COS Bookkeeping

COS Bookkeeping was founded in 1991 by Karen Garrattley, who is its Managing Director. The legal entity is Complete Office Support Bookkeeping Limited, trading as COS Bookkeeping. With over 30 years of industry experience, the company serves businesses, charities, CICs, bookkeepers and accountants. Its services include bookkeeping, payroll, accounts software training, debt collection and consultancy.

A payroll team is in place. Support packages range from day-to-day questions to month end checks. Staff receive consistent in-house training, and the company has a low staff turnover. COS Bookkeeping helps clients integrate and reduce the number of software systems they use. Its mission is to make bookkeeping processes efficient, seamless, and integrate with the latest technology.

Reliability and breadth of support emerge as the qualities clients mention most often in feedback on this practice. Long-standing commercial customers describe how weekly visits from named staff such as Diane keep their books in order and ensure that their accountant has everything required to prepare accounts, while others value the readiness of team members including Karen, Mike, Ann and Becky to answer questions and give guidance on software such as Sage and Xero.

An observation shared by more than one reviewer is that outsourcing bookkeeping frees business owners to concentrate on running their companies, with several reviewers noting that their own accountants find the arrangement easier to work with. Training sessions and membership support are mentioned regularly, particularly by self-employed bookkeepers who describe the courses and the network of contacts as genuinely useful for building their practices.

Reviewers also draw attention to the polite, friendly manner of the staff and the efficiency with which tasks are handled, including the management of multiple business entities each with separate bank accounts alongside personal matters, so that management information remains readily available. The practice is described as professional throughout and as a dependable remote extension of the client's own team, with the mentoring provided to a financial controller singled out for particular value.