Not only will it make you more efficient once life returns to normal, but it will also help to save you money which can be used to reinvest in staff and other areas of your business. These are some of the reasons why COVID-19 is the perfect opportunity to reorganise your finances and the ways in which you can do so. 

Work with specialist accountants

When dealing with finances, specialists can offer targeted advice that offers greater results. But particularly during these uncertain times, gaining professional advice and guidance is key, so now is a great time to work with accountants or financial specialists who really understand the nuances of your industry. 

“Once you have your plan in place, you need to make sure that it is financially viable, to make sure that you are realising a profit,” says OS Accounting, a chartered accountancy firm that specialises in working with SMEs. “Any banking or financing house will expect to see realistic and well-considered financial budgets and forecasts and translating an idea into facts and figures needs experience."

Make it easier for customers to pay

No sale is complete without your customers paying you for your service or product. But with an increased need for contactless payments in light of the pandemic, it’s vital that businesses adopt and embrace cash-free payment options. 

From PayPal to Amazon Pay and Apple Pay, there are various options to choose from that will make it easier for your customers to pay you to keep your business taking an income. 

With an increased need for contactless payments in light of the pandemic, it’s vital that businesses adopt and embrace cash-free payment options. 

Go digital

It’s much easier to keep track of all of your financial documents if the business is digitised. While lockdown forces us all to adopt more downtime, there’s time to make the switch to a more digital way of working. 

Not only does it make accessing these documents easier when working remotely, but it also provides a safer form of storage as leaving hard copies in filing cabinets makes it easy for data to be stolen. There are many online tools and software options that will help you digitise your business, particularly where finances are concerned. However, make sure that all of your documents are backed up with a cloud-based service so that you can be sure they are secure. 

Do the things you’ve been putting off

Now is the time to make use of more time and do the things you’ve intended to do for months but haven’t had the time. Use the lockdown to take stock of how your business is operating and make the necessary changes – this might include separating personal and business finances more efficiently by opening a separate bank account or tracking and auditing your expenses.

Whatever financial tasks that have been sitting on your to-do list for a while can now be ticked off to make the best use of your downtime. 

Have regular finance meetings

COVID-19 offers a chance for a fresh start in numerous ways, but particularly where processes and systems are concerned, so get into new habits that will help streamline your business processes for the future. One way to do this is to hold regular weekly finance meetings so you can regularly keep track of income, outgoings and expenses. 

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Money is tight for some SMEs and may be fluctuating more than usual during the pandemic, so it’s a great time to gain an understanding of where your money is going. By having this knowledge, you’ll be able to avoid the liabilities that can bring many businesses down in order to keep it running productively and profitably. 

Final thoughts

Businesses across a host of industries have found themselves in unchartered territory since the COVID-19 pandemic began, but it has hit SMEs harder in many cases. By making use of this time to reorganise the financial aspects of your business, you can hit the ground running once life returns to normal and ensure that your business continues to turn a profit throughout.