special

why daily t/e entry matters

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laughing businesswoman talking on the phone in office in front of four monitorshow about better cash collection?

by roman h. kepczyk

studies done over the past two decades have clearly shown that there is a significant improvement in realization for firms that enter, release and post time and expenses on a daily basis. this process allows for daily or “hotel”-type billing that is sent out with the completion of each billable project.

more: the case for digital auditing | what your auditors need in the field | why you want a digital tax workflow system | why digital communications matter | the right tech tools for covid work-from-home | it’s 10 p.m. do you know where your backups are? | the best scanners to buy today
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the next step in the evolution of time and billing systems provided real-time dashboards to report on firm activities and effectively allow firms to generate invoices. this can work only if all time and expenses for all personnel are captured within the system. while most firms have a daily time entry “policy,” the biggest abusers of the policy are often owners and managers, so it is about time for them to get on board and use the system.
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how to create your firm’s cas team

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plus how to boost their skillsets.

by hitendra patil
accountaneur: the entrepreneurial accountant

“we do not have the staffing for client accounting services.”

non-cas firms cite this as the topmost reason for not being able to offer cas. nothing could be further from the truth.

more: technology and your cas clients | will 2021 be your cash-flow year? | identifying the right clients for cas | cas is, first, a communication challenge | which of your existing clients are cas-fit? | client accounting services: the definitive guide
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experience of firms that offer cas, including that of small firms with fewer than five staff members, proves beyond doubt that you do not need more staff to start offering cas. even solo practitioners provide cas. the only thing you need to begin your cas journey is to be ruthless, relentless and fearless to leverage newer and cloud technologies. automation, integration and even artificial intelligence make it easier, faster and cheaper to perform some repetitive, time-consuming work of accounting firms.
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reaching for authenticity in client service

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female executive greeting coupletechnology is a tool, not an end result.

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals

do you ever wonder if events you attend have an air of authenticity around them or are they simply staged? what about the options offered on new cars or the latest and greatest upgrades to a tech gadget? is the hype greater than the actual product? is what is considered innovation really just an incremental change that competitors can duplicate, albeit with minor modifications?

more: bigger firm, bigger thinking | can a cpa firm be different in a changing market? | a rapidly changing business environment requires flexibility | another meeting?!?! … sigh
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as for professional services firms, are they providing a unique service in a unique fashion? today, clients are looking at the cost of traditional audit and tax work. because they are commoditized services, the decision is price-driven, so lowballing becomes routine for firms.
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incremental vs. exceptional success

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stylized industrial 3d number 8eight seismic changes have altered the future of accounting firms.

by anthony zecca
leading from the edge

“all organizations are perfectly designed to get the results they are now getting. if we want different results, we must change the way we do things.” – tom northup, author of “five hidden mistakes ceos make”

what a great statement not just about accounting firms, but all organizations – “perfectly designed to get the result they are now getting.” there is another old saying that goes something like this: “if you want different results you have to do things differently.” center leaders hold onto the status quo whereas edge leaders constantly push the envelope of what is possible – pushing to the future edge.

more on edge leadership: assessing your firm | the 4 traits of great cpa leaders | why leaders must ensure clarity | incremental vs. exceptional success | do you lead or just manage? | managing vs. leading | is your leadership team at the edge? | 6 leadership challenges through covid and beyond | edge leaders share 7 strengths | leadership must drive culture | leading from the edge
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leadership is a topic that has been researched, talked about, written about, training sessions built around, and endless models developed – yet it is also one of the most challenging issues in most firms today. over my career, i have worked and consulted with leaders of all shapes and styles and firms that experienced varying degrees of success. based on working with hundreds of companies, my conclusions – and two of the primary reasons that drove me to write my book – are that in many cases, firms are performing below their capabilities and every firm has the potential to reach higher levels of performance if and when leadership moves from the center to the edge. edge leaders want to be at the top of the pack when it comes to all metrics that matter whereas center leaders are content to remain average.
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be more efficient with tech stacks

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screwdriver and wrenchstandardizing also makes you better connected.

by jody grunden
building the virtual cfo firm in the cloud

i believe it’s important for accounting firms to standardize their technology “stack.” having a standardized tech stack of applications helps to automate every corner of your workflow.

more: put bots to work for you | not all employees want the same perks | what running a virtual cpa firm really costs | give your leadership team time to lead | hate billing? use a different method | use bots to your advantage
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the applications you use should be seen as an extension of your business. your onboarding process will be more effective if your team doesn’t have to learn a new set of tools every time a new client comes on board.
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rely on strengths … but not too much

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don’t let them become weaknesses.

by bill reeb

while there are many lessons in martial arts that repeat themselves, the idea that a strength can also become a weakness is a commonly recurring one.

more: increase your odds of success | make tension work for you | it’s all right to enjoy success | failure paves the road to wisdom | are you paralyzed by fear? | how to change the way you think (and why) | have your beliefs stopped serving you?
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but it doesn’t make sense – how could a strength ever be bad? well,  here are a couple of examples.
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compensation is no way to manage partners

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man counting $100 bills into three piles6 ways to combine it with personal interventions.

by marc rosenberg
the role of the managing partner

too many firms’ primary way to manage partner performance and hold them accountable is with compensation. their reasoning is this:

more: make sure partners focus on two things | manage partners with goal setting | overarching authority that managing partners must have | herding cats: advice for managing partners
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if partners perform well, they will see their reward in the form of higher compensation. if partners perform below expectations, they will get the message in the form of a disappointing compensation number. other methods are not necessary. it’s all about the money.
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20 good ways to boost tax season production

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people in office releasing balloonspeople like fun … but that’s not all they value.

by ed mendlowitz
call me before you do anything: the art of accounting

i have always loved accounting and tax season, but i have worked with many people who did not.

more: how to recoup staff training costs | granting unconventional request pays off | 20 best practices for staff training and retention | what does the client want to see? | 6 ways to increase your fees … if you dare | the clients who got away
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they resented many of the working conditions and had a closed-in feeling that heightened their dislike of my great profession. i resolved that when i had my own practice i would not create that type of atmosphere.
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the happier, saner, richer tax firm

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scrambled thoughts enter man's head, straightened ones come outit’s not easy, but it is possible.

by frank stitely
the relentless cpa

i’m back. since writing the “relentless cpa – the new 21st century system for driving success at tax and accounting firms,” i have spoken to dozens of cpas and accountants, been called a dozen names (some of them deserved), and received a few death threats.

more: ‘quick questions’ and other client sins | how to train clients | how to reduce tax return errors | why your firm needs to attract more millenials | the fool in the room | the 3 biggest tech failures of accounting firms | 7 steps to effective project management
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actually, the death threats came from my wife, who said she’d kill me if i said “yes” to any new projects. she watches lots of crime shows, so the fbi regarded her threats as serious. i am writing this to buy a bulletproof vest for when she gets out of jail. thank you for your contribution to saving my life.
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the case for digital auditing

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it’s time for some outside help.

by roman h. kepczyk

traditional audit practices use the previous year’s audit programs and processes updated for the current year as their standard operating plan. eventually this can lead to a significant amount of “overauditing.” breaking this habit is difficult as every level of staff has been trained in the manual processes and falls back on them when deadlines approach.

more: what your auditors need in the field | the value of firm procedures manuals | retaining documents: how long and who decides? | the case for wireless broadband access | maximize your office 365 roi | how the cloud impacts server replacement
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many firms have rightfully transitioned to digital “document container” applications such as caseware, wolterskluwer/cch engagement and thomson reuters engagement cs. not all of these firms have changed their approach to reviewing progress on the audit and the financial reporting on a computer screen in a digital format.
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put bots to work for you

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how one firm does it.

by jody grunden
building the virtual cfo firm in the cloud

there’s no doubt that advancements in technology are changing the world, and the accounting industry is no exception. technology is making us more productive, more efficient and more connected.

more: not all employees want the same perks | not all employees will work out | learning to love video calls | be more effective remotely with disc | protect client files from cyberthreats | get ready to launch virtual cfo services | riches in niches
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on the flip side, it’s also taking over some of our jobs. this is a reality in the accounting industry that we cannot ignore. technology is driving major changes for the future of the accounting world. we need to be aware of what’s happening and take strategic steps to advance along with these changes. otherwise, we are going to be left in the dust.
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