Delivering ‘Finance-as-a-Service’ (FaaS)
What really is FaaS and how do you position it within your existing services.
Add Finance-as-a-Service to your offer
What will your clients expect? Whilst FaaS packages typically include a range of traditional accounting and bookkeeping services there really is much more to consider.
Client Accounting Services (CAS)
Are you taking the ‘whole problem’ away from your clients? These are the tasks you deliver that you client would typically do themselves.
- Bookkeeping
- Accounts payable
- Account receivable
- Payroll processing
- VAT management
- Financial report preparation
Finance-as-a Service (FaaS)
FaaS delivers a broader level of support. It includes elements of CAS but also regular ‘advisory’ meetings with the management team to review forecasting, budgeting and potential exit strategies.
Practices offering FaaS are the FD and accounting team for that business.
Client benefits of the FaaS approach
You have the opportunity to develop your role in line with the businesses demands. They save time, cost and the headache of hiring a full time FD and accounting team, allowing them to focus on what they do best – delivering the products / service they are expert at.
What might FaaS look like to your clients?
Insight in ‘real-time’
Using tools such as VFD Pro you have unparalleled insight of your client’s financial situation. Response time to client enquiries improve and you are seen as ‘proactive’ rather than ‘reactive’.
Budgeting
FaaS practice look to the future, supporting your clients with financial planning and projections over the next planning cycle. Regular reporting allows you to identify risk and opportunities based on up to date financial information. clients.
Advisory Services
FaaS practice provide higher level services typically delivered by FD’s and accounting departments. This would include, forecasting, budgeting, projecting cashflow and evaluating capital projects.
Offering FaaS To Your Clients
Assess Your Current Offering
Are you already offering FaaS under another name? Review your current levels service, support and team capabilities. Are you in a position to adopt a more advisory role?
Evaluate your client needs
Schedule a call. Talk to you clients about their current challenges and opportunities. They’ll tell you want they think they need. This is your opportunity to talk about the future and highlight where you can add the greatest value.
Don’t leave it to the year end compliance conversation. Book a client review and have the FaaS discussion.
Your existing clients know and trust you. Build on this opportunity.
Talk about it. Everywhere.
Check your positioning. Is your FaaS clear to clients and prospects? Update your brochures, website and social media. Make sure you have a plan to create case studies to support your sales activity. Let prospective clients know how you plan to support their business as an extension of their team.
Make it easy. Streamline your onboarding.
Over time the services you offer may expand as the clients business grows. Be sure the support you are offering and any proposal you put forward clearly identifies yours (and their) responsibilities.
How does VFD Pro support delivery of FaaS
The ‘one-time’ set up of the VFD Pro connection to you client’s cloud accounting platform delivers a suite of standardised management reports and models. Everything you need to stay on top.
Client Discussion Model
The Client Discussion Model helps you identify ‘opportunities’ and ‘issues’ whilst building a meeting agenda with supporting management information, facilitating higher value client discussions.
Financial Management for Business Owners
One of the reasons that businesses fail is due to a lack of financial and managerial knowledge. The ‘Financial Management for Business Owners’ (FiMBO) programme is built for ambitious business owners who want to maximise their business success to grow a successful, transferable/saleable business.
VFD Mastery Programme
This comprehensive programme delivers the tools and confidence your team need to support clients at every stage of their journey.
- Focus client meetings on future growth & equity potential.
- Deliver Management Information and regular Financial Review meetings.
- Growth Planning to deliver Performance vs Forecast Reporting.
- Support clients as their part-time FD / CFO.
- Deliver ‘Finance as a Service’, helping clients also prepare for a successful exit?