10 Benefits of Hiring Virtual CFO Services

Ashish M. Shaji

07 Jan, 2021

When it comes to dealing with financial matters of your company, it is advised to have a knowledgeable and a committed person to oversee them. In a traditional corporate structure, such duties are done by the Chief Financial Officer. In this article we shall focus on the benefits of hiring virtual CFO services.

Who is a CFO?

Chief Financial Officer is a senior executive laded with the task of handling the financial matters of the company.  The main role of a CFO is to track cash flow, present accurate and timely reports.  They also require to analyse data and identify the strengths and weaknesses of the company.

The CFO plans, protects and improves the company’s finances depending upon the finding of their analysis in a strategic manner. The tasks handled by a CFO are very crucial to a business therefore a company chooses a CFO wisely.

What do you mean by Virtual CFO?

This concept is a new one that allows businesses of any size to benefit from the CFO services without actually requiring hiring a full time employee. If you have a SME then the functions of such CFO would be beneficial to you.

Virtual CFO services may be provided remotely or through an external consultant. With digitization businesses have adapted to the changing trends in the market. Some businesses may not have the resources to hire an in house CFO therefore they go ahead with virtual CFO service.

Read our article:An Overview on CFO Support Services in India

Benefits of hiring Virtual CFO Services

There are many benefits of having such services. Let’s discuss them one by one.

• Avoid the full time overhead

Businesses like SME will benefit from the lower costs of a virtual Chief Financial Officer as against hiring a full time in house CFO. This is mainly because of the flexible arrangements with virtual ones that permit them to scale their services upwards and downwards as per the client needs. Therefore their services are provided at a cost efficient price.

• Flexibility

In case of a VCFO, you can set the terms for time and cost that work suitably for your business. This means having the VCFO to work full time hours for a set number of week and then part time. You may scale down or go up as per your need. You pay for the time and deliverables required for your business without sacrificing the experience and expertise that you need.

• Integration

VCFO services can offer an organization the advantages of technology integration. VCFO firms deploy the use of advanced cutting edge technologies like artificial intelligence, data analytics and big data to enhance the way in which compliances are maintained. Through this process accounting compliance can be maintained. Apart from this, a firm that uses the services of VCFO can get timely updates on compliances that are required to be followed.

• Financial projections & Accounting Compliance

A firm that uses these services will be able to receive financial projections and also budgetary analysis. These services would help the organization to predict the budgets and finances of the organization.

With VCFO an added advantage of compliance with accounting systems is provided to the organization. One is required to maintain compliance under different regulatory authorities in India. These authorities include ICAI (Institute of Chartered Accountant of India)^[1], MCA (Ministry of Corporate Affairs), SEBI (Securities Exchange Board of India) etc. With VCFO it not only provides accounting compliance but it also help in compliance with the relevant regulatory authorities.

• Budgetary Control

With Virtual CFO services it provides you with means to control your budget. Every organization have fixed budget which is allocated to carry out different activities. With this service, your organization will receive detailed report on budgetary analysis and reporting. With a traditional CFO, this is not possible. Even if it offers, it may take some time and effort.

• Increased cash flow

Usually any organization would like to increase on cash flow. This is the main reason why businesses engage with VCFOs. With its services, one can gain awareness of the business areas that requires improvement and be able to implement recommended solutions.

• Trusted reporting

An experienced VCFO knows exactly how to streamline reporting and create customized client reports that will provide you with information that you need.

• Liaison with external stakeholders and professionals

A VCFO is a liaison with external stakeholders and professionals. They provide additional reassurance to reporting and analysis and the Due Diligence and a professional oversight gives confidence to the external party.

• Diverse Experience

Most of the VCFOs have the experience of working with numerous companies thereby gaining experience and insights into the challenges and opportunities of various industries. Therefore they can present a unique perspective and vast amount of knowledge that is brought into action.

• A sounding board for your business

There could be times when you are caught in the daily running of your business activities therefore it may be hard for you to step back and look at all things objectively. With VCFOs, they act as a sounding board for all essential business decisions that can impact your financial situation.

What is the future of Virtual CFO services in India?

Well, Virtual CFO services are an area that is booming. There are numerous start-ups that are looking out for these services who can’t hire a full time CFO for their venture as everything is covered by VCFOs. They have a bright future as India is heading towards a season of entrepreneurship. Start ups would be looking for people who can manage the finances part and get regular insights of their business in terms of strategy and numbers. Therefore it can be predicted that VCFO have a bright future in India.  

VCFOs can prove to be game changer for many businesses in the coming times and it is expected to take the business to next level.

Conclusion

Read our article:Role of Virtual CFO in an SME