A Bookkeeper's Memoir

[bookkeeperlife]

Suggestions

If there are any business/office tips that people would like to hear about, please inbox me.

I plan to make posts regarding other aspects such as:

Resumes

Interviews

Customer Service

Organization

[bookkeeperlife]

Codes Are Friends

Coding systems are extremely common in bookkeeping. It helps with organization. When using codes, (I am referring to a number system), always make sure that different categories start with a different number.

For example, all "income" categories for the newspaper begin with 4. Anything relating to the actual material/production of the paper starts with 5. And finally, all "expenses" start with a 6.

[bookkeeperlife]

Editorials

So this post is not about the bookkeeping aspect, but rather the general life of working at a newspaper.

People tend to think that everything is news-worthy and that everything they see online is true.

The problem is, we are very limited in what we can and cannot publish. First of all, we have to have all of the facts before we can publish a story. There has been times when local online news sites have published things before us, but the facts were not actually ~all~ the facts.

Also, not everything is worth being put in the paper. If there is a wanted criminal in the area, the photo you submitted of a cute circle of mushrooms (aka “Fairy Circle”) will probably not be published.

Finally, understand that we have deadlines for a reason. The place that I work at prints its own newspaper, along with 7 other area newspapers. Deadlines are necessary so that we can guarantee that all papers are printed in time to be distributed. So, if you want to submit a nice letter to the editor for publication, please make sure that you submit said letter before the deadline.

[bookkeeperlife]

Sales Call Blues

One of the most fun activities in the day of the life of a bookkeeper is probably dealing with sales calls. You know the ones I’m talking about...they ask for certain department, claim to have spoken with them before, and yet have no clue as to who is over said department?

Let me give you some tips as to how to divert unwanted calls. Some of these tips are ones I have figured out over the past few years, others were given to me by my very own boss.

1. Remember: you’re “paperless”. 

No one likes to deal with unwanted paper suppliers and oftentimes the salesperson will be relentless if you try to explain you’re already happy with your current supplier. In times like these, it may become necessary, for sanity’s sake, to lie. Simply tell them your company has decided to partake in the green initiative and you are now paperless.

2. Don’t divulge employee names

As I mentioned above, a lot of salespeople will call and try to manipulate you into giving them the name of the person over your purchasing. Avoid this. Unless they are from a company you are familiar with in doing business, and there has been a recent change in staff, or your superior has specifically mentioned the company and making an inquiry, do not give out anyone’s name except your own in the phone call. 

3. Some people can be rude

When it comes to sales calls, sometimes they may start out very nice and inquisitive but may realize that you are not an easy target. This tends to infuriate some salespeople and they were hoping for a simple sale. Keep your wits about you and remember that not everyone has excellent customer service and a salesperson realizing their projected commission has gone down will probably get testy.

4. Incoming calls

If you’re having difficulty getting a particular person off the phone, and you’re far too busy to deal with the call at that time, simply explain that you have an incoming call and ask if they would like to leave a message.

5. Sometimes it’s worth the call

Occasionally, you’ll get a call that will actually help your company. If you know your boss has been looking for a new supplier for say...printer ink, and you happen to get a call from a company offering discounts, take some information down. Make sure you look into the company and make sure they’re a legit and trusted business before providing the information to your purchaser.

I hope these tips help!

[bookkeeperlife]

This Started As A Joke

A little background to this newly created Tumblr:

I am the bookkeeper for a small town newspaper. I have a degree in business administration and 4.5 years of experience in bookkeeping, 3 of which are with my current establishment.

I have a main fandom Tumblr located at ohdeerwhatnow.tumblr.com

However, recently I have decided that people may be interested in the daily struggles of an office worker’s life. Sure, most of it is probably boring and I imagine the only followers I may get are my real life friends, but hey, maybe someone out there can relate to these stories and find it amusing.

Regardless, let’s start this journey.