By Chloe DiVita
As defined by our friend, Marriam-Webster, communication is "a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior." Simple, right?
Not so much actually.
Communication in its noun form is simple, but in its verbal sense, it's quite complex. Most of us have a great sense of what we are trying to communicate, but don't always succeed in getting all the information across. It’s not lack of effort, or carelessness, but more about who we are communicating with.
When you write a check for your company, your banker wants to know “how much?” Your accountant wants to know, “how much, who to, what for?”
When you hire a new employee, the employee wants to know “when do I start, what do I do, and what are you paying me?” Your accountant wants to know all those things plus “is s/he working full-time, part-time, has s/he filled out a W-4 and an I-9, and are there any special circumstances?”
When you invoice a new client, the client wants to know “was the work done correctly, and what do I owe you by when?” Your accountant wants to know “what is the billing address, who is the contact, what are the terms, do they want the bill emailed or snail mailed, and how should the bill read?”
In each case there is one situation with different information required depending on who is asking. It’s very important to keep these things in mind as a small business owner. Knowing who needs what information greatly improves your operations, and how smooth you are able to run the show.
When in doubt, it never hurts to provide more information than necessary. As an accountant, I would definitely appreciate that.
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