QBO Tech Tip - Creating Chrome Client Folders And Bookmarks
There’s a little bit of magic in creating super-efficient processes, no?
I have written and spoken about Chrome folders and bookmarks before, but I want to come back to the topic since it creates ah-mazing consistency and efficiency while working in QBO files.
What does the folder structure look like? It depends on the client, but the standard one is a folder for the client, with a subfolder for reconciliations and one for reports. And subfolders for related transactions to keep them neatly tucked in and organized. Of course, I’m a lunatic and the bookmarks are either alpha organized or in the order I process the transactions (I seriously need help).
Hierarchy and organization examples:
Overall client folder
A bookmark at the top for the client profile in Financial Cents
A bookmark for our client’s Google Drive folder
If we do payables and need to access vendor sites as part of our workflow, we create a subfolder for that
Recurring transactions that we use are in a subfolder
However, if just a single recurring like a payroll JE is all we need, it’s just a bookmark in the client folder, no subfolder is needed
You get the idea; we bookmark everything we access regularly in the client folder. If they need to be grouped to reduce the visual clutter or we want to right-click and open a series of bookmarks simultaneously, they are in subfolders.
A subfolder for reconciliations.
This is an example of using a folder so you can right-click and open all bookmarks at once in a new window.
A subfolder for reports.
This is another example of using a folder so you can right-click and open all bookmarks at once in a new window.
Subfolders for other client work.
This is an example of grouping bookmarks in a folder for organization and clutter-control
E-commerce/retail clients with a POS, a subfolder with the login bookmark and then ones for reports and data we need to access .
Folders and bookmarks are an extra backstop in client work consistency.
You should have a task for reconciling accounts and then sub-tasks listing the accounts. But by right-clicking a folder and opening all the recs at once, you doubly ensure they get completed; especially the Balance Sheet ones that don’t appear in QBO Overview.
With the bookmarks, it’s also highly visible what work gets done - recurring payroll, e-commerce review and reporting, AP work…
As well, if you use this system, it is more visible for someone else to pick up the work. You can share folder systems with others or share Chrome Identities entirely.
Folders and bookmarks are insanely efficient.
There is no fumbling around to log in to apps and get to what you want to do in them. The bookmarks take you directly to actionable URLs. Combine this with your password management app, and you will be where you want to go in seconds.
Folders and bookmarks are scalable.
You have to open the client reconciliations, recurring transactions and whatever common tasks you perform for each client. The first time (or next) you do a repetitive client task, bookmark them in templated folders. Once you have created the bookmarks, you are sailing. Creating an SOP for your folder/subfolder/bookmark structure and a little upfront setup saves a ton of future clicking.
Make this a part of your onboarding process to set up the base client folder. Then make it part of a bookkeeper’s work to keep the folders updated when new scopes of work, bank accounts, recurring transactions, apps, and such are added.
Kellie :-}
