“Throughout the years that we have been using Bookminders, I have had timely, reliable reports each and every month, and if I ever have a question our bookminder always responds quickly.”

                                                      -- David Cranston, Jr., President, Cranston Material Handling Equipment Corp

Ten years ago David Cranston, Jr. decided he had officially had enough with trying to do his company’s accounting every month.  The Cranston Material Handling Equipment Corporation sells and installs industrial material handling equipment to manufacturing companies in Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. In addition to overseeing the business on a daily basis, Cranston had spent the previous decade training employees to complete the organization’s bookkeeping using basic accounting software.

“I was always forced to think about accounting issues,” he recalls.  “It was not a good use of my time to have to go back each month and figure out why one or two accounts were showing inaccurate information.  Sometimes I wouldn’t notice that an account was off for several months, and I would have to go back through several months’ worth of numbers to discover the problem.”

Cranston decided to call Bookminders, but admits he had initial concerns about the viability of outsourcing his company’s accounting function.  “I was concerned about how the flow of information would be between our company and Bookminders,” he explains.

A bookminder was quickly trained on the accounting needs of a handling company like CMHEC, and they began their weekly meetings.  “I like the consistency of the weekly appointments,” Cranston notes.  “Everyone in the office knows when the appointment is.  This gives them a deadline to have their tasks completed so that all of the information that is required for Bookminders has been processed and is ready for them to take.”

His initial concerns about the flow of information between Bookminders and CMHEC were quickly put to rest, thanks in part to easy access to online information.  “I can very easily go online to quickly find and review any transaction that has been posted,” he explains.

 As he has received consistently accurate financials from Bookminders over the years, Cranston has also noticed an additional benefit: the once dreaded annual meeting with his accountant has become easier as well.  “Now at the end of the year, all my books are accurate and in order,” he says.  “As soon as we do the December close I am basically done for the year.  Bookminders sends all my accounting information directly to my accountant, and because of their accuracy my accountant can file our tax reports quickly, saving me significant time and money.”

The past decade has made Cranston a Bookminders advocate.  “Throughout the years that we have been using Bookminders, I have had timely, reliable reports each and every month, and if I ever have a question our bookminder always responds quickly,” he says.  “Bookminders’ personnel understand accounting.  When I have a question about my bookkeeping, they always point me in the right direction.”
 

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