technology

tech tools for today’s properly equipped field audit teams

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accountant searching for lawsthe right monitors, scanners and web tools.

by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless

the advent of today’s audit “document container” applications has transitioned every aspect of audit production into a digital format.

more on tech spending: accounting firms run on more than checklists alone | going paperless means convincing clients first | how to cut tax prep costs with scanners | making digital tax process easier is all about the workflow | why firms need document retention standards | is your network drive a disaster waiting to happen? | intranet is the best place for firm knowledge | digital fax has benefits you may be ignoring | wireless is hot, and here’s how to handle it | how safe is your internet lifeline? | new tech tools for the 24/7 accounting firm

the key to successfully using these engagement applications is to make sure your personnel have the optimal equipment with them to work digitally. this includes:

  • monitors,
  • scanners and
  • internet connections.

read more →

accounting firms run on more than checklists alone

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business man pointing the text: duplicate successhow savvy firms capture their best practices and foster continuous improvement.

by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless

every firm has accountants who are 10 percent, 20 percent or even 50 percent more productive in their departments than other personnel because they have simply “figured it out.”

more on tech spending: going paperless means convincing clients first | how to cut tax prep costs with scanners | making digital tax process easier is all about the workflow | why firms need document retention standards | intranet is the best place for firm knowledge | digital fax has benefits you may be ignoring | wireless is hot, and here’s how to handle it | how safe is your internet lifeline? | new tech tools for the 24/7 accounting firm | when to adopt microsoft’s new office apps

unfortunately, when these people leave the firm, their unique knowledge of specific processes and shortcuts goes with them. read more →

going paperless means training clients, too

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stock image of businessman pushing a giant stack of documents isolated on white backgroundand putting a fail-safe system in place.

by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless

one of the most critical steps in transitioning a firm to a “paperless” environment is capturing information in a digital format at its “root” source as that information enters the firm.

more on tech spending: how to cut tax prep costs with scanners | making digital tax process easier is all about the workflow | why firms need document retention standards | digital fax has benefits you may be ignoring | wireless is hot, and here’s how to handle it | how safe is your internet lifeline? | new tech tools for the 24/7 accounting firm | how to choose the right backup system | where laptops rule at cpa firms today | step 1 in building the paperless firm: scanners

at the base level, this means having clients provide you information in a digital format — which can be done via email, digital fax or through a portal — rather than with a physical document.  while email is currently the most prevalent tool utilized by clients, it is anticipated the security concerns will help clients transition toward portals.

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what if accounting firms were apps?

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smartphone12 ways the app phenomenon could change the way you think about your practice.

by hitendra patil

consider, for a moment, the new “app economy.” there are over a million apps in apple and google stores, with hundreds of them doing much the same thing in almost the same way. according to pew research, 90 percent of americans have cellphones and 67 percent find themselves checking their phones for messages, alerts or calls — even when they don’t notice their phones ringing or vibrating.

so, are accounting firms like apps already — offering the same services, same deliverables, same outcomes at the same or similar prices? if so, the only thing missing in the accounting marketplace is an “accounting services app store.”

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wisdom tells us to “hang out where clients do.” yet, there are hardly any “accounting firm apps” on the app stores. read more →

no more printouts at cpe programs?

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ed mendlowitz cpa the practice doctor q and atech advice for everyday use.

by ed mendlowitz
the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 practice doctor

question: i always like to take notes on the handouts when i attend cpe programs. now all the handouts are provided digitally and it forces me to sometimes print out as much as 400 or 500 pages before i go to the program. how can i get the sponsors to provide printed copies?

response: things change. what worked yesterday doesn’t always work today. read more →

why firms need document retention standards

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composite image of hand writing with markertwo steps can set your firm on the right path.

by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless

managing digital files is in many ways similar to managing paper files in that the firm must have standards for who can create a document, add to or edit a document, file it and eventually purge the file. unfortunately as digital files are on the network and “out of sight,” many firms are not really aware of: read more →

is your network drive a disaster waiting to happen?

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big pile of wires on the floorcloud systems can ease the burden at upgrade time.

by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless

the network drive in most firms is not very well organized and needs the most cleanup. this happens because it is usually managed with windows explorer, which allows almost anyone to create or access a file anywhere on the drive.

more on tech spending: digital fax has benefits you may be ignoring | wireless is hot, and here’s how to handle it | how safe is your internet lifeline? | new tech tools for the 24/7 accounting firm | the single best defense against computer viruses | when to adopt microsoft’s new office apps | how to choose the right backup system | how to know it’s time to scrap your old server | step 1 in building the paperless firm: scanners | how many computer monitors do you need?

unfortunately, there is seldom a firm standard that is adhered to, allowing users to create files with any name they want and store it anywhere they please. the result can be files that are hard to find and slow to search across the network. read more →

intranet is the best place for firm knowledge

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computer tech lock istock_000011879042smallintranets are the best way to capture and centralize firm knowledge.

by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless

firm knowledge and information is usually stored in one of four “buckets.”

  1. the most obvious is within the accounting applications themselves where tax, audit and accounting programs store client files in a format that can only be accessed with that program. files are usually indexed and accessed in designated directories so there is not much the firm can do about moving these files. read more →

digital fax has benefits you may be ignoring

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fax machine in office on table closeup on a background of office cabinet3 ways to maximize your system.

by roman h. kepczyk
quantum of paperless

accounting firms striving to capture all data in a digital format need to go beyond paper and include fax and voicemail systems as well.

at leading firms today, 66 percent of firms have a digital fax system that integrates with email for digital delivery, 37 percent are using video calling, and 27 percent use instant messaging.

kepczyk
kepczyk

more on tech spending: wireless is hot, and here’s how to handle it | how safe is your internet lifeline? | new tech tools for the 24/7 accounting firm | the single best defense against computer viruses | when to adopt microsoft’s new office apps | what windows 8 means for how accountants will work in the future | how to choose the right backup system | how to know it’s time to scrap your old server | where laptops rule at cpa firms today | step 1 in building the paperless firm: scanners | how many computer monitors do you need?

traditional inbound faxes are usually printed from a fax machine and then hand delivered to the recipient’s desk. in some cases this image is actually re-scanned and emailed to the recipient. while this is a step toward digital delivery, today’s digital fax systems deliver a digital image to the recipient via email so they can access them within their email.

to maximize your systems, consider: read more →