Have You Settled For Your Accounting Partner?

The accounting world is a fickle beast. One minute it’s smooth sailing then bam. System errors, posting failure, or broken connections. So, what do you do? Well, you call your software partner of course! The phone rings once, twice, three times and then to voicemail. Not a big deal right? But then you don’t hear back for 2 to 3 days, or you are pushed off and told, “We’ll get to you.”

Microsoft Dynamics customers are leaving their old partners and coming to Alta Vista Technology at a staggering rate. Reasons range from lack of communication to unfinished or extremely slow projects and more. So, we have come up with the top 3 signs that your partner may not be the right fit.

Communication is Key

Do you call with no answer or email support and wait for days? This is a classic sign of an overworked, understaffed, or poorly managed consulting firm. Getting an immediate fix isn’t always reasonable, especially on a non-urgent issue, but you should at least expect an acknowledgment that you need the help and a guarantee that it will be assessed promptly.

You should never wait more than 24 hours without a response. A downtime like that is inexcusable. A lot of communication breakdown is a result of a lack of process. The slower firms usually have poor issue tracking systems or in the worst case, none at all. They use a “Get to you when we can” method with little to no follow up which leaves you in the dark.

Don’t let this happen. Demand more and hold them accountable.

Projects in Crisis

You’re excited to be making bold changes—and if we’re honest, maybe a little scared. You are trying to streamline your business and make your processes faster and more efficient, so you can focus on growth and efficiency. The only problem is you have been waiting 2 months (or more) for a project to be finished. The worst part, it was supposed to be finished a month ago. When you ask for answers there are none to be found.

True story: a recent customer in distress came to Alta Vista Technology to save their failing project. When asked when the project was scheduled to be complete, the customer sighed and answered, “You know, I have no idea.”

Your projects should all have a defined timeline, milestones, and dates attached to them. If something in the project is going to take longer than anticipated, you should know. You should also get a reason for the delay along with a new estimated completion date. These are all basic principles that should be followed by any consulting firm.

What do you do when you have several projects that have fallen to the wayside? Start doing your research, you need to make a switch. The job of your consultant is to make your job easier. You hired them to help you get better and if you aren’t getting better what are you paying them for?

You Don’t Have a Partner

We view our customer relationships as a partnership. We bring decades of software, systems, and process expertise to our engagements. But our customers have their own invaluable domain knowledge. By working together, by creating a partnership, we can achieve new heights.

Too often businesses are struggling with a system and no partner to support them. How is anything getting done? Chances are your maintenance lapsed and you are now adrift. This can mean that the system you run your business with is unsupported and vulnerable. Problems are starting to pile up and you don’t know where to turn.

You need a partner that you can go to that can fix what is broken but also point you in the right direction.

If you are without a partner, chances are you need a system review. A good consulting firm can identify where your process may not be working and can suggest ways to streamline them, letting your system work for you. You may even need a new system altogether.

If any of this sounds familiar, let us help you. Don’t settle for the status quo. At Alta Vista Technology we make our customers a priority and pride ourselves on our world-class customer service and proven process. Call us today at 855.913.3228 or email us at info@altavistatech.com to schedule a free discovery call so we can get to know a little more about you and your business. At Alta Vista Technology we take pride in being part of your solution.