh, thank you so much, is this going to cost me an arm and a leg or just a finger?
Accountant: No, it’s our regular monthly fee plus the restoration cost, which is minimal. If we had to find the mistakes it would cost you one leg and one finger, (laughing).
Customer: (big sigh of relief), thanks, this means a lot to me, you’ve got a customer for life.
Customer errors occur, especially when they have full access to the accounting platform. It’s Monday morning and your bookkeeper calls with a frustrated tone.
Bookkeeper: I have no idea what he did over the weekend, but all the invoicing is messed up. He’s deleted old ones and added new ones, but none of it matches the bank statements and it’s now won’t reconcile.
Accountant: When you spoke to him, what did he say he did?
Bookkeeper: That’s the problem, he said he was looking for some old invoices and got confused, then accidentally deleted some, then he tried to reenter them, but they all have the wrong dates and amounts.
Accountant: No problem, just restore Friday’s file from our backup and see if it is all correct, it should be fine if he wasn’t in the file until Saturday. Maybe change the permissions on the account too, we don’t want to charge him twice for the same mistake. Track your time, we will be billing for this restoration.
Have you ever heard this from your customer: “That new inventory application would work perfectly with my accounting platform, I’m going to connect it and automate my tracking, I’ll save huge amounts of time and money.”
Customer: Hi Vince (sounding nervous), I think I may have made a small mess in the accounting file over the weekend.
Accountant: Oh, what seems to be the issue?
Customer: Well you know that inventory tracking problem I’ve been having where I’m constantly short of skews and flooded with orders during our busy time?
Accountant: Yes I remember we were going to review some inventory software options for you, before your busy season.
Customer: Well a buddy told me about this great inventory software that is already integrated with the accounting platform and so I thought I would give it a try over the weekend, and, well, um, it didn’t go so well.
Accountant: Did you try one of the software we recommended?
Customer: I sure did, the top one from your list, I figured if you and my buddy both recommended it, I would give it a shot. Only I missed a step when connecting it and now I can’t undo it, or disconnect it and I have thousands of extra transactions that are not displaying properly.
Accountant: Ok when did you make this new application connection?
Customer: Saturday…
Accountant: I will have my assistant restore the file to Friday and you can work with him to connect the bank feeds back up. There will be a charge for this restoration so watch for it on your next bill.
Customer: Thanks, you’re a lifesaver, maybe I can work with your assistant to connect the app up properly?
Accountant: I will let him know, you can breathe now, it will be all right.
Customer: Oh wow, you’re a star, I didn’t sleep a wink for two days, I really appreciate you.
You might have experienced these or something similar in your career as an accountant or bookkeeper, sometimes customers can create problems. Either by the decisions that they make or actions without consultation. You will still have to be the hero and rescue them when it happens and it does happen.
When you back up your customer’s cloud data, you’re not just protecting yourself, you’re protecting them. That fact can be amazingly rewarding when your customer sees you as more than just a bean counter, compliance pusher, or tax guy. Protecting your customers adds value to the relationship in multiple ways, it builds confidence, trust, and respect, now that’s priceless and usually why customers stay with you.
