Table of contents
As a BILL customer, you most likely are looking to maximize your investment and stimulate your firm’s growth. Whether you’re working with BILL AP/AR, BILL Spend & Expense (or both), you can take practical steps to navigate change and reach a technology’s full potential.
In this guide, Laura Redmond, Founder and CEO of Redmond Accounting, and Caleb L. Jenkins, EA, CQP, Leader of CAS for RLJ Financial Services, share their leading tips to help accelerate BILL adoption and results within your firm.
1. Have a clear purpose and vision for what you want to accomplish
When adopting BILL, outline what you want to accomplish.
“Define the services your firm is going to provide. Will your firm provide advisory services to clients by implementing BILL for them and then training them to do their accounts payable work? Will your firm perform recurring accounting services in BILL and do this accounts payable work for them? Be intentional about how you will perform your services. Decide as a firm ‘This is how we do things here.’ Include descriptions and pricing for the services you propose in your service plan estimates,” advises Redmond.
The purpose and vision also help onboard employees. A critical part of encouraging employee buy-in is to communicate the purpose and vision, so the team understands the “why.”
“Encouraging employee buy-in is critical, in my experience. I like to involve our team early in the process, gather their pain points, and make sure they have input into the solution we’re selecting,” suggests Jenkins. “This helps each team member feel like their voices are heard so that when we roll the new app/product out into the firm, everyone feels like they were a part of the discovery process and that helps them take ownership into the new application and also helps each of them to know what's happening with the new products.”
Resources
- Guide to success with BILL Spend & Expense, featuring feedback from five firms
- BILL case studies for examples from other firms
- Pricing models for growth
- Workflows for Bill pay management and spend management
2. Create processes and document them
Each new service–and the technology that accompanies it–requires consistency in delivery. For accounting firms, items like internal checklists and guidelines help promote efficiency, quality, and scalability.
“We have checklists for everything we do – onboarding new clients, entering bills, paying bills. There are a lot more steps involved in these accounting tasks than simply clicking a button. Accounting processes can be tedious, but it is important that they are performed consistently, efficiently, and intentionally.” Redmond says.
Resources
- Best practices for implementing BILL AP & AR at your firm
- How to implement BILL Spend & Expense at your firm
- Onboarding checklists for clients by Jason Blumer, CPA
3. Build confidence with training and hands-on experience
An internal training program benefits both your firm and your clients. It ensures that team members understand BILL products and are prepared before the first client comes on board.
“When we started using BILL Spend & Expense, we had a demo with relevant team members, including sales and implementation managers,” explains Jenkins. “I gave every single person in the firm a BILL Divvy Card powered by Visa1 with zero spending capabilities. Then, when they need to spend, they can easily open the app and request funds with a note of how much they need to spend.”
Next, communicate why BILL is important for your firm.
“Make sure your team members understand the why. Why do we want to invite vendors to the BILL payment network? Typically it’s for faster payments and tracking instead of just mailing checks. Why do we want to store the documents? It’s so that later we can find them whether it's in BILL or in our general ledger accounting system,” shares Jenkins.
Be sure to follow a BILL training program. The great news is that you don’t have to create one from scratch. The BILL Accountant Resource Center offers training options and interactive demonstrations.
Resources
- Advice on how to introduce your team to BILL
- How to train staff on BILL AP/AR and Spend Management
- The ultimate BILL Spend & Expense staff training guide
- Learn about the BILL Accountant Console
- Explore the BILL Help Center for product information and support
4. Get BILL certified
Another way to accelerate results is with BILL certification.
“BILL has a fantastic certification training program. Encourage or require that your staff get BILL certified,” says Redmond. “It empowers your team and your firm.”
The certification is so helpful when you're onboarding new hires.
“All our new hires go through BILL certification training” continues Redmond. “It takes the burden of training off of you and does a great job showing them what BILL can do.”
The free BILL Certification course provides an in-depth exploration of BILL's benefits, features, and functionality. It walks you through common scenarios, like how to map existing client workflows into BILL, sync with client accounting software, and handle exceptions for payables and optimize collections for receivables.
As a bonus, each person who completes the course can earn 5 CPE credits.
Resources
- BILL education and certification
- Learn about the BILL Accountant Partner Program
5. Lean on your BILL account manager
Your BILL account manager is a valuable resource who has helped other firms navigate through change. They share a common goal with you: helping your firm grow and create even more success.
“In my experience talking with other accounting firms, they don't involve their account managers enough,” shares Jenkins. “Account managers go above and beyond, even outside of BILL products. They want to help you succeed as a company, so use them as a key resource partner.”
Resources
- Reach out to your BILL account manager for help planning, implementing, and growing your BILL client base.
- Not sure who your account manager is? Send us an email and we will connect you.
6. Continue learning.
Supporting a continuous learning journey around BILL products will help your team leverage BILL to the fullest.
Redmond Accounting designates a different staff member as a BILL champion every year. That person is in charge of staying up-to-date with BILL and keeping the team informed.
“Never think that you've educated enough inside your firm,” comments Jenkins. “Always keep educating on the product even after you've launched.”
Resources
- Stay up to date on the latest BILL news, product updates, and CPE eligible webinars by reading the monthly customer newsletter. It’s sent automatically to firm employees. Request to be added by emailing here.
- Be sure to visit the BILL Accountant Resource Center regularly for information on trends, implementing and onboarding products, how to market, and more.
Interested in learning more about BILL Spend & Expense or BILL AP/AR? Reach out to your account manager or request a demo.
If you would like an introduction to your account manager, send us an email and we will connect you.
1 The BILL Divvy Card is issued by Cross River Bank, member FDIC
