Should your accountant manage all your invoices? Why business owners need visibility and control
Discover why business owners and accountants should work in one shared workspace to manage invoices, share information and maintain control over business finances.
You run a business. You work directly with customers, agree on prices and deliver services. But when it comes to creating quotations, issuing invoices or checking payment information, you rely on your accountant.
You send information through Zalo, email or spreadsheets. Your accountant receives it, enters the details into accounting software and handles the necessary processes. If you want to check whether an invoice has been issued, you ask your accountant. If you want to know which customers still have outstanding payments, you wait for someone to put the information together.
This arrangement may work when your business is small. But as the number of customers and transactions grows, relying entirely on your accountant can make it harder to stay informed and maintain control over your business information.
The dependency also works in the other direction. Accountants regularly need information, clarification or approval from business owners before they can process certain transactions.
Business owners and accountants need to work together, rather than depend on information being passed back and forth.
1. The problem with keeping all invoicing in your accountant's hands
Accounting software is designed to support bookkeeping, tax compliance and financial reporting. These are essential functions that every business needs to handle correctly.
However, running a business involves much more than accounting.
Business owners know which customers they work with, what has been sold, which services have been completed and which payments are still outstanding. When all this information has to pass through an accountant before it becomes accessible in a system, several problems can arise.
Limited visibility
Business owners do not always have direct access to their accounting software. Even when they do, the interface and information structure may be designed primarily for accounting tasks rather than everyday business management.
Checking an invoice, finding customer information or reviewing payment status may require asking the accountant for help.
Fragmented information
Customer details are stored in a contact management tool. Quotations are sent through email. Payment information is in chat messages. Invoices are stored in accounting software.
When information is spread across different places, finding, comparing and updating it takes more time.
Unnecessary back-and-forth
Business owners have to send information to their accountants, explain the transaction, confirm amounts and review details before an invoice is issued.
The same happens in reverse. Accountants often need to ask business owners for information that only someone directly involved with the customer or transaction can provide.
For example, what service was actually delivered, what final price was agreed, whether a payment has been received or whether the customer requested a change to the original agreement.
When this information is not stored centrally, every clarification means searching through messages and emails or contacting the other person directly. This creates unnecessary administrative work for both sides.
Business operations become dependent on one person's availability
Accountants have their own schedules, holidays and workloads. They may be on leave, unwell, handling deadlines for other clients or simply unavailable to respond immediately.
But business operations do not stop.
A customer may need a new quotation, request an invoice, ask for payment details or require an update to a document. If the business owner cannot independently access the relevant information, these tasks may be delayed simply because the accountant is unavailable.
The issue is not that the accountant is failing to do their job. It is that the business has become too dependent on one person to access its own information.
Businesses should be able to maintain visibility over their operations and handle appropriate tasks even when their accountant is temporarily unavailable.
Difficult handovers when responsibilities change
If an accountant leaves or a business changes its accounting provider, accessing historical information and handing over responsibilities can become more complicated when business data is managed only within one person's system or account.
Your business should be able to access its own operational information, regardless of who handles the accounting.
2. Why business owners should stay involved in invoice management
Business owners do not need to handle every accounting task themselves. However, they should have direct access to the basic information behind their transactions.
For example:
- Who is the customer?
- What products or services were provided?
- What price was agreed?
- Has the quotation been sent and accepted?
- Has the customer paid?
- Has the invoice been issued and sent?
- Is there still an outstanding balance?
These are all directly connected to running the business.
Accountants understand tax, documentation and accounting requirements. Business owners understand their customers, transactions and commercial agreements.
Both perspectives are important, and both parties should be able to work with the same information.
Business owners manage the business. Accountants bring the accounting expertise.
3. The benefits of working with your accountant in one shared workspace
Instead of transferring information between multiple tools, businesses can use a shared platform where owners and accountants work together.
Importantly, collaboration should work in both directions.
Business owners can invite their accountants to access business information and handle invoicing tasks. Accountants can also invite business owners when they need clarification, additional information or input on a transaction.
| Business owner | Accountant |
|---|---|
| Manages customer and supplier information | Accesses transaction details |
| Creates and sends quotations | Reviews information before invoicing |
| Tracks issued invoices | Checks and handles invoicing tasks |
| Monitors customer payments | Reconciles information for accounting |
| Provides details about transactions | Requests clarification when needed |
| Maintains visibility over business activity | Manages accounting records and processes |
This approach offers several practical benefits.
One shared source of information: Business owners and accountants work with centrally stored, up-to-date information instead of maintaining separate versions.
Direct collaboration when needed: Accountants can invite business owners to provide clarification or confirm transaction details, rather than searching through messages and emails. Owners can also involve accountants whenever they need help with invoices or documentation.
More control for business owners: Owners can check information and monitor transactions without waiting for their accountants to prepare a report.
Better information for accountants: Accountants can access transaction details directly, reducing the need to ask for missing information or enter the same data again.
Less dependency on one person's availability: When an accountant is on leave or temporarily unavailable, business owners can still access the business information they need. Similarly, accountants can request information directly from owners when required.
Easier handovers: Business information remains accessible in one place, making changes in accounting responsibilities easier to manage.
4. Invite your accountant or business owner to work with you on invoi.vn
Invoi is designed to bring business owners and accountants together on one platform.
The important thing is that either party can initiate collaboration.
If you are a business owner, you can invite your accountant to join your workspace and manage customers, quotations and invoices together.
If you are an accountant, you can also invite your client to join the workspace whenever you need their input, transaction details or confirmation.
Both parties work in the same shared environment instead of constantly transferring data between separate tools.
How it works
- Set up an Invoi workspace: The business owner or accountant sets up the workspace for the business.
- Invite the other person: Send an invitation so the business owner or accountant can join the same workspace.
- Manage information together: Business owners can create quotations, manage customers and monitor transactions.
- Collaborate on tasks: Accountants can access relevant information to review and handle invoicing and accounting-related work. When they need additional details, they can coordinate directly with the business owner in the same workspace.
- Keep business information accessible: Both parties can access centrally stored information instead of relying on one person to retrieve and share it.
You don't have to choose between managing your business and hiring an accountant
Using Invoi does not mean business owners need to become accountants or replace specialised accounting software.
You can still work with an in-house accountant or an external accounting service. The difference is that both parties can access the information they need and collaborate directly on one platform.
You can manage customers, quotations and invoices yourself, while your accountant focuses on their professional responsibilities and can easily request your input when necessary.
5. Where should your business start?
If your accountant currently handles all your invoicing and related information, you do not need to change everything at once.
Start with a few simple steps:
- Keep customer and supplier information in one shared platform.
- Create quotations and retain the details of each transaction.
- Track issued invoices and payment status.
- Invite your accountant or business owner to join the shared workspace.
- Agree on how to coordinate whenever clarification or additional information is needed.
When information is recorded from the beginning, both business owners and accountants spend less time coordinating and reduce the risk of missing details when information is transferred.
Conclusion
Accountants play an essential role in running a business. But business owners should not have to depend entirely on them just to understand what is happening with their invoices and transactions.
Likewise, accountants should not have to repeatedly chase business owners through messages and emails whenever they need clarification.
A good working process allows both parties to initiate collaboration, access the same information and coordinate their work, with each person responsible for the tasks that match their expertise.
invoi.vn brings business owners and accountants together on one platform. You can invite your accountant, or your accountant can invite you, to manage customers, quotations, invoices and transaction information with greater visibility and control.
Create your free Invoi account and invite your collaborator to work with you.
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