price by outcome, not time spent

look at it from the client’s point of view.

by hitendra patil
client accounting services: the definitive success guide

when your prospects shop for client accounting services, what they find out about cas pricing methods and trends defines their pricing expectations. if you follow very different approaches to price your cas offering, it will take significant effort on your part to educate the prospects (and existing clients) about why you are pricing cas the way you are. as they say, it’s easier to ride the horse in the direction it’s going.

more: want higher profitability? turn to cas | cas requires reaching out more | cas reports are better. here’s how. | is it time for your firm to outsource? | raise cas awareness among your clients | which clients are best for cas | how much can automating bank feeds save you?
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it is good to first conform to the perceptions of prospects when it comes to your cas pricing. once you ride the horse, you can direct it to the destination you want to take it to. once you conform to the pricing method (not the dollar value) expectations of the prospect, their anxiety, and perception of risk (what value will they receive in the price they are willing to pay) reduce. after that, they are more open to evaluating the choices you present to them.
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want higher profitability? turn to cas

man's hand drawing upward arrow labeled "profit"

the effects of various pricing strategies.

by hitendra patil
client accounting services: the definitive success guide

pricing your services correctly to ensure reasonable profitability is a major decision you will take in your client accounting services practice.

more: cas requires reaching out more | your cas engagement letter needs a reset option | help your clients run their businesses better | cas tech stack depends on cloud use | five ways to profit from cas | cas is a value pitch | accountants are perfect for virtual cfo roles | raise client expectations with cas | the why behind your cas why
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

the accounting profession’s largest cas survey results revealed how cas firms price their cas offering:

  • the topmost method of pricing the cas offering is fixed/flat fee, used by 41 percent of the respondents.
  • the next common method of pricing cas is “mixed method of pricing” (a mix of hourly, fixed and value pricing), charged by 36 percent of respondents.
  • hourly billing method is used by 33 percent of respondents.
  • about 28 percent of respondents use value pricing as the method for cas pricing.

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cas requires reaching out more

businessman using internet on smartphone and laptop

use tech to up your communication game.

by hitendra patil
client accounting services: the definitive success guide

a successful client accounting services practice requires increased interactions with clients. your usual non-cas methods of client communications are not sufficient to meet the demands and expectations of your cas clients. you must leverage new tech tools to reach out, communicate and collaborate with clients more frequently.

more: your cas engagement letter needs a reset option | structure insights as what-why-what | set your processes apart in nine steps | five ways to overcome cas staffing challenges | think cas isn’t for your firm? | convince your firm of cas value | ten ways to tell a client is ready for cas | launch cas in just eight steps
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

some accounting software can help you automate client notifications (by email/text) based on customized triggers set up in the software. similarly, automated payroll software can keep clients informed automatically. mobile apps of core accounting software are becoming a necessity to deliver client service and communications.

why?
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two words define your work future in the ai world

the boundary you must cross to ensure future success.

by hitendra patil
rise of the aiccountants

imagine there is no artificial intelligence.

i know it is tough to imagine this, but for the next two minutes, just imagine there is no ai.

more: ai systems just for accounting in development | three ways a.i. will take shape in accounting | four ways to prepare for the ai era | seven ways ai could change accounting | who is better at accounting, ai or humans?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

how have you been working as an accounting professional without ai so far?
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your cas engagement letter needs a reset option

even with the best definitions, scopes can change. here’s what to include.

by hitendra patil
client accounting services: the definitive success guide

“people think of us (accountants) as the compliance agents – the necessary evil.”

this sentence haunts me even today, after hearing it nearly 15 years ago from a multi-award-winning, highly experienced cpa.

perception!

more: structure insights as what-why-what | cas reports are better. here’s how. | is it time for your firm to outsource? | raise cas awareness among your clients | which clients are best for cas | how much can automating bank feeds save you? | wants vs. needs: why not fill both? | get sticky with cas | who is the professional?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

has the accounting profession’s brand been (predominantly) perceived as “compliance” only?

“we deal with the past. we do audits. and we deal with the present. we do taxes and books. future – is not our business.”
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hitendra patil named president of datamatics global f&a services

to drive the cpa and f&a outsourcing business globally.

by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research
via datamatics cpa

datamatics business solutions, inc., a mumbai-based global provider of outsourced accounting, bookkeeping, finance, tax preparation, audit & assurance, payroll and demand generation & data services, is naming hitendra patil as president of its global finance and accounting and cpa outsourcing services.

more hitendra patil: help your clients run their businesses better | set your processes apart in nine steps | five ways to overcome cas staffing challenges | think cas isn’t for your firm? | convince your firm of cas value | ten ways to tell a client is ready for cas | launch cas in just eight steps

see: client accounting services: the definitive success guide
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

hitendra patil, a 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 contributor and a top 100 influencer in the accounting profession, will drive the cpa and f&a outsourcing business growth for dbs inc. the cpa business spans the united states, canada, united kingdom, ireland, australia and new zealand and is poised for customer growth in other key geographical markets.

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structure insights as what-why-what

how to define and refine your cas processes.

by hitendra patil
client accounting services: the definitive success guide

we know the outcomes that are important from the client perspective can, and should, define your firm’s client accounting services processes.

but how do you create your firm’s cas-specific processes? where should you begin? how would you know what to change and what to add to your processes?

more: cas reports are better. here’s how. | help your clients run their businesses better | cas tech stack depends on cloud use | five ways to profit from cas | cas is a value pitchaccountants are perfect for virtual cfo roles | raise client expectations with cas | the why behind your cas why | who is the professional?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

it is both difficult and easy to create your firm’s cas processes. it will be difficult, not impossible, to ask if you do not have reasonably deep insights into what your clients need and want. it will be easy if you have periodic interactions with your clients.
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cas reports are better. here’s how.

traditional reports stop short of what businesses need.

by hitendra patil
client accounting services: the definitive success guide

if you are wondering whether client accounting services (cas) needs a different set of reports, you are in the right place. at the same time, it may be confusing how you can produce reports that are different than those your software provides out of the box.

more: help your clients run their businesses better | set your processes apart in nine steps | five ways to overcome cas staffing challenges | think cas isn’t for your firm? | convince your firm of cas value | ten ways to tell a client is ready for cas | launch cas in just eight steps
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

cas is about the outcomes of your work, from the clients’ perspective. cas outcomes are useful, insightful, and advise clients in ways that routine, traditional reports cannot deliver. the outcomes you provide from your cas offering need to relentlessly focus on the relevance, usability and importance from your clients’ point of view. one of my ex-clients, an experienced and expert cpa from san diego – who had mostly high-net-worth individuals with multiple businesses as his clients – told me, “after 19 years in practice, i realized that small to medium business entrepreneurs are not really concerned with managing their balance sheets. it is the job of the accountant.”
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help your clients run their businesses better

 

six ways that cas processes are different.

by hitendra patil
client accounting services: the definitive success guide

let us focus on cas-specific processes that can give you competitive advantages. this is not about the technicalities of accounting processes. as a professional accountant, you already know the accounting fundamentals required to create your processes for each of the segments of the services you provide.

more: set your processes apart in nine steps | is it time for your firm to outsource? | raise cas awareness among your clients | which clients are best for cas | how much can automating bank feeds save you? | wants vs. needs: why not fill both? | get sticky with cas | the why behind your cas why | who is the professional?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

are cas processes different than what you have been doing till now? yes, and no.
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set your processes apart in nine steps

woman in white office meeting with man

your clients should notice the difference.

by hitendra patil
client accounting services: the definitive success guide

if you were to define how your firm is different in three sentences, what would those three sentences be?

write them down. read those the next day and judge for yourself if your competitors can say the same three sentences to differentiate their firms. if yes, you will see why this is a significant challenge for your firm’s growth aspirations.

more: is it time for your firm to outsource? | cas tech stack depends on cloud use | five ways to profit from cas | cas is a value pitch | accountants are perfect for virtual cfo roles | raise client expectations with cas
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

the classic equation of “people, process and technology” defining differentiation from the competition is somewhat flawed in accounting. by its very nature, accounting is about doing exceptionally well-defined work that follows clear laws and regulations. most firms have employees certified in similar lines of education and specialization. technology solutions for accountants are highly mature now.
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is it time for your firm to outsource?

businessman holding up magnifying glass

twelve clues to help you decide, plus the three categories of risk.

by hitendra patil
client accounting services: the definitive success guide

when you are the key person to make things happen at your firm, you want to invest as much time in “business development” (not just marketing and sales) as humanly possible. your firm’s growth will make you feel that producing and delivering your services is an essential core business function for you, but some of it is not. freeing up yourself to spend more time focusing on the things that add value to your practice, and help set it apart from the competition is an essential differentiating growth strategy you will ever deploy. the same principle applies to your experienced, talented staff.

more: cas tech stack depends on cloud use | five ways to overcome cas staffing challenges | think cas isn’t for your firm? | convince your firm of cas value | ten ways to tell a client is ready for cas | launch cas in just eight steps | who is the professional?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

you will build your cas practice on newer, cloud, collaborative technologies. it will help you automate many routine functions and optimize your operating costs. but you still need competent people to manage, nurture and strengthen your client services and advisory functions.
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how to match cas clients to technology

the key: once data is created, don’t re-create it.

by hitendra patil
client accounting services: the definitive success guide

client accounting services essentially requires an ability for your firm to be able to best serve the needs of all your clients. in other words, your firm’s technology stack, services, processes and pricing packages need to cater to businesses of different sizes, turnovers, as well as various levels of tech-savvyness of the business owners and their employees. in yet other words, your firm should have the ability to do part of the accounting work or all the work your clients offload to your firm.

more: cas tech stack depends on cloud use | five ways to overcome cas staffing challenges | think cas isn’t for your firm? | convince your firm of cas value | ten ways to tell a client is ready for cas | launch cas in just eight steps
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

in such cases, you want the technology stack to be as standardized as possible to avoid costly, error-prone and time-consuming need to deal with a variety of software. at the same time, when clients do part of the work, you must seek to implement collaborative technology on the cloud to eliminate duplication of data entry and mailing/emailing information back and forth between your firm and clients. this will, most likely, require you to convince your clients of the benefits of common, collaborative, cloud technology platform, and more likely than not, train the clients onto newer technologies. but the experience of hundreds of firms shows that the payoff far outweighs the cost of such efforts.
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cas tech stack depends on cloud use

five keys for planning.

by hitendra patil
client accounting services: the definitive success guide

your firm’s current processes/procedures adapted to your current technology stack, or vice versa. trying to “fit in” client accounting services into your existing technology stack may become a challenge for you – not just from a procedural point of view but also from a profitability point of view. if your current technology stack is still more of desktop software, it could be nearly impossible for you to offer cas as profitably as potentially possible with non-desktop solutions.

more: five ways to overcome cas staffing challenges | raise cas awareness among your clients | which clients are best for cas | how much can automating bank feeds save you? | wants vs. needs: why not fill both? | get sticky with cas
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

before you start thinking, “oh gosh, this is going to be a hugely expensive technological overhaul of my firm,” stop. cas does need you to adapt to an optimal technology mix, but it does not mean you just throw away your current technology and bring in entirely new technology. cas does not need a technological transformation of your firm. depending upon your existing technology stack, it may only require some reorganization, integration and adjustment.
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