Do you get the most out of your auditor? My professional experience has shown me that very few customers benefit the best out of their auditor, and this is often because they have no idea of what their auditor could do to help them.
A necessary evil
Certain CPE managers have the impression that an auditor is a necessary evil. “We look for the cheapest…..who will sign our report and say goodbye until next year”. I’ve heard this sentence being spoken several times. For such people, the auditor brings in no added value, and it’s simply an obligation of the ministry….it could be even said that for them, it’s no more than a mere waste of money. This is certainly unfortunate; I would venture to say that this has actually become the majority line of thought among the network. People don’t say it so loudly, but behind the surface, one would often end up saying it.
Nevertheless, the chartered professional accountants’ auditors are certification experts and intuitive business consultants. As a result of their extensive training and specialist experience, the chartered professional accountants have developed a comprehensive vision on the various operations within the organization. Thanks to their unique expertise, they are competent enough to offer productive solutions to all the issues confronted by organizations so as to improve their performance.
So, why do some consider it be no more than a necessary evil?
Perhaps, auditors are somewhat at fault for this. One had already told me that you should not do more than what the customer requests. “The customer wants to speed things up in the lowest possible cost and if they could break free from us, they would then be even more satisfied, and thus, this is what must be given to them, nothing more nothing less.”
Now, you might think that I am an idealist, but I am not capable of being reduced to the minimum. Personally, the real pleasure in this job is in post auditing consultancy. This is the part where I could see the twinkles in the client’s eyes along with a faint smile of satisfaction. This is my addiction, I need to see the twinkle and the smile of satisfaction and I can’t do without it.
Apparently, there is a question of cost
This is unavoidable. The more time spent with the customer, the more will the cost be. But how much more expensive? Long years of experience have proved to me that it’s approximately $2000 on average to serve as a business consultant to the customer.
The important question is: is it all worth it?
I know that it’s certainly worth it, but of course I must demonstrate to you how. The first proof is the number of customers who confide in us. Many child care services show their confidence in us every year and like you, they receive submissions every year as well. This regularity can only be explained by the numerous benefits the customers gain each and every year and definitely not through lower prices. Our customers are not fools, they are also aware of how to shop and they have been with us for years. Our greatest promise; perfectly clear explanations. This might seem very simple, but it makes all the difference when rules at times unwritten, become complicated, and they always tend to change regularly. I am referring to the budgetary rules of the Ministère de la Famille, the childcare act, the regulations act, the consumer protection act, the labour standards, the CSST, the educational program, the taxes and so the list goes on.
I want to see it to believe it!
You are a Tomas!!! Perfect, me too, it’s my job. Must practically live it to believe it. For Tomases like me, the firm offers a free consultation worth $375 so that you’ll have the opportunity to experience an overview of these specialized advices.
During this free consultation, we will carefully analyze your situation with you, in order to:
- Make sure that you maximize your subsidies since day care centers and CPEs often tend to lose thousands of dollars of subsidies by mistake.
- Compare your figures with those of other centers. Comparisons strengthened with supporting evidence. Your figures will be compared against all forty office client childcare services on almost every line of financial statements. Will you be among the top few or at the back of the line?
- Make sure that your internal processes are effective, efficient and adequate at all circumstances. This is quite critical…. you probably can’t imagine to what extent your processes can be held responsible for most of your unintended additional costs. Is that your case?
- Analyze variances in the budget
- Your working capital ratios
- The amount of your real savings
- Know in advance the exact amount that the ministry will either withdraw or return to you based on your financial statement.
Usually, an auditor with sufficient experience on child care centers (at least about twenty day care centers and CPE customers) should be capable of providing you these additional services for an affordable rate if he had not already done so.
Should you have any questions, feel free to contact us right now to discuss with a partner on the peculiarities of your case and book an appointment for a free consultation. And make sure to ask for more information on our competitive rates and our exclusive promotions.
See you soon,
The Célestin CPA Team
