Smartdatafinance

FAQ

Questions we are asked before the first call

These are the questions that arrive with a first enquiry. The answers are the ones we give on the call. If your question is about fee and shape, the engagements page sets out the four models and the indicative figures. If it is about a specific service, the catalogue is on the services page.

Working with us

Working with us

Do you replace our bookkeeper or accountant?

No. Your bookkeeper or accountant remains responsible for the ledger, statutory accounts and filings. We sit on the analytics side of the close: the pack, the forecast, the models and the dashboards that read from the books. We will work with whoever posts the journals, and we will write the close calendar so both sides know the dates. If the ledger itself needs a clean-up, we will say so and we will not pretend a dashboard can repair a posting problem.

How fast can the monthly pack improve?

A first useful change is often a flash in week one and a thinner pack by day ten, after a diagnostic and a short build. Groups that close on day 19 rarely jump to day 6 in a single month, because reconciliations and a contents list have to be agreed. Two or three live closes is a realistic period in which a new calendar becomes a habit. Speed without a materiality line only moves the argument into the meeting. We would rather land a shorter pack that can be walked to the ledger.

Who owns the models and dashboards you build?

You do, once the invoice for that deliverable has been paid. Files live in your tenancy. We do not lock a model behind a licence, and we do not keep a private copy of your warehouse after handover unless a retainer says we operate the refresh. The handover file lists definitions, refresh steps and known limitations so an incoming manager can take the work on. Source files we create for you transfer as set out in the terms.

How do we end an engagement?

A diagnostic ends when the note is delivered. A build ends when the agreed artefacts have been run through a live month and handed over. A retainer can be ended on 30 days’ written notice, unless the proposal sets a different period. We will return access, deliver the current versions of the files, and send the handover note if it is not already with you. Unused prepaid project time, if any was agreed, is handled in the proposal. There is no lock-in and no success fee that survives the end of the work.

Data and systems

Data and systems

We use Xero and three spreadsheets. Is that enough to start?

Yes. That combination is a common starting point for owner-managed groups in this city. The diagnostic will map which numbers still live only in the spreadsheets, and whether those files can be scheduled or must be rebuilt. We work with Xero, QuickBooks, NetSuite, SAP Business One, Excel, Google Sheets, Power BI, Looker Studio and SQL warehouses. We will not insist on a new system as the price of a pack. If the current stack can support the calendar, we will use it.

Can you work with our group’s multi-entity, multi-currency structure?

Yes, provided we can see how the entities consolidate today and how rates are chosen. Multi-entity work changes the fee because mapping, mirrors and a rate policy take time. We will document the method so the pack and the cash view use the same translation. If inter-company lines do not match, we will say so before we promise a group dashboard. A first engagement can still produce entity packs while the consolidation is being repaired.

What access do you need to our accounting system?

Named user access with the least privilege that still lets us extract the trial balance, subledgers and bank reports the pack needs. We prefer read access plus the ability to run the reports you already use. We do not need payment rights, and we do not want a shared generic login. Access is arranged through systems you own, time-limited where the product allows it, and returned at the end of the engagement. Working files sit in your drive or your tenant.

What happens if our data is messy?

Then the first paid work may be a chart-of-accounts and extract clean-up, or a narrower pack that only reports what the data can support. Messy data is normal. Hidden messy data is expensive. The diagnostic is there to find the joins that fail, the clearing accounts that never clear, and the customer keys that cannot feed a margin file. We will re-quote a build if the diagnostic finds a larger problem than the first call suggested, rather than discover it in week five.

Commercial

Commercial

Do you sign NDAs?

Yes. We sign a non-disclosure agreement before we see ledgers, forecasts or customer files. The form on this site only collects the information needed to reply to you, and those submissions are not stored on the server. A later engagement can include a data-processing schedule in the written proposal if your group requires one. Confidentiality is also covered in our terms. If your counsel has a paper they prefer, send it with the enquiry and we will read it before the diagnostic starts.

Can you support a fundraise or a buyer’s due diligence request?

We can support the numbers layer: a consistent pack, a cash view that reconciles, and a model that holds together when a driver is moved. We do not provide licensed financial advisory services, we do not value the company, and we do not recommend that anyone buy or sell an instrument. If a buyer’s list is a reporting request, we will say what we can produce from the files we have already built. If the request is advice, we will point you to the profession that holds that licence.

Next step

Bring the question we did not list

If your structure, system or timeline is not covered here, write it in the contact form. A short note on entities and the current close date is enough for us to reply properly.

Book a diagnostic call [email protected]