Every small business owner needs a reliable accountant to work with to ensure optimal profits and success as time goes on. Here are a few accounting services the account you decide to hire should be able to offer you:

Face-to-Face Consultations

One important service your accountant should offer is regular consultations face-to-face, not just over the phone or through email. While phone and email meetings can be helpful, there is a lot of information that could go unsaid or get overlooked when you're not talking face-to-face with your accountant. In addition, those impersonal communication methods can make it feel like you're not getting the personalized attention you deserve.

However, while meeting face-to-face, you'll have an opportunity to make sure that you fully understand one another and that you don't end up talking over each other or leaving even small pieces of information out to save time. Whether it's brick and mortar or virtual meetings, make sure that that the accountant you decide to hire for your small business offers at least one face-to-face consultation option.

Transaction Processing

To avoid having to hire an in-house employee to handle things like processing payroll and invoicing clients, look for an accountant to hire that can provide you with the transaction processing services that you need taken care of. In addition to making sure that your employees get paid correctly and managing your client invoices, your accountant should be able to:

• Process your accounts payable.

• Process paper or electronic payments to and from customers.

• Manage payroll taxes.

And if you have a human resources manager who typically takes care of things like payroll, your accountant should be able and willing to work directly with them as part of a support system.

Scalable Support

It is also a good idea that your accountant offer scalable support services to ensure that your company's needs will be met as it changes and grows in the coming years. There is no point in hiring an accountant only to have to find another one to take over in the next year or two, so make sure that your needs will be met well down the line before choosing a specific accountant to work with.

Your accountant should have access to their own support team that can keep up with the pace even if your business expands quickly. They may even work with an outsourced team that can take on new tasks on a daily basis if necessary.