GKM’s USP is twofold: Help clients cut costs and improve bottom lines. Lighten their low value work load so that they can put more efforts into high value added work. This would translate into growth and stability in the long run both for GKM and for our clients. We believe in building long lasting relationships. True to the Indian ethos, business is not transactional to GKM; it is all about building a successful relationship with the client and sustaining it by meeting client needs and exceeding their expectations.
Accountants are naturally apprehensive about security and quality when they first decide to outsource their bookkeeping services. A bookkeeper sitting thousands of miles away in a foreign land is going to handle the work and that must not be a comforting thought at first. Data is also being accessed virtually by these bookkeepers.
The first challenge therefore is to make processes visible and transparent to the CPAs/Accountants when they come on board. We do this by initiating contact between the CPA/Accountant and the person managing his account. This facilitates feedback and also puts the accountant at ease with our processes. Phone numbers are also provided so that the accountant may contact us at any time. GKM trains its bookkeepers with utmost care. Our bookkeepers have requisite knowledge of US processes and laws and are constantly updated on the same through training sessions. We also do pilot projects on request.
Data security is of paramount importance to us and therefore we ensure stringent security policies at our off shore work facility. Mobile phones and media such as CD Drives, Floppy drives etc., are not allowed in the work facility. Access to the work facility is controlled by individual access cards and the facility is physically manned at all times. We hire our bookkeepers after a thorough background check and they are bound by legally enforceable contracts.
Communication is another challenge. Since the bookkeeper is not in sight one can no longer holler across the hall if one has a question. Also, the time difference comes into play to complicate things further. Our US office acts as the first responder and we ensure that we are always open and available to our clients. GKM has specific communication policies both on E-Mail as well as Phone. At the very outset phone numbers (US numbers/toll free) are provided to the clients so that they may contact us at any time. Any E-Mail received by us is responded to immediately.
We understand that no two practices are alike. While the client base might be uniform, each accounting professionals has his or her own unique way of doing things and achieving goals. While one might want a journal entry to be referenced just so, another might want it done differently. We at GKM adapt to these expectations through training and documentation. The “one size fits all” rule cannot be applied to this business – accounting principles may be the same world over but the way things are done differ and we attribute our success to our ability to adapt to this requirement.
