How we partner with you at Standard Ledger

What we agree on, upfront

Every engagement starts with a proposal that sets out what we’ll do for you. We describe the scope of what’s included in our services in plain language.

Before you sign, please take the time to read your proposal carefully. If anything is unclear, ask us before you accept, it’s much easier to resolve questions upfront than after work has begun.

How we handle requests

When you send us a request, here’s what you can always expect from us:

Acknowledgement. We’ll acknowledge your request promptly, no silence.
In scope. If it’s within scope, we’ll get it done.
Outside scope. If it might be outside of scope, we’ll let you know straight away and check in before doing the work.
Need more info. If we need more information, we’ll ask, clearly and quickly.

If it’s not in the original engagement, you can expect us to have a conversation about scope before we proceed. That’s not us being difficult, it’s how we make sure you’re never surprised by a bill.

What does ‘promptly’ mean?

For most requests you can expect an acknowledgement from us within one or two business days, often sooner. This doesn’t mean the work will be done in that time, but you’ll hear from us and know what happens next. If your request is urgent, please say so and we’ll prioritise accordingly.

We know that not every request fits neatly into a box. When things come up that feel like grey areas, we’ll always approach it as a conversation, not a contract dispute. Our goal is a yes, we just want to be transparent about what that looks like.

Communicating with your team

Depending on your engagement, you may work with a combination of our CFOs, financial analysts, bookkeeping or FinOps team or our specialist tax and R&D teams. Here’s how that generally works:

If we’re providing you CFO services, your CFO and their supporting financial analyst are your main point of contact for anything strategic or operational.
If we’re providing you bookkeeping or FinOps services (and not CFO), you’ll often be in touch with your dedicated team member directly.
If we’re providing other dedicated tax or R&D services, those teams will have been in contact with you so feel free to reach back out to them.
When you’re onboarding or going through a particularly busy period with multiple things on the go, our Customer Success team may step in temporarily to coordinate across the team and make sure nothing falls through the cracks.

Not sure who to contact?

If you’re unsure who to reach out to, or you’ve sent a message and haven’t heard back within two business days, contact your bookkeeper, CFO or specialist team member with whatever your query is. They’ll make sure your request gets to the right person. Please don’t sit on something waiting, we’d always rather hear from you.

See more details on our Contacting Standard Ledger page.

We aim to communicate proactively, if we spot something that needs your attention, we’ll reach out rather than wait to be asked.

Timelines and keeping you informed

We know that not knowing where something is at can be frustrating. Whenever we’re working on something for you, we’ll be upfront about timelines and if something changes, we’ll let you know before you have to ask.

For straightforward requests, we’ll give you a clear timeframe when we acknowledge your request.
For more complex work, we’ll set out what’s happening and when, and check in with updates along the way.
If something is taking longer than expected, we’ll let you know when to expect the next update.

Clear expectations, set early, make for a much smoother experience on both sides. If you’re ever unsure of where things stand, just ask, we’re always happy to give you a status update.

If things don’t go to plan

No partnership is perfect, and sometimes things don’t go to plan. If something isn’t working the way you expected, whether it’s a process, a communication, or the quality of a deliverable, we genuinely want to know about it.

When you raise a concern with us, here’s what you can expect:

You’ll be heard. We’ll acknowledge it promptly and thank you for letting us know, feedback helps us get better.
We’ll make sure we understand. We’ll make sure we truly understand the issue before jumping to a fix.
We’ll tell you what’s next. We’ll be clear about what happens next, who’s on it, the path to resolution, and when you’ll hear from us.
We’ll close the loop. Once it’s resolved, we’ll follow up to confirm you’re happy and let you know what we’ve put in place.

We’re always a yes, and.

If something isn’t in scope, we’ll say so openly and work with you to find the best path forward. And if something has gone wrong, we’ll own it and fix it.

Please don’t sit on something that’s bothering you. A quick message is all it takes, we’d rather have a conversation early than let a small thing grow into a bigger issue.

Fair pricing

We believe in pricing that's transparent and fair, and we never want a bill to surprise you.

Bookkeeping and payroll are priced on usage (transactions and employees), so these fees adjust automatically as your volumes change. We'll always let you know when this happens, and changes only ever apply going forward, never backdated. Any change to our other fees we'll discuss with you first, and we review our overall rates once a year. See exactly how all of this works in our Fair Pricing FAQ.

Questions?

If anything in this guide is unclear, or if you’d like to talk through how it applies to your specific engagement, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with your bookkeeper, CFO or specialist team, or drop us a line at success@standardledger.co. We’re here to make this as easy as possible for you.

How we partner with you at Standard Ledger

We want working with Standard Ledger to feel easy and clear, from day one through to the ongoing relationship. Here’s what you can expect from us.