Question 1

Are you an insured business and do you guarantee your work?

Accepted Answer

We will endeavour to take all reasonable care but in the unlikely event that an error is made by our firm, we will honour all penalties pertaining to that error. And Yes we have our own Professional Indemnity Insurance cover.

Question 2

How did you decide to get into your line of work?

Accepted Answer

I have a passion for working with small businesses. As a CPA and with my MBA background and rich finance and accounting experience, I will amaze you with my capability to bring some fresh ideas and insight to your business needs or whether to build a complex financial model and strategic planning to boost your business performance, or perhaps just to highlight problems before they become major issues.

Question 3

Do you have a favourite customer story you would like to share?

Accepted Answer

It is a pleasure to commend James’ outstanding business to any other business out there that requires a speedy, economical, professional, and easy to understand personable accounting partner to come to you and simply get it done! We work as a team, as he comes to my office each period to finish off whatever I cannot.  The technical expertise of James, and the easy – come – easy – go nature of working with him has been absolute saviour for my business. No need to go driving to Accountants, and overpriced bills. James’ regular visit to my office sees everything painlessly and thus we are always precise, on time, no stress nor strain. Thanks James, I am on top of the bureaucratic paper battles like never before.  C Winstanley

Question 4

What do you like most about your job?

Accepted Answer

I like helping small business onwers to grow their beans and NOT ONLY counting their beans.   As one of my clients' comment as followed:  James Halim has been of significant support during the ongoing development of my small business. He is always available to help at the most trying of times and provides his service with a positive attitude. He provides a high level of financial assistance but more importantly, he provides a consistent and stable work for any small business. I would thoroughly recommend James Halim to other business owners.  J Tuckerman

Question 5

What questions should a customer ask to hire the right service professional?

Accepted Answer

There are minimum 5 main principles you need to look for a right service professional as followed:  1. Integrity - an obligation to all Members to be straightforward and honest in all professional and business relationship.  2. Objectivity - an obligation on all Members not to compromise their professional or business judgement because of bias, conflict of interest or influence of others.  3. Professional competence and due care - an obligation on all Members to maintain professional knowledge and skills at the required level, and to act diligently in accordance with professional standards.  4. Confidentiality - an obligation on all Members to refrain disclosing confidential information unless there is a legal or professional duty to disclose it.  5. Professional behaviour - an obligation on all Members to comply with relevant laws and regulations.

Question 6

What questions do customers commonly ask and how would you answer them?

Accepted Answer

Why is my bill so much more this year than last year?  Basically there are three reasons: a.	There is a lot more work this year, e.g.: could be an extra lease or turnover/activity has gone up; extra things you require us to do; Capital Gain Tax calculation; sale or purchase of a business; or purchase a new investment property. b.	Increase in our charge out rates as our labour costs are going up every year. c.	Due to missing information. If information is missing, your Client Manager will leave the job, pick up a new job and will not come back until the current job is complete. The more often a job is put down and picked up the more time is added to the job.  It is in our interest to complete the job quickly so we can get onto completing the next job. By doing this we earn the same amount of money and have a lot more happy clients.   Another question is the MYOB/QuickBooks salesman said that the software should reduce my accounting costs but it is actually doubled (in some case, it’s even tripled).  The Answer:	The most frustrating thing (and every accountant says the same thing) is when a client gives you a year computer print-out (after spending hours getting it to this stage), but the account is a mess situation where we have to spend hours and hours sorting out the mess.  Efficient computerisation of your accounts depends solely on the operator. If the operator is good then it would definitely reduce the time and our bills. However if the operator is not good then it takes a lot more time and we need to use a more qualified (higher cost) Client Manager to try to sort out the mess.   The quality of the operator depends on the level of training he/she has undertaken. Usually the cheaper the software package, the higher the training required. Skimping on training means higher accountancy fees required to correct the mess.   If the operator is not good then it is much more cost effective to use a simple manual cashbook system (or simply supply cheque butts and bank statements). We can use a more junior staff member to process it at a lower charge out rate saving you money.   Please speak to your Client Manager about the right software package for your business. Do not take advice from a software sales representative. Your Client Manager is the best person to assess your accounting software requirements. We can assist you with selecting the most appropriate software package so suit your business needs, we also offer training and bookkeeping. If you are having a trouble do not leave it to the end of the year, call us today and one of our highly skilled bookkeepers will come out to see you.

Question 7

What makes you the most reliable and trustworthy person for the job?

Accepted Answer

As a public service provider, I will conduct my work using the following guidance:  1. Integrity - an obligation to all Members to be straightforward and honest in all professional and business relationship.  2. Objectivity - an obligation on all Members not to compromise their professional or business judgement because of bias, conflict of interest or influence of others.  3. Professional competence and due care - an obligation on all Members to maintain professional knowledge and skills at the required level, and to act diligently in accordance with professional standards.  4. Confidentiality - an obligation on all Members to refrain disclosing confidential information unles there is a legal or professional duty to disclose it.  5. Professional behaviour - an obligation on all Members to comply with relevant laws and regulations.

Question 8

Why should a customer hire you over another service provider?

Accepted Answer

Our Commitment to you:  1. We offer services levels of CBD firms but a fraction of the price.  2. As our client, you are entitled, free of charge, to “five-minute” type phone calls. We guarantee to return your call within 24 hours.  3. All our professional team complete a minimum of 40 hours per annum of CPD (Continuous Professional Development) outside their normal working hours.  4. We will endeavour to take all reasonable care but in the unlikely event that an error is made by our firm, we will honour all penalties pertaining to that error.  5. If you are dissatisfied with our service for ANY reason then you should contact us immediately. We will happily re-do work for you for FREE.  6. Promise to treat you with respect and listen and care for your concerns.  7. We will always be truthful and honest in our dealings with you.  8. We will explain our work in plain English.

Question 9

What are the typical things that you need to know before you can provide a quote to a customer?

Accepted Answer

The process start as followed: - A preliminary meeting with a potential client to discuss their current situation and where they want to go, - Client will then give us an authority to act as their accountant/tax agent. - We will contact previous accountant if there's any valid reason not to take this engagement. - We then set up a system to tailor the client's need, - We will monitor the performance on a regular basis and let the client knows the development, - Re-review again the process and fine tuning the suggestion.

Question 10

How can a customer save money before you start the work? Please give 3 tips

Accepted Answer

Twelve steps to help you minimise accounting costs:  1.	Efficient computerisation – make sure that you understand the computer package you buy and take appropriate training. The level of training determines the quality of work produced and hence the level of accounting fee paid. 2.	Provide all the information in the first instance. 3.	Summarise and reconcile as much as possible. 4.	Explain any unusual events at the initial meeting with your Client Manager. 5.	Ask yourself the question “can I attend to this without contacting my Client Manager?” i.e.: sometimes you may contact us to fax copies of documents that you may already have in your possession, for example your tax return. 6.	Discuss arrears that can be improved or work that you can do to present the job better with Your Client Manager. 7.	Use your Client Manager for the minor things and use the partners only for the important things. 8.	Use the secretary for secretarial matters and not the partners. 9.	Provide missing information quickly. 10.	Do most of the running around yourself, e.g.: calling banks/solicitors, collecting statements, etc.

Question 11

Are there any special offers you would like to offer to Oneflare customers?

Accepted Answer

I am happy to give a special discount of 5% to any services provided to Oneflare Customers.   For a business client, I'll provide you with a FREE 1/2 hrs meeting. If at the end of the meeting you can see the value of our suggestion to improve your business then we can engage to the next step. If you don't see or think there's a benefit that we can offer to you, then you have no obligation to engage with our services.

Question 12

What makes your pricing competitive?

Accepted Answer

We are about 50% better value than city firms and about 10% better value or similar to other suburban firms of similar size and offering a similar range and quality of services.  The bottom line is we guarantee our service performance and if you are not satisfied we challenge you to get the same result from other providers.

Question 13

How do you normally charge for your service?

Accepted Answer

Most accountants charge primarily based on time. The longer it takes to prepare your return, the more expensive it is going to be. The only problem with this system is that it rewards slow workers. We charge set fees for all our standard work, giving you certainty about your fees. Of course, some jobs are too unpredictable to charge set fees for, in this case you will be charged on an hourly basis.

Question 14

Is there a particular aspect of your trade or industry that you specialise in?

Accepted Answer

Below are just some of the client bases that we have served: •	IT Consultants •	Deli & Food Industries •	Entertainment & Amusement Sectors •	Travel & Accommodation Industries •	Architects, Constructions & Real Estate •	Legal Aid Providers •	Fleet & Bus Transportation Industries •	Business Magazines •	Retailers & Manufacturers, etc

Question 15

What experience, skills, qualifications or training do you have to make you the right person for the job?

Accepted Answer

James is a CPA with 20 years' working experience in finance and accountancy. He has worked with different variety of clients.  James has a passion for working with small businesses. With his MBA background and rich finance and accounting experience, he will amaze you with his capability to bring some fresh ideas and insight to your business needs or whether to build a complex financial model and strategic planning to boost your business performance, or perhaps just to highlight problems before they become major issues.

Halim & Co Pty Ltd

Business contact details

Business description

Browse accountant experts by suburb

Services

Qualifications

Add your review

Reviews (3)

Frequently asked questions

Are you an insured business and do you guarantee your work?

How did you decide to get into your line of work?

Need an expert?

Customer

Businesses

Cities

About Oneflare

Oneflare group

Download our apps

Halim & Co Pty Ltd Verified Business

Business contact details

Business description

Browse accountant experts by suburb

Services

Qualifications

Add your review

Reviews (3)

Frequently asked questions

Are you an insured business and do you guarantee your work?

How did you decide to get into your line of work?

Need an expert?

Customer

Businesses

Cities

About Oneflare

Oneflare group

Download our apps

Halim & Co Pty Ltd