Anyone still doing all handwritten books?

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Is Anyone Still Managing Handwritten Books?

I recently transitioned into a Bookkeeping role at a small, privately-owned retail store after more than a decade of handling sales at the front counter. This change was prompted by the retirement of our previous bookkeeper, and despite my lack of prior Bookkeeping experience, I’ve taken on the challenge.

Our way of operating is quite unique, as if we’re still in the 1980s. All sales transactions are documented manually on quadruplicate tickets—over 100 of these tickets are processed daily. The distribution is simple: one copy goes to the customer, and the remaining copies come to me for processing according to the transaction type, be it cash, credit, or account.

Interestingly, we have no point-of-sale system in place. Instead, our manager manually records part numbers for reordering at the day’s end, with no use of UPCs. My task involves organizing these tickets by number and verifying the accuracy of all calculations. Then begins the time-consuming process of recording all account-charged tickets in ledger books—this can take up more than five hours of my workday. We handle hundreds of accounts, with some processing multiple tickets daily while others might only have a ticket once a month. With a monthly volume of 2000-3000 tickets, this system was much easier to manage when it was just 1000 tickets per month.

I’ve been advocating for a partial transition to digital operations but am unsure how to proceed effectively. Convincing my boss has been a challenge, but I believe I’ve persuaded him to bring in a tech expert to evaluate our current system and suggest improvements. Given my lack of Bookkeeping experience, knowing where to start is daunting.

Our bookkeeping team includes a head bookkeeper, who, despite being 75 years old, handles crucial tasks like taxes and bank deposits. She works one day a week in-house and the rest remotely, using an outdated version of QuickBooks for transactions, accounts, statements, and taxes.
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  1. Transitioning from a fully manual Bookkeeping system to a digital or partially digital system can seem daunting, especially in a business used to operating with handwritten documentation. However, this transition can greatly improve efficiency, accuracy, and scalability of your operations. Here’s a detailed guide to help you through this process:

    Steps to Transition from Handwritten to Digital Bookkeeping

    1. Assess Current Operations and Needs

    • Document Current Processes: Before suggesting changes, understand everything about your current process. Write down the steps you currently take and identify the most time-consuming or error-prone tasks.
    • Identify Pain Points: Clearly identify what aspects of the current system are the least efficient. Often, data entry and transaction tracking are the most cumbersome.

    2. Educate and Involve Stakeholders

    • Communicate Benefits: Clearly explain the benefits of going digital to your boss and the head bookkeeper: increased efficiency, reduced errors, enhanced scalability, and cost savings in the long run.
    • Involve the Team: Discuss proposed changes with your team members. Encourage the head bookkeeper’s involvement in the conversation, leveraging her knowledge of the system’s requirements.

    3. Explore Software Solutions

    • POS System: A point of sale (POS) system can help streamline sales processing and inventory management. Many modern POS systems automatically track sales data and generate necessary reports.
    • Accounting Software: Consider upgrading or integrating a more contemporary version of QuickBooks or similar Accounting Software. This software can handle various tasks such as transaction recording, customer accounts, invoicing, and financial reporting.

    4. Consult with a Tech Expert

    • Since you’ve already suggested involving a tech guy, this is an excellent next step. They can help assess your current system’s capability and recommend what would align best with your business needs.
    • Determine Compatibility: Ensure the chosen software integrates well with existing systems or other software packages.

    5. Pilot a Digital System

    • Start Small: Transition incrementally to minimize disruptions. You might begin by digitizing the most cumbersome processes or by using the new system with selected accounts only.
    • Feedback and Adjustments: Use feedback from this pilot phase to make necessary adjustments to the system setup or processes.

    6. Staff Training

    • Training Programs: Conduct training sessions for your team. Focus on how the new system works and how it will align with

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