How Keeper sped up EBB's close by 25%

A conversation with
Emma Langenhuysen
Owner/Lead Bookkeeper, Emma's Balanced Books
Madison Gile
Marketing Manager
Published
August 1, 2024
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Background

Emma’s Balanced Books (EBB), in business since 2019, signed up for Keeper in 2023. Owner and founder Emma Langenhuysen turned to Keeper to improve client communication and quality control.

 

A large portion of my day was spent on emailing back and forth with clients."

 

A new workflow strategy

With customer interactions historically handled through long and disjointed email conversations and one-off spreadsheets, Emma needed a new workflow strategy.

“A large portion of my day was spent on emailing back and forth with clients, requesting 2FA codes, and managing and updating uncategorized transactions,” says Emma. “It was silly busy work for myself and my team. We were desperate for a new solution.”

Reducing month-end close time by 25%

Emma wanted a tool that would bring about process improvements and overall organization to the team. In search of the right software, Emma focused on:

  • A tool that would allow the team to collaborate and track their work in one place
  • A secure portal to communicate with clients and upload documents
  • An ability to create standardized templates and operating procedures that are easily scalable when training new bookkeepers

With a centralized dashboard to spot-check her team, standardized templates and procedures for her two freelance bookkeepers to follow, and a secure client portal for customers to share documents and answer questions – Keeper checked all the boxes.

In the short time it took EBB to get up to speed in Keeper, Emma noticed that her team was closing the books in record time, a positive contrast to the hours it took with the previous manual process.

In addition to the time savings Keeper provided Emma’s team, it also improved her client relationships.

 

“Keeper’s easy-to-use Client Portal transformed a handful of our previously unresponsive clients into active and engaged customers. And within two weeks of using Keeper, it was very apparent that we could sit down and start facilitating new client relationships.”

 

Keeper Client Dashboard

Doing more in less time

The templates and checklists that you can set up in Keeper along with the Client Dashboard “helped my team stay more organized, and allowed me to get through my review work in record time,” says Emma.

With the increased efficiency EBB has experienced across the board, Emma has found herself already engaging in conversations about whether hourly billing is still the most beneficial model to follow. By automating repeatable tasks and breezing through client questions each month, Emma and her team can focus on scaling the business and honing their craft.

“The functionality, customizability, and efficiencies that Keeper brings, have helped me and my team become better bookkeepers,” says Emma. “Keeper is well worth the price, and I can’t see why any company would not be on Keeper Premium right out of the gate.”

 

“Keeper helped my team stay more organized, and allowed me to get through my review work in record time.”

 

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key metrics

25%

Month end close time savings
About

Emma Langenhuysen is the owner and Lead Bookkeeper of Emma's Balanced Books. She brings over 15 years of accounting and operations experience to her firm, offering bookkeeping and consulting services to clients spanning industries including retail, medical, e-commerce, and more.

location
Oregon, USA
industry
Bookkeeping - Generalist
Clients
30+

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