Business Systems Management: Policy
Office Hours
Regular office hours are 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Eastern time Monday through Friday, excepting standard holidays. Information regarding office closures due to vacations, extended travel to out-of-state clients, and speaking engagements that will interrupt normal operating hours will be provided on the office telephone answer machine and/or via e-mail notification.
Communications
Although I welcome unscheduled phone calls, my phone is often busy due to the amount of time spent working with clients. If you leave a message, you should expect a reply within one business day, unless I’m traveling. Generally, the most efficient method of communication is by e-mail. I check e-mail at least twice a day during the workweek. If you have a question, you should have a response within a maximum of one business day. Please note that if you ask a question (such as how to solve a specific QuickBooks problem or advice regarding a business challenge) via phone or e-mail, any assistance I provide as a consultant should be regarded as a service and therefore subject to charge. If you have an involved question associated with your QuickBooks, I will probably suggest that we schedule a meeting using remote access so that I can provide “live” assistance in understanding and solving your problem. For more information regarding remote sessions, please refer to Remote Sessions.
Billing
Hourly clients with occasional needs will be invoiced twice monthly: on the 15th of the month and on the last day of the month. Payment is due upon receipt of the invoice and interest of 1.5% monthly (18% annual rate) will be applied to outstanding balances that are 30 days overdue. We appreciate payment that is as prompt as the service we provide. Pre-paid packages, by definition, must be 100% paid in advance of service. Distance clients requesting a site visit will be asked for partial pre-payment on the estimated cost of the visit and any anticipated follow-up activities (such as procedural write-ups following the site visit).
Late Appointments
If you have a scheduled phone consult or remote access appointment, the clock begins at the designated start time. This means that if a two hour call is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. and you don’t call until 2:20 p.m., you will be charged from the original 2:00 start time. If you request a full two hours despite the late start and my schedule permits me to accommodate two hours, (2:20 – 4:20 in this example) you will be charged for the total time (2:00 – 4:20 in this example).
Cancellations
I require advance notice of minimum one business day if you need to cancel an appointment. This applies to both scheduled visits and scheduled telephone or remote access support. More is always appreciated. If you cancel less than one business day prior to a scheduled phone or remote access appointment time, you will be invoiced for one hour of consultation time. If you cancel a site visit that involves travel expenses (such as airfare or pre-paid hotel costs), you will be subject to the cost of any charges associated with cancellation. If I need to cancel an appointment, I will provide advance notice of one business day at minimum. If I am unable to cancel with a minimum of one business day’s notice, I may make a reasonable effort to compensate you for any inconvenience. If I must cancel a site visit that involves travel expenses (such as airfare or pre-paid hotel costs), I will absorb the cost of any charges associated with cancellation.