PROCEDURE MANUALS – "A picture is worth a thousand words."

Huckstep & Associates prides itself on building long-term client relationships by helping its nonprofit clients find solutions. In this regard, many years ago, Jeannie Huckstep, CPA, was approached by a client to develop a customized procedures manual for the Sage MIP Fund Accounting system.

What was Jeannie’s response? She developed a step-by-step guide that was so effective and beneficial to this client, and many others soon thereafter, that Sage MIP adopted the guide and now makes it available to its entire channel of business partners! In fact, in the past four years, all but one H&A client has gladly purchased the manual.

Why? Jeannie has regularly received feedback such as, “I couldn’t imagine doing my job without the manual.”

Why do I need a Step-by-Step Guide?

• The average system user has trouble translating system documentation into step-by-step procedures.
• Due to the nature of volunteerism and funding, nonprofits often face high turnover rates.
• Similarly, nonprofit organization staff are often overburdened and under-staffed.
• Many nonprofit users are not accountants and therefore rely on CPA expertise.
• Typically, standard documentation is not formulated in the real way organizations do business.
• Client training, over a necessarily short period of time, often produces ‘information overload’ which may result in low retention.
• The guide provides for a dependable ‘roadmap’ when processing infrequent activities or procedures.

Our firm’s consultants customize each manual by taking screenshots of each client’s particular system. These snapshots are then appropriately inserted into the proper sections of the guide. Therefore, when users refer to the manual for assistance or with questions, what they see on the page matches what they see on their monitor. This methodology has proven many times to reduce confusion and frustration, decrease support calls, increase user product satisfaction, and much more.

For more information regarding our firm's Step-by-Step Guide, contact our office at the address below.

If you currently use this guide, please share how it has benefited your organization by contacting us at info@huckstep.com.

A Proven Methodology:

• Job-specific usage - capture’s clients business processes ‘up-front’.
• Provides for a smooth, low-cost transition when training new employees.
• Provides reinforcement and a ‘guiding hand’ during the early stages of a system implementation.
• Reduces data entry and processing errors.
• Allows for client terminology to be employed in their own user-defined documentation.
• During training, staff is focused on listening and learning, not writing notes of everything said.
• Often prevents the need for a support call and eliminates downtime while waiting on a response.