survey: only 19% of firms host email
the percentage keeps shrinking.
the accounting firm operations and technology survey
surveys & research
52% of firms look outside for it support
“i’ll just handle it myself” is the answer for 28 percent.
the accounting firm operations and technology survey
more than half of accounting firms look outside their walls to solve information technology issues, but that doesn’t mean they all do it the same way.
more: pandemic changed work for 64% | pandemic? what pandemic? | m&a looms large for 30% of firms | today’s top 3 tech problems: security, client onboarding and workflow | today’s top 3 problems: staffing, workflow and tech
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.
an external consultant is an answer 30.9 percent of the time, for projects or as needed, with a managed service provider taking on the rest. of respondents who handle things on their own, 80 percent are solo practitioners, while full-time it staff or an it department are 60 percent likely at extra-large firms. read more →
firms battle disruptions in communications and workflows
next up? scheduling and paper.
the accounting firm operations and technology survey
covid-19 and its variants forced a number of challenges upon the accounting profession. accountants are telling us that tops on that list were communication and workflow, at 49.4 and 49.1 percent respectively. even solos felt the burn, at 40.6%, so it wasn’t all internal communication to blame, although large firms of 51-100 felt it most sharply, at 60%.
survey results
more: pandemic changed work for 64% | pandemic? what pandemic? | m&a looms large for 30% of firms | today’s top 3 tech problems: security, client onboarding and workflow | today’s top 3 problems: staffing, workflow and tech
some responses that didn’t hit the top six still were notable. postal mail was called out by 21.9 percent, including 40 percent of solos and 33.3 percent of large firms. solos also reported phone calls and lost income at 24.6 percent. despite most groups saying lost income was a challenge, relatively few put that figure anywhere near the one for paying bills, except extra-large firms noting 11.8 percent difficulty with lost income and 5.9 percent with paying bills.
details by firm size read more →
the big money in cas for small firms
you should see more investment and more referrals.
by hitendra patil
client accounting services: the definitive success guide
the cloud makes it possible – no, it makes it inevitable – for smart business owners to focus on their core business and let professional accountants take care of accounting, including transactional work (to be done accurately).
more: what cas is and isn’t | do you value your cas value? | the mindset you need for client accounting services
this new possibility gives rise to cas opportunities for accountants to work in collaboration with business owners in real-time.
cas is one of the fastest-growing new revenue segments of many top 100 firms, but perhaps the even bigger cas opportunity is more relevant and more available to smaller accounting firms.
clients would switch for portals
surprised? it comes down to security.
by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间
the latest data from atomik research’s 2021 client expectations study shows that cpa firms without portals, apps and solid security face a high probability of losing clients.
and not just a few but most.
more in surveys & research: m&a looms large for 30% of firms | is remote the new normal? | the top challenges in these turbulent times | new worlds of opportunity | accountants agree: the top five ways to fix the irs | survey: firms on the brink of big spending | irs audit rates are dropping, and big earners couldn’t be happier | six more ways to fix the irs | cpa hiring rises as number of new grads continues to decline | 2022世界杯赛程安排 | six quick solutions for irs backlogs | the big battles ahead for corporate finance
overall, a staggering 78 percent of small businesses say they would consider switching accountants to one that uses “the latest technology.”
they aren’t necessarily expecting the latest in accounting software, but a burgeoning majority think an accountant with a portal might suffice to get them to jump the fence.
read more →
pandemic changed work for 64%
extra-large firms had the easiest going.
the accounting firm operations and technology survey
covid-19 threw some in accounting – 3 percent – into turmoil, while 61.4 percent reported that some change was in order.
more: pandemic? what pandemic? | m&a looms large for 30% of firms | today’s top 3 tech problems: security, client onboarding and workflow | today’s top 3 problems: staffing, workflow and tech
when hourly-billing hurts profits
the rule of three algorithm vs. the new cost-plus worksheet.
the time has come for the accounting professional to rethink the paradigm on which pricing has been based.
most now agree that the traditional methods of price setting can have a negative impact on a firm.
more: the morning after the merger | 6 action steps for a smooth retirement transition | the eternal riddle of being an effective leader | 7 pieces of leadership advice | tomorrow’s leader in 9 bullet points | 5 ways to get clients to accept a new pricing philosophy | 11 alternative pricing methods
somewhere along the line accountants began to believe that an hour of their work had a set value to their clients. as we shall see, this false assumption has led to the current state of affairs and has caused accountants to:
- produce more chargeable hours by constantly reinventing the wheel
- hoard work and, consequently, do a poor job of delegating
- inhibit the creation of more efficient ways of producing accounting services
- hinder the development of more efficient project management
survey: firms on the brink of big spending
pent-up plans are ready to break loose.
by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间
the accounting firm operations and technology survey
irs audit rates are dropping, and big earners couldn’t be happier
for the wealthy, the irs says it’s out-gunned.
by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间
the percentage of taxpayers audited by the irs has been in precipitous decline since 2010, with the steepest decline in – surprise, surprise! – the highest income bracket, according to a new study.
hoisted from comments: “it is not the auditors who are to blame. it is the irs processes that the auditors are following.”
the odds of a taxpayer being audited are astonishingly low, an average of just 0.25% in 2019, way down from 0.9% in 2010.
more on tax: six quick solutions for irs backlogs | accountants agree: the top five ways to fix the irs | irs tops list of busy season problems | thinking commercial real estate? think fast. | new small firm cost seg opportunities | what gig workers want | accountants agree: the top five ways to fix the irs | tax season ’22: working harder for every dollar | irs tops list of busy season problems
audit rates for brackets between $25,000 and $500,000 are well below average, just 0.17%.
read more →
pandemic? what pandemic?
how some firms are flourishing in the new normal.
the accounting firm operations and technology survey
one of the benefits of an annual report such as the accounting firm operations and technology survey is the opportunity to see not only the current sentiments but those from years before. sometimes, though, new issues arise and are momentous to warrant inclusion via a new question … as when covid-19 crashed onto the scene.
more: m&a looms large for 30% of firms | today’s top 3 tech problems: security, client onboarding and workflow | today’s top 3 management problems: staffing, workflow and tech
of those working at home for the first time, by far the largest group fell into large firms of 51 to 100 employees, where 93.3 percent were new to remote work. medium and extra-large flanked them in those results, at 51.9 percent and 47.1 percent respectively. see table: read more →
what cas is and isn’t
the clients buy more services and are “stickier.”
by hitendra patil
client accounting services: the definitive success guide
client accounting services (cas) is the new revenue segment you cannot afford to miss.
if you are an accounting firm owner/partner, you do not want to miss the emerging, growing, and profitable opportunities in client accounting services.
more: do you value your cas value? | the mindset you need for client accounting services
before we get to why, to ensure that we are on the same page, let us agree on a description of what cas is.
how is cas different than what i am doing now?
in a brief survey that i conducted, one of the most common questions i received from accountants (from firms of nearly all sizes) was, “how is cas different than what i am doing now?”
read more →
cpa hiring rises as number of new grads continues to decline
plus: where the new entry-level jobs are.
by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间
the accounting industry has long worried about the gradual disappearance of the profession – not for lack of need, but for lack of professionals.
more on staffing: when an employee’s growth has gaps | private equity shakes up u.k. firms | my first trainee | unlock your accountant super powers | from senior to manager in 12 quick questions | staffing crisis: 40% are looking for new jobs | nine biz-dev metrics for making partner | cpa roi doa: why the next-gen accountant won’t be a cpa |
let’s face it – accounting isn’t especially attractive to college students. it has a reputation for being dull, and anyone who has talked with experienced practitioners knows that a job can require long hours.
and then there are the extra hours of study required to pass the cpa exam. and then there are the years of work (and relatively low pay) required to really learn accountancy. and then there’s the cpe needed – official and un – just to keep up with changing rules and regs.
but there are upsides, too. read more →
m&a looms large for 30% of firms
most solos are happy as they are.
the accounting firm operations and technology survey
mergers and acquisitions for growth are on the minds of 30% of accounting firms, whether within the next year or further out. however, 56% have no such inclination and say a flat “no” to the prospect.
more: today’s top 3 tech problems: security, client onboarding and workflow | today’s top 3 problems: staffing, workflow and tech
for some firms, of course, these activities are options to be acquired. medium firms (11-50) top that interest at 9.6%, while 5.1% of small firms and 3.1% of solos are investigating their options, in the table below.