The last few years have put accountants to the test. They had to quickly pivot to help small business owners navigate several challenges, such as new laws and regulations, hiring shortages, inflation, and supply chain issues, to name a few.
But one thing is clear: Accountants are in a unique position. They have access to the balance sheet of a small business — and the insight that comes with it. This insight gives accountants the opportunity to be integral to small business owners, as trusted advisors for nearly every aspect of a small business.
What's also clear is that accountants need innovative tools to help ensure their firm is operating more efficiently and managing clients more effectively. Whether it's managing tax season or, more importantly, what clients need beyond tax season, accountants can use technology to create more value for their clients.
The true value of automation
Capacity planning is one of the most critical issues facing accounting firms. Accountants are all too familiar with "busy" season. Too many factors and unknowns go into being prepared for the following tax season, mainly due to a lack of data-backed insight, staff training and streamlined or consistent processes.
A standard answer to the capacity and efficiency problem is to use current technology or applications to solve at least some of what bogs a firm down. However, the reality is that firms tend to focus on the tools that will make their team operate more efficiently, putting a lot of time and resources into improving processes but still failing to establish a strong client relationship.
When choosing how to best use automation, keep your eye on the prize — creating more value for clients. While automation provides a vast opportunity to increase firm capacity, automated tasks aren't what clients value. They value the advice and guidance their accountant provides along with that deliverable. The right technology should expedite tasks in the back office and give accountants more time to advise their small business clients.
Finding the right technology
First, look for technology that's built directly into your operating system platform, instead of third-party software that sort of works. For the greatest efficiency for your team, the technology should be easy to use and intuitive. Have senior accountants been involved in the ongoing development of the product? Does it use machine learning, artificial intelligence, and robotic process automation to relieve your staff of manual and time-consuming tasks? The software should automate basic bookkeeping (data entry, reconciliations, classifications and more). With the right technology, you can get better results with a smaller team which is crucial in today's tight labor market. With automation, you'll also get superior reporting ability, enabling you to see what's happening with your clients in real time.
Building a strong foundation
After the past couple of years of what seemed like a never-ending tax season and constant uncertainty, firms are looking to feel more stable. And this past tax season, there was some sense of normalcy as firms sent organizers, responded to client emails, and were able to capacity plan well enough.
For many firm leaders, "returning to normal" isn't where they want to go — they want more. They want to improve efficiency and be more profitable, perhaps even move on from some clients that are no longer "a fit" for the firm.
"Being a modern firm is about the entire practice, not just the technology. The first step for tax-focused accounting firms to become a modern firm is not to fire their 1040 clients, but be more efficient in processing, in getting paid," says Darren Root, chief strategist at Right Networks.
Post-tax season is the time to take stock. What worked, what didn't? What should we stop doing? What should we continue doing? What are new things we need to start doing? Ask these questions around four key areas:
Systems and processes: Identify where things went wrong or missing. Ask your staff where the bottlenecks were and their opinion on how to improve. Look for redundancies. Where can you streamline or eliminate processes?
Tech stack: To accomplish greater efficiency, you need technology that will help you, not get in your way. Research new technologies and identify possible solutions. It may be time to modernize your tech stack.
Advisory services: Assuming you gain all this time from process improvement, how will you go about building your advisory services? Create a strategy that identifies the right clients, what you can do for them and how your technology can support the strategy.
Staffing: One of the biggest challenges facing accounting firms today is attracting and retaining qualified staff. There are more job openings for accounting professionals than there are candidates. Firms need to create a strategy for this as well. How will you attract new staff? Examine your recruiting methods, your interviewing processes, as well as how you onboard new people. Then take a look at how you provide ongoing training for your staff and a culture that makes them want to stay at your firm.
Remember, it's no longer about being the most tech-savvy firm around but knowing enough about what to use and utilizing it the right way. Whether firms are looking for overall efficiency and workflow improvement or being able to offer additional, higher-value services, partnering with the right technology and service providers can give firms the advantage they need.
