Outsourcing Accounting: Advantages and Key Information
Bookkeeping and financial reporting are often regarded as a necessary obligation – seen as complex, time-consuming, costly, and prone to errors. Increasingly, outsourcing accounting has become a preferred solution for SMEs. But what exactly does this approach involve, and what advantages does it offer? This article offers a practical overview of several key aspects related to outsourcing accounting services.
What does outsourcing accounting mean?
The outsourcing of accounting is becoming increasingly important within the Swiss business landscape. Tasks such as financial and payroll accounting, salary administration, or the preparation of financial statements and reporting are wholly or partially transferred to an external service provider, such as a fiduciary services company like KENDRIS.
Typical areas of accounting that are outsourced include:
- Financial accounting
- VAT return preparation
- Payroll accounting and payroll administration
- Preparation of financial statements
- Financial reporting
- KPI reporting
- Accounts payable management
- CFO services
Advantages of outsourcing accounting: costs, planning, and efficiency
By outsourcing these central tasks, entrepreneurs can focus on their core business while benefiting from increased efficiency, access to up-to-date expert knowledge, and the flexibility to adapt to changing personnel and professional capacities. Specifically, outsourcing offers the following advantages:
Advantage 1: Reduce costs and improve financial planning
A key advantage of accounting outsourcing lies in the reduction of cost structures and improved financial predictability:
- Lower IT costs: Companies do not need to invest in licensing and maintaining accounting software, setting up the necessary IT infrastructure, or ongoing cover and training for internal staff. Instead, they benefit from predictable, often monthly subscription models that cover all services provided by the external partner.
- Better planning: This transparent cost structure enables companies to budget recurring expenses precisely and avoid unexpected additional costs. This not only provides financial security but also allows personnel resources to be directed towards the core business.
Advantage 2: Accounting outsourcing increases efficiency without IT investments
In addition to cost savings, the use of a cloud-based SaaS solution in outsourced accounting offers far-reaching benefits that go well beyond digitalisation. SaaS, or “Software as a Service”, refers to a model in which companies use software solutions over the internet – without the need for installation, maintenance, or infrastructure of their own.
When outsourcing accounting with a SaaS solution, companies benefit from the following:
- Transparency and control: Immediate access to all relevant financial data – anytime and anywhere – creates a new level of transparency and oversight. Even if accounting is handled externally, companies retain full visibility of their figures and can react swiftly when required.
- Automation: Automated processes such as creating and sending debtor invoices, matching invoice data with stored master data, or automatically classifying and storing financial information ensure an optimised distribution of tasks.
- Legally compliant data storage: Digital archiving of all documents ensures audit-proof retention and traceability at all times – a major advantage during inspections or internal audits.
- Efficient collaboration with service providers: Joint use of the platform enables seamless collaboration with the accounting provider – queries, approvals, or additions can be handled directly via the data exchange platform, without media disruptions or lengthy communication paths.
- Scalability: SaaS solutions are scalable and future-proof. New legal requirements or additional functions can be integrated flexibly without investment in internal IT infrastructure.
This makes outsourced accounting not only more efficient but also strategically more valuable – a genuine competitive advantage for dynamic companies.
Advantage 3: Future-proof through AI and deep technology – an efficiency boost for accounting outsourcing
Modern accounting platforms such as Abacus increasingly rely on AI-driven technologies to streamline outsourcing processes. As an Abacus fiduciary and innovation partner, we support the development and implementation of state-of-the-art solutions from the user’s perspective to ensure the highest level of customer benefit. Tools like DeepBox and DeepO make it possible to capture, analyse, and correctly post documents automatically.
This enables significantly faster processing of large volumes of data while reducing the risk of errors. Thanks to full integration into the Abacus ecosystem, companies benefit from end-to-end digital workflows that support high scalability and efficient collaboration.
Through the use of machine learning, algorithms can learn patterns and correlations, resulting in faster invoicing and more precise budget forecasts. Especially when experience-based insights are needed to develop solutions, artificial intelligence becomes a true game-changer.
Advantage 4: Legal certainty and representation – why a fiduciary offers more than just accounting
An often underestimated advantage of outsourcing is the professional representation towards third parties, which is particularly valuable in dealings with cantonal tax authorities or the Swiss Federal Tax Administration (FTA). This offers the following benefits:
- Comprehensive deadline monitoring through professional support
- Technically sound handling of tax obligations and requirements
- Reliance on the expertise and experience of the fiduciary
- Support in complex tax or accounting matters
- Representation in communication with relevant authorities
- Competent representation during queries or tax audits
This representation not only relieves day-to-day operations but also provides peace of mind: an experienced fiduciary knows the relevant processes and requirements and acts in the best interests of the company – competently, efficiently, and in compliance with the law. This minimises the risk of penalties or additional claims and builds trust with the authorities. Reliable tax handling signals professionalism and strengthens the company's position during audits or enquiries.
In short: legal certainty and professional representation not only reduce risk but also create room to manoeuvre, reduce uncertainties, and enable companies to focus on their core business.
As one of Switzerland’s most renowned fiduciary firms, we are happy to take on this role for you.
Contact us easily and without obligation.
Outsourcing accounting: is it worth it?
Outsourcing accounting with a reliable service provider offers Swiss companies numerous advantages – from cost efficiency and digital transparency enabled by modern SaaS solutions to legal certainty. If you, too, would like to simplify your accounting processes, minimise risks, and refocus on your core business, now is the ideal time to consider taking this step.
Make the most of outsourcing your accounting
It is important to choose a fiduciary who is trustworthy and complies with all security and data protection standards. We are proud to act as a trusted accounting partner for many renowned clients in Switzerland and abroad. Perhaps soon for you, too?
Contact us for a non-binding consultation and discover how an experienced fiduciary and a cloud-based accounting platform can optimise your administrative processes while strengthening your competitiveness.
