Project Part 1: Problem Identification

Robert Jones, CPA is a small accounting firm in Orlando, Florida. At this time, all the files are paper files. There is an off-site storage space and a file room in the office, both of which are filled to capacity. A previous employee is now contracted by the firm and works from her home in Houghton, MI. In order to complete the work, most of the data has to be mailed and/or faxed back and forth. Only some of the information is transferred electronically. "Going paperless" could possibly solve both of these problems. Obviously, if the data were electronic, they would require a lot less space. Also, if all data coming in and going out were electronic, it would save time and money in the transfer between Orlando and Houghton. In addition to saving time and money transferring files, there is also the time it takes to manually file papers, organize the files, and look for files that are in the wrong place. Would it be worthwhile for Robert Jones, CPA, P.A. to become a paperless office? If so, how would the firm go about converting?

Project Part 2: Fact Finding

In a telephone interview with Robert Jones President of Robert Jones, CPA, P.A., on September 28, 2007, we were able to find out exactly what the filing situation is at his firm and what resources he has available to make it more efficient. Mr. Jones was able to explain his only concern with converting to a paperless office. He also gave us his timing and budget constraints. We were also able to determine what hardware he already has in place. This primary source is extremely relevant; it is needed to define the parameters of the entire project.

An article written by Amir Morani (2006) presents a real experience of a CPA who used the paperless technology to improve the performance and efficiency of his business. One of the benefits mentioned by the author includes using a client-server network with a T1 internet connection on his office system from over 10,000 miles away without any problems. In addition to talking about the benefits of having a paperless office, he also discusses that is isn't a painful experience getting there. This source is a primary source since the author is talking about his personal experience and his opinions on the subject. This source is relevant to the project because it gave a very good example of a paperless CPA office being a success.

Another CPA who talks about his paperless conversion experience is Tom Davis. He gives some facts, but mostly opinions regarding the process. The useful information provided is primarily the steps to take along with some of the problems that may be encountered. This primary source is relevant because he not only talks about the benefits, but also is very realistic in warning about the problems that may arise, reducing the number of surprises once implementation begins.

The CPA Technology Advisor is the online version of a technology magazine for CPA firms and offices. They give reviews and other tips and tricks for CPA professionals on a variety of topics. Useful information gathered includes a review of different software used for document management and other aspects of the software needed to go to a paperless office. This source is a combination of opinions and facts. Some of the information is primary and some is secondary. This source is relevant to our problem because it gives a basis to judge the software options we have for CPAs.

References

• CPA Technology Advisor Retrieved September 29, 2007 from http://www.cpatechnologyadvisor.com/
• Davis, Tom C. (June 20, 2005) Going "Paperless" - The First Decision Retrieved September 20, 2007 from http://www.knowledge.org/articles/June%202005%20-%20Going%20paperless%20-%20the%20first%20decision.pdf
• Morani, Amir, (2006) Paperless CPA Office - Myth or Reality? Retrieved September 20, 2007 from http://ezinearticles.com/?Paperless-CPA-Offce---Myth-or-Reality?&id=121625

Project Part 3: Solution Criteria and Limitations, Solution Suggestions

In a telephone interview with Robert Jones on September 28, 2007, we were able to determine exactly what resources the firm has available to use to improve the filing situation. Some information is the personal knowledge of team member Anita Brill, since she worked in the firm for six years. Currently, paper files are located in several different locations. There are current files in a file room consisting of thirty-six file drawers, stacks of general ledgers in an extra office, and an offsite storage unit housing older files that are not accessed frequently. All of these locations are filled to capacity. In order to continue using the paper filing method, the space of four to six lateral file drawers is needed for the next year. Since public accounting is seasonal, the best time of year to undertake a major project, such as converting to a paperless office, is between October 15th and January 15th. So, the solution must take less than three months to fully implement. Mr. Jones has two employees that would be able to spend some time on the project. His current computer hardware set up is a computer with three hard drives with a RAID backup system in place. This computer is Mr. Jones's computer as well as the firm's server. Each of the employees has a computer that is networked to the server. He is also currently leasing a high-end copier that is network ready. This copier can be connected to the network using an existing, unused, ethernet connection. The copier has high speed scanning capabilities. Mr. Jones's budget for this project is $3,000. He sounds like he is willing and ready to make the leap into a new age of technology.

The first option, but definitely not the best, would be to do nothing. The firm would still have the problem of where to go with all of the new files. This option would solve nothing.

Along those same lines, there is the idea that Mr. Jones could just retire. If he stops working, he stops creating files which he has no room to store.

A step above doing nothing would be for the firm to rent another storage unit. Enough files could be shifted out of the file room into a new storage unit to make room for the files coming in for the next tax year.

One of the solutions is to do a full scan of all the documents in the office, along with all the documents in the off-site storage, as well as all new incoming documents. This solution would free up a lot of space. If all the present documents were scanned into the computer, the original documents could be shredded or taken off-site.

Since a full scan of all the documents may take longer than his two employees have the time for, Mr. Jones could outsource the scanning of all the existing records. Although costing more, he would still have a completely digital filing system.

Another solution proposed involves only scanning new documents. This solution leaves all of the current documents being stored on and off-site the way they are, while scanning all those that are incoming. This solution would alleviate the problem of the high cost of scanning all the existing documents; while still implementing the efficiency of digital filing.

A different option would be to scan all the off-site documents, as they cause more inefficiency and cost than the current on-site storage. Also, all the new incoming documents are filed efficiently through digital scans and computer filing.

A "hybrid" solution was suggested. The need for a hard copy may still be desired and stored in the current system, but scanned digitally for ease of retrieval. This would be applied to all incoming documents in order to cut down time tracking down papers while still having the hard copies.

Yet another solution is to scan all of the "miscellaneous" papers in addition to the new incoming documents. This solution was based on Anita's personal knowledge of random papers stacked and floating around the office. If all these documents were scanned, there would be no worries as to where the documents were; they could easily be accessed on the computer.

The firm could manually manage documents and organization electronically. The CPA office staff does all the software management by themselves, using folders and sub folders on a computer. The person would scan a document into a computer and then place it within a designated folder on the server machine. How the folders would be organized, would be to fit the company's needs.

The firm could implement the software package, ArkWorks (2007). ArkWorks is purely a document management package. It is made by the same company that makes the tax program he uses (TaxWorks). ArkWorks fully integrates with TaxWorks, but also works easily with other programs.

Another package the firm could use is Office Tools Pro (CPA Technology Advisor, 2007). This is a software package provided by North 40 Systems, and designed for small CPA firms of 40 employees or less. The software package would have all the document management software needed, plus all the software for running and maintaining the office. Also included is training and upgrades for the first year, with all other years at a set rate.

CaseWare International Inc. offers CaseWare Time and Today 2007 (CPA Technology Advisor, 2007), a software package for midsize to smaller firms. This is actually two different software tools packaged together to provide a complete solution. Like Office Tools Pro they offer all the software and tools needed to manage documents and run the CPA office.

To come up with these solution suggestions, The Paperless Pros used a combination of "the borrow file," brainstorming, and also expanding current alternatives using subdivision. One creative thinking technique we used was the borrow file. We borrowed ideas from the CPA Technology Advisor website. We got ideas on which software packages to use from their reviews and personal experience. This gave us the ideas of using Office Tools Pro and CaseWare Time and Today 2007. We also brainstormed, which produced ideas such as retiring and outsourcing the document scanning. Ideas produced by expanding the current alternatives using subdivision were the different approaches to scanning the documents. We first came up with scanning all documents, which led us to all the partial document strategies.

Although we did not seem to have much trouble, there were a few minor conceptual blocks. One of the problems we encountered was vertical thinking, or looking at the problem in a specific format. Initially, it was thought that the problem is a need or demand for digital or paperless records and filing. After discussing the problem and getting access to more information, however, it was noted that the problem is much more general and can be described simply as filing inefficiency. Once this was determined, a lot more feasible solutions and assumptions could be made in order to better approach the problem. We were able to get past this by storytelling. With Anita's personal knowledge, she was able to talk about different situations in the firm so that everyone else could understand the problems and come up with more ideas.

Another conceptual block that our team has experienced thus far is an artificial constraint. We overcame this constraint by trying to "think outside the box." We also tried to think of some ideas that were "out there", because we knew that that would widen our thoughts to make us think of some ideas outside of the different versions of one idea we had been coming up with. We put our own boundaries on the solutions that we were coming up with outside of the boundaries that the client had given us. We had been expecting cost constraints and personnel constraints different than what was specified, and we were, at times, using our self imposed boundaries instead of the clients given boundaries. We also tried to think about some different ideas we could use, which seemed kind of wild at the time, but eventually helped us to condense our ideas into a reasonable one that really did work.

Another instance where we had some difficulties was populating the solution list. We encountered this when we noticed a large amount of similar solutions and had trouble deviating from them. This was largely due to the fact that our team relied on more rational and linear brainstorming for a majority of the solutions. This actually hindered the variety of possible solutions that were at our disposal and even if a solution that is more right brained isn't used it can help to develop other options. Eventually we noted this and came up with some more solutions that had a much larger variance.

Project Part 4: Solution Evaluation and Selection

No additional requirements were added to Mr. Jones's requirements. We felt that his were thorough enough. The absolute requirements are as follows:

• Does it save space?
• Can it be completed prior to January 15, 2008?
• Will it take more than two employees to complete it?
• Is the total cost less than $3,000?

These requirements ruled out doing nothing, retiring, renting another storage unit, scanning all the documents, outsourcing the scanning of all the existing records, and the hybrid method, which was scanning and keeping hardcopies. You can see a breakdown of the absolute requirement selection process on appendix A.

There are two major decisions that need to be made with regards to approaching a paperless office. The first decision is which documents to scan and which to keep in the current filing system. Scanning all the documents was ruled out due to time and money. That left us with two options: scan the new incoming files and along with the off-site storage; and only scanning the income files.

Scanning only the new incoming files would solve the space issue, without taking a lot of time and energy up front. All the current files would remain as they are, and the new files would be electronic. We determined that scanning the thousands of files would be way too time consuming. The downside to this is that employees would still have to access these files the old fashioned way. They still may run into the problem of not being able to locate documents.

The other option is to scan all the offsite storage files along with the new incoming files. This would give them the benefit of having their least accessible files on the server. This would save the time it takes to drive to storage, find the file, and hope it has what they are looking for. All the current files would still be in the file room in the office, since those are easier to access. This option would take a quite a bit more time initially. The question that needs to be asked is this: which will take more time in the long run, scanning all the documents now, or driving to storage to get a file once a month at the most? The answer to this is probably scanning all the documents will take more time. This means that this may not be the most cost efficient option.

The second major decision to be made is how to organize the data once it is scanned. We narrowed this down to four options, including manually organizing the data using the file system built into Windows; or using one of the following three software packages: Office Tools Pro, CaseWare, or ArkWorks.

The basis of the incoming paper manual scan is that the inflexibility of automated systems can be undesirable and a bit more than is needed for the small firm environment. The first concept behind the manual scan is that a protocol should be set up so that once paper or digital information is received it can be processed, stored, and be readily accessible to workers. This involves accessibility to current and possibly additional hardware as well as setting up a yearly, quarterly, and client based file system structure. Also, proper direction or instruction may be needed in order to allow for the proper use of the methods to be laid out in order to maintain consistent digital information as well as file system structure. The benefits of this type of solution implementation are minimized monetary startup costs, flexibility, relative ease of use, minimalist requirements (KISS), very high level of data accessibility, very easy data transfer, and low change in current working operations. The downside of this solution would be that it may require extra user input time, no outside support system, future turnover due to lack of updating, and it doesn't improve upon existing storage inefficiencies. One solution that we have selected is a type of software called Office Tools Pro. Office Tools Pro (OTP) is accounting specific software that is easy to use and has the ability to replace multiple programs with just one program that does everything. OTP is software designed and built for the small business, which is what our client is. OTP is also one of the fastest growing providers in the accounting field with regards to accountancy. The reason we select Office Tools Pro is because it is truly designed for the small business and it is easy to use for people who have not been working with software for a long time. OTP is also designed to use with minimum hardware requirements and minimum operating systems. OTP can run on only 128mb of ram and only takes up 60mb of disk space; however, the printer that is being used with the software will have to have at least 4mb or ram. OTP can function on a general operating system; it can work on Windows 2000, XP or Vista. The cost of OTP varies depending on the type of software you get for the business, and how many users will be accessing the data. For a one user package the price varies from $250 to $550, and each additional user is an additional $175. Office Tools Pro also offers many other services of which can be accessed by paying the yearly renewal fee. In the end, we selected OTP for the final group because it has a variety of user options, and it is not very complicated to use.

CaseWare International Inc. provides CaseWare Time and Today 2007 as an option for paperless offices; this software package is designed for midsize to smaller firms. This is actually two different software tools, Time 2007 and Today 2007, packaged together to provide a complete solution. With this bundle they offer all the necessary tools required to run a paperless office. The software focuses on positive firm and end-user experiences. One way it does this is that it has a system built in that allows for a worker to edit a file while away form the office. With support for Microsoft Outlook, it makes it easy to import all your business contacts into the database. There is a built in PDF generator that helps to provide easy document management, so that you can easily email them to clients. CaseWare is focused to provide a stable product, to help ensure product longevity and quality support through user guides and online tips. Downsides to this solution is that it require training to get all the workers familiar with the software, which could translate into extensive downtime. Also the software does not fully support the current software system used by the office, so integration of the new software will be harder. Another potential bad spot is that the software is not a new edition, rather only an upgrade of the 2006 edition, this could provide for longer down time to get the system up to one hundred percent.

ArkWorks is a program designed by the same company that makes TaxWorks, the software that the firm uses to prepare tax returns. This software is purely a document management system, costing $995. This price is a one time fee, no annual renewal costs. There is the option to buy an upgrade from year to year, but it is not required to continue using the product. The firm already has firm management software, so there would not be redundancy like there would with the other software suggestions. ArkWorks integrates seamlessly with TaxWorks as well as most other common software packages (Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat, etc.). The only drawback would be the time involved to train the employees to use the software.

Our weighting table (Appendix B) consists of seven solution suggestions and five secondary requirements. We separated the seven solution suggestions into two portions. The first portion included only scan the new documents, scan the off-site and new documents, and scan all misc documents. The second portion included manually scan and organize, ArkWorks, Office Tools Pro, and CaseWare.

We used five secondary requirements to rate each of the solution suggestions. The lowest rated requirement is recurring annual expense. We felt that of all the requirements, this was the least important. The next is minimum upkeep; we didn't feel that this was much more important than the recurring annual expense, and ranked it as a two. The third is minimum time, as it is much more important than the first two. They only have two employees during the normal office hours available to work on the conversion. All team members agreed the most important requirements are minimum startup cost and ease of use, and we rated them equally with a six. Even though there is a budget of $3,000, we want to find a solution that does not eat up his entire budget. Also, the solution must easy for everyone to use, so they do not need a lot of time to be trained.

The outcome of the weighting table was that scanning only new documents and using ArkWorks to organize these documents are the best selections.

Final results are as follows:

• Only scan new documents: 79
• Scan all miscellaneous papers: 63
• Scan off-site and new documents: 56
• Office Tools Pro: 91
• ArkWorks: 87
• CaseWare: 71
• Manually scan and organize: 57

The second selection technique we used was the nominal group technique. We broke down our selection process into two groups. The first group was how to handle scanning of the paperwork and the second group was how to organize the information scanned digitally. We went with the highest score winning, so for the first group with three options a person's first choice gets three points, second gets two and third gets one. During the voting process we all took turns ranking the options and then we had Anita mark in a table each persons picks. Once everyone had voted we tallied the votes and determined the winners. The option that won in the first group was to scan only new documents coming into the office.

Ultimately, our team felt that the weighting table was the best technique for solution evaluation for several reasons. Firstly, it seemed to allow for a much better representation of all the elements needed to have a truly successful solution whereas the Nominal Group Technique didn't address all of these elements on an individual basis. Also, the weighting and evaluation of each of the needed elements were sought out through a consensus rather than individual bias, thus giving a better representation of the actual impact upon the desired outcome. Also, the weighting table method eliminates the weight on individual preference by examining all aspects of a proposed solution instead of what a member would rather implement. This is extremely useful as often determining a software package for implementation can be based a lot upon simple personal preference rather than the whole impact that each software package has upon the desired outcome. Overall, because of the allowance for group discussion upon weighting and evaluating the different solutions we felt that the weighting table technique presented a far more accurate representation of each of the solutions effects upon the desired outcomes.

The winning suggestion seems to be (unanimously) scanning only new documents and organizing them. This will solve the firm's problem of not having any additional space for files. Eventually, all the old documents will be able to be shredded and he can stop utilizing the off-site storage. In the mean time, he will have a more efficient filing system for the files he is currently working on (beginning in January of 2008). This is also the most cost effective solution. Since none of the existing files are being scanned, there is virtually no time involved in beginning the process. Overall, these suggestions make up the best option for Robert Jones, CPA to go paperless.

A year ago, all I heard was cloud this and cloud that. I felt like I was in a crowded room where everyone was talking at the same time. After hearing so much and with so much attention given to this subject, I felt like a little clarity and practical application would be helpful. "Cloud Computing" means so many different things to different industries, but for our industry, the public accounting industry, there are a few components that need defining. In addition, there are advantages and disadvantages you need to review so you can make smart future decisions regarding the cloud.

First, allow me to lay out some important definitions, then, we can dig into the information that's really important. You could run out and purchase only "Web Version" products that run in a browser, which are usually priced with a monthly or annual cost. This part of the cloud is what is called SAAS, software as a service. In those crowded rooms this was spoken of often. At first, I thought people were talking about SAS, statement of auditing standards, which is really about the security of your data in cloud environments. While SAAS offerings are getting better, there's still room for improvement. The choices in our market are not only very limited, but many of these applications provide less than satisfactory performance speeds. This slower web application speed creates what I call a "productivity inefficiency" that still limit our firms. While more and more of these applications appear online, many have yet to clear the "too many screens" hurdle to complete one task. Applications and services like this often deliver novelty rather than time tested productivity. This causes them to fail as a viable option and should remain on the shelf for now. However, with the advent of new technologies, such as AJAX, web applications are improving, making them a more relevant, useful option as more vendors take them seriously.

Another part of the cloud is what we call Portals. This is like your bank account, Google Search, and other places you go and shop or have an account. For this article we will not discuss portals except to say that every firm should be transferring confidential data through a secured portal of some kind to their clients.

The part of the "cloud" that we need to really review is what's called ASP (Application Service Providers) or hosted environments. This is essentially taking your Windows applications, yes all of them, and putting them in a cloud environment allowing you and your office to access them over the web through a secure connection. This is normally not done through your internet browser. Instead, it is done with a remote connection similar to what is done with PC Anywhere or GoToMyPC. In most cases using MS Terminal Server Client is the standard.

When considering the ASP model I have identified some important factors you should review.

• Do you need just "cloud" space? This is where you have your own IT people and software licenses and you just want to move your applications to an outside "cloud" server.
• Do you want to rent space and an IT department? This is where you will provide the software licenses only.
• Do you want everything? This would be server space, IT department and software licenses. This is what I call the turn-key solution.

In talking with James Zachman, President of Real Time Data Services, he describes, "To just to rent space is like buying a car without an engine." Having the right team of IT professionals doing all the admin, installing, and support is important. They offer 24/7 support. His firm which has been at this for over 5 years and currently has thousands of users in more than 20 countries. They are seeing nearly a 100% growth each year further explaining that interest in Hosted ASP is at an all time high. Right Networks, a hosted ASP company, is actually providing the licensing for some applications. This allows you to pay for software monthly as well. Many vendors are looking into this arrangement in an attempt to become a turn-key solution. However at this time, this option is not widely available. The problem is that many software applications are not available in this way.

I have provided the following list of Pros and Cons to help you evaluate whether the hosted model is best for you.

Pros

• One place for everything
• Access everywhere at anytime
• Shared files with clients
• In some cases 24hr support
• Less or No need for local IT
• Reduced IT costs up to 50%
• Dynamic memory and disk space usage and management
• Data is backed up
• Better Security
• Fix Costs
• Turn-key
• Month to Month contracts
• Savings
• When replacing computers
• When repairing infected computers
• Reduced backup costs: no remote, no tapes and time
• Reduced software administration; updating and installing

Cons

• Dependent on internet connection
• Risk of data exposure
• Concerns about outsourcing
• Getting locked in with one vendor for all software and data
• Additional costs of monthly subscriptions
• Lack of "total" solution
• May need multiple vendors
• Need for some in house support

Seek the opinion of a consultant or two when considering changing to an ASP model for your firm. Our parent company's software "Practice Management", is completely "Cloud Ready". Below is a list of hosting vendors in our industry that we have come across. While there are many vendors out there these are not recommendations, but should only serve as a list for you convenience.

• Right Networks - www.rightnetworks.com
• Insync - www.insync.co.in
• Real Time Data Services - www.myrealdata.com
• Rose ASP - www.roseasp.com
• Paragon Support - www.paragonsupport.com
• ASP Application Solution Providers, Inc. - www.aspdd.com

Review what works and reinforce it. If you have been in business for any length of time, you may already know many of these things. However, I am a firm believer in refresher courses. I always come away with a renewed vision for improving the way I do things. This is an opportunity where we can pick ourselves up even after failing and get up and try again. Heck, who ever succeeded at something the first time they tried? Most of us had to put in a lot of hard work and even attempt many times before succeeding. The first time up to bat did you hit a home run? For many of us, a home run wasn't even in reach, but that didn't mean we stopped playing baseball. So, it never hurts to refresh ourselves by getting back to the basics.

Sometimes we need to go back and reinforce time tested policies and procedures. You know, remembering the things we learned early in our careers or in college. Some of the best things I have learned were handed down by mentors and colleagues. Handed down by people that got my attention early in life, before I thought I knew it all. This was at a time when my mind was still a sponge. Here are a few of those things that I am reintroducing into my firm.

The two minute rule: You know, if it can be done in two minutes or less, do it now. Don't wait, don't procrastinate, get it done. Otherwise, put it on a list for future reference. This holds true when I delegate tasks. If I have asked a staff member to pitch in on something, then I expect the same approach. I do have to be careful not to assume they have nothing to do! Just the same, they have the autonomy to do it now or place it on a list, but it better follow the two minute rule.

Another rule is to set aside time on the calendar for concentrated work time on specific tasks and responsibilities. Nothing is worse than putting off important things for the urgent and not calendaring time for important work. If we think its going to get done on its own, we are greatly mistaken. Ultimately, we will be the one working late at night finishing something for a deadline, if we don't schedule it. Some software will let you schedule reminders so you don't miss these scheduled work times.

Scheduling periodic employee reviews is very important. Nothing is worse than employees not knowing where they stand or left without personal and company goals. Reviews are a great way to put into action new responsibilities, correct behaviors and even set new goals. Giving staff something to reach for is instrumental in how well your firm serves its clients and how we feel about ourselves. If staff isn't at their best, customer service will suffer. Look into organizing your reviews so you can look back periodically at performance and goal attainment. You may also want to look into software that can help you with stay on track and remind you when they are due and what they are about.

Have brief staff meetings: Be sure to schedule, at minimum, monthly staff meetings to encourage a team attitude. Keep these short and well focused. No one likes long office meetings. Add to that, a yearly staff meeting or outing to introduce new policy and procedures and bring cohesiveness to the group. We are all different but we need to learn about each other so we can better work together.

Don't get involved in every part of your business. The biggest mistake I have made as a business owner is to be too involved in every aspect of the business. Actually, that's' probably too nicely put. Too "controlling" is more like it.

The problem lies in that, those who are willing to take the risk of business ownership end up too close and personally invested. It comes with the territory though, since we as owners have spent so much time developing the skills of running a business. We then coddle it, nurture it and then end up slaving over it. It's kind of like parenting a young child. You do every thing for that child and therefore it's hard to let it go when it grows up. Well, if you struggle with this then I encourage you to work on loosening the reigns because this is the number one killer to business growth.

You can avoid this pitfall by empowering employees through responsibility, authority and autonomy. Be sure to assign responsibility and build a process to accurately review progress. Through delegation you will find freedom, but without process and review, you will find problems like inaccurate or overdue work. Give staff the right kind of authority to make day to day decisions. Be clear on what areas are theirs and what is not. This must reflect delegation and not control from the staffs point of view. Ask, they will tell you what they think. Make sure you don't look over their shoulder too often. If they don't feel the autonomy it will affect office efficiency and productivity and then you will end up taking control of everything again.

Probably the most successful way to overcome the pitfalls of taking too much control is reinventing ourselves in our staff. Be sure to spend one on one time at the office sharing your business knowledge, vision and pitfalls. If your firm is small enough spend time with all staff. Remember... let go of control.

Redefine your business model and process. What is your brand? When ever I hear this my mind does back flips on the costs to branding and then I usually become stifled and do nothing. Yet, I know that this is important because I have visited successful businesses and felt a sense of rightness that I cannot deny. You know, walking through a really nice shopping mall, business office or restaurant. Someone spent time making this work just right. That's called branding. Does your signage, workplace and service attitude reflect this? If it doesn't, then its time to educate your selves and consider how you are going to get from where you are to where you ought to be.

Begin by defining what your firm's best skills or services or area of expertise are. Make a list. A long list is ok. Weed out things that are important to you, that don't bring in a lot of revenue. Now, everything including your firms name, sign, lobby, processes and they way you serve clients should line up with the list.

Review processes to align them with your vision. Improve by automating where possible. If you don't have workflow and paperless software systems, start looking. Get green, add a client web portal, improve the look and feel that your staff and clients get in your work place.

Review efficiencies. Where is wasted time spent? Review your work area. Is it clean and efficient? How do we overcome this? Re-evaluate how new technologies can get you there. Take advantage of other resources and training for making changes in your office. Hire an outside source to review you business model and branding. These are all ways to infuse change and reach the goals for your firm.

Be sure your A/R policies work. We as small firm owners love to do the work, but hate to have to collect for it. Why is that? Don't we deserve to be paid for what we do? Of course the answer is yes, but why to most owners struggle with this part of the business? I believe because it is more stressful to collect, especially on bad clients, than it is to do the work. We don't like the personal interaction, the pressure of negotiations, the fear of offending a client or even losing them. We had better get this right because cash flow is the life blood of our business.

By keeping good enforceable policies, utilizing staff and technology and maintaining a good attitude we can alleviate most of the stress about the collection process. One policy, especially on annual projects or one time projects is; money up front or upon completion. You don't know how many times I have seen a placard that reads "Payment is due when services are rendered". Yet so many clients tell me "My oldest clients are used to paying net 30 or 60, they would never pay when they pick up their work." Well, that's just not true! Set this policy for all clients as a start point and foundation. You will have exceptions, but avoid making them the rule. Another policy I encourage is to give opportunity to keep good clients by extending a grace period to them. Your best clients are your best client's, period. They may require a little different treatment on occasion. Be careful and fair but don't make this the rule as it can cause a failure in the collection process. Any inconsistency will be seen as a weakness and the worst clients will find a way to exploit this. Good collection policies can actually help you rid yourself of bad clients. Enforce new stiffer policy, raise your rates and get rid of the 5% of bad clients taking up 25% of your time, usually for free.

Have your staff provide the bill and collect the money. This takes you out of the equation and makes it less personal. Choose a trustworthy staff to handle client negotiations. If necessary, find an outside collections source or use software that will send out reminders and letters when customers are overdue. Be careful not to get financially extended, even with your best clients. So many firms keep doing the work well beyond the time they should and find themselves with completed work that doesn't get paid for. This is a big hole to avoid. Find technology that helps you manage this. Billing and workflow systems should work hand in hand on this. Make sure you have an alert in your software if a client is overdue, thus advising staff to stop working on that client to circumvent the real possibility of never collecting.

Be aware that you carry the burden, not your staff when it comes to finances. When things aren't going well you may feel and act poorly. Don't let these worries be displayed publicly. Nothing is worse for productivity when staff worry about company finances or where their next check is coming from. So maintain a healthy attitude about money and collections.

So, if you've been in business for any time at all, you know what you can do to get back to the basics. Reinforce what works, delegate, redefine yourself and watch cash flow. Doing so will nurture a great attitude in your office relationships which will have a good effect your clients and ultimately help you run your business more effectively.

If you don't have software that manages your business, Office Tools Professional, our parent company, makes software called "Practice Management" that can help you with many of the things addressed in this article.

Published in My Office Today - June 2009

Exclusive Interview: Toni Springer talks about Practice Managment

What the Right Practice Management Suite Can Do for You
Practice Management Suites come in many flavors but how do you find the right one for you? My Office Today interviewed Toni Springer, owner of Toni B. Springer, CPA, with an office of six employees in Altamonte, FL. Toni looks to Office Tools Professional to help her run the business efficiently

MOT: How has Practice Management software changed your business?
Toni: Office Tools Professional (OTP) has allowed me to streamline procedures due to all my information being in one place. This allows my staff to find information like where a document is, who had it last and what the outcome was, quickly and efficiently.

As a business owner, I have found that Office Tools Professional provides me with the ability to track my costs, time and client status. I used to have to go from employee to employee to follow a project from start to finish, which cost my firm valuable time and money. With OTP each client status is available to me in seconds, saving time for both my staff and myself.

MOT: Why did you switch to Office Tools Professional?
Toni: I was looking for a solution geared toward an accounting firm in order to track our work. I was very excited to find OTP, an economical solution that interfaced with two big products that we use, Outlook and QuickBooks. In the past, I tried other programs and found that unlike OTP, they did not have a good project management system. Other project management systems had checklist after checklist and still required that I run around and check with staff for a status update. Now, everything is in one place and easy to find.

MOT: What features do you use the most and why?
Toni: When we started using Office Tools Professional it was at the peak of tax season so we decided to introduce each feature individually. In February we started implementing the contacts and calls feature(s), in March we started on time sheets, by April we had moved onto projects and by June we were working with the billing feature. We are now looking to utilize the Document Management feature in November. If not for Tax Season, I feel we could have been up and running the majority of the features in no time.

Projects: This feature is what initially drew us to Office Tools Professional. With all the different practice management programs on the market, I found others to be lacking when it came to project tracking and management. Once implemented we found the project function in Office Tools to be highly valuable.

Billing: Currently we use the billing feature to it's fullest. While there is still some tweaking to be done, we find the time, billing and QuickBooks sync to be valuable functions within the program. I have found the billing to be more precise than software I have used in the past. It is much easier to see where you are at, even if it has not been billed yet.

Contacts: I love the fact that you can customize certain fields. For example, I use this option to keep track of what version of QuickBooks my clients use. This dramatically cuts the time I spend gathering information in order to prepare a document or correspondence.

Scheduling: Before OTP I was using a separate application for scheduling, and it did not provide the ability to look at my schedule as well as my staffs' all from one screen. I no longer have to go to each staff member and check their schedule, and on the flip side my employees always know what my day looks like, which reduces interruptions and miscommunications.

Calls: Having the call tracking option available to me is HUGE! With all the documentation requirements I must comply with, it can get very laborious; but with Office Tools Professional I can take a call, start a timer for billing and take detailed notes within the call. This allows me to look back and find exactly what happened on what date and how much I should bill for it. Not only can I do all this, but I can automatically pull the time into the billing function for invoicing.

MOT: How has Office Tools Professional improved your relationship with your customers?
Toni: Incredibly! When customers call the office, any one of my staff can address the question being asked immediately, without having to track down the information. This not only saves time for staff, it also saves time for the client. They no longer have to be put on hold or wait for a call back. If we are missing a piece of information we have a variety of ways to determine what it is and what the client needs to do to get it to us.

MOT: How has Office Tools Professional improved your relationship with your staff?
Toni: My staff wanted a solution like Office Tools Professional for a long time. Not only has it made work easier for individuals, it has made working as a team more productive. OTP has helped shorten our staff meetings, by allowing everyone to be on the same page and ready to address issues in a clear, concise manner. We can now work effectively as an office by knowing what everyone is doing and why. Office Tools Professional has revolutionized processes for my whole firm, from intake to the completion of the process.

MOT: Has Office Tools Professional affected your bottom line? If so, how?
Toni: My bottom line has been affected in a very positive way. I have been able to cut hours spent on admin duties because I no longer need one designated person to answer phones and track down information. Anyone in our office can answer the phone and assist clients with every aspect of their account. Office Tools Professional has also cut the time staff spends on projects and tasks, therefore cutting what I pay in time and overtime. OTP has also increased what I am able to bill out, due to the ability to track time spent on phone calls (using timers) and meetings. Having everyone's activity list available to me gives me insight on the productivity of the office.

Office Tools Pro pricing starts at $550 for a single license and $225 for each additional user. 888.667.8440

Published in My Office Today - May 2009

There are many ways to communicate to those in our department, office, our clients, and vendors but it has become increasingly difficult to manage the most effective ways to communicate. Here are some of the most common problems and best practices to have more efficient communication. Let's take a look at the many elements to this communication jungle such as mail/letters, email, phones, document sharing, instant messaging, texting, note taking, and software programs.

Mail/Letters
Even though this relic form of communication seems a thing of the past it is still a very viable form, but there are some obvious problems with it. Delivery is almost always slow. You can rarely depend on the delivery date as it can have a 1-2 day error margin; incredibly frustrating when you need documents signed. There is always little interaction involved, you send and wait for a response. Tracking is even worse as you can't track when they received it and what the next step in the process is.

But there are reasons to still use this snail pace; it should most definitely be an option for official business communications such as legal documents. Although, while it's incredibly useful for business communications you should always have it integrated with a document management system so you can track revisions, have a singular master copy, know who sent the original communication, and what the response was.

Email
We all remember when email was such a novelty and was hardly useful but now we seem to depend on email for almost every communication need. Doing so provides many problems though. When email is used for every style of communication you'll find inboxes will fill with short emails between staff members. And many of those staff members will also use email as a form of document transfer with each other. Both of these issues cause large storage problems, a management disaster, and a missed opportunity to track due dates.

This new, faster form of snail mail should continue to be a mainstay in the office; it can help every office incredibly. You should always use email for client/vendor communications and non-confidential file transfer. Internal projects always need to be discussed with multiple people who aren't always in the same room, which is why email helps project development thrive. When you cannot say it in person or over the phone then it is necessary to use email. It is important to be able to discern which form of communication is more useful for the appropriate communication type. Email is incredibly useful when dealing with client/vendor relationships that are in different time zones; enabling you to keep the project moving forward without waiting for them to get into the office for a phone call.

Phones vs Email
We have become so dependent on phones especially since many people have even foregone their home lines for only a cell phone. But utilizing the phone for your business in an effective way is entirely different. Everyone is familiar with the long voicemails we receive from a client or staff member, which is so scattered or cryptic that you have to call them back, defeating the purpose of leaving a message. Many times staff members will call other members who are out of the office to remind them to check their email; this kind of one-way communication is wasteful and costly. Cell phones have allowed us to do business anywhere but still lack reliability, which creates problems when listing specific details and your call is dropped; email is a better method of delivering specific details. Many people choose to deal with important issues/problems over the phone, which is a smart decision as many clients/vendors appreciate it but communication over the phone doesn't provide historical data like email.

The right office phone system can truly help your office communicate and interact more richly. The use of Voice Over IP (VOIP) can dramatically reduce your monthly phone bill especially if your call volume is high. Voice mail should only be used to communicate short messages, with exact detail, otherwise your just prompting the recipient to call you back to hear the same message.

Receptionist vs. Voicemail
The use of a receptionist as opposed to voicemail can provide a better client experience. Having the receptionist log each call offers many benefits such as: tracking, billing opportunities, delegation, and historical data. Through well-established policies, voicemail should be reserved for clients who demand to leave a message concerning confidential matters and to leave specific requested information. By instituting these policies we can reduce the time spent listening to voicemail. While some will argue that voicemail is more efficient you have to look at the true cost incurred by using such a system. Receptionists historically have a low cost and are usually used for many things other than answering the phone. So the cost of logging a message is very low, we would need to manage the time spent dealing with the client, keeping the calls brief and logging important information only. Alternatively, the cost of an owner or manager listening to messages over and over again is very high. And the cost of putting the information into a system by the owner and manger is even higher. With the multiple benefits of a friendly voice for our clients to speak and the elimination of owners wasting time by listening and logging call is a strong consideration for using both a receptionist and voicemail.

Receptionist rather than voicemail should handle urgent matters where the person leaving the message has no expectation when you will receive that message.

Documents
Remember how exhilarating it is to have five different revisions on your desktop; three separate versions in your email and now you don't remember which one was the right one to send out. Versioning and revisioning has become a large problem in the office, especially if documents are transferred through email to multiple staff members. Many offices struggle with managing documents whether digitally created or physically delivered to the office. There is usually no procedure in place to deal with the amount of documents received and delivered to clients, which only creates more problems and stress. Then you have the problem of how to deal with clients' confidential data, which needs to comply with certain laws.

Documents should always reside in one place for the office, never on multiple computers or email boxes. It's important to choose a non-proprietary file format when considering a document management system. Establish procedures for receiving external documents from clients to ensure uniform management. When dealing with client confidential data it is imperative to use a secure service to transfer that data outside of your firm. This helps you stay compliant. Always maintain off-site copies of your documents and data, you never know when the worst can happen. Enable easy access to all of your documents while maintaining appropriate rights for users inside and outside of your firm.

Instant Messaging
Most commonly thought as an activity reserved for teenagers rather than an incredibly powerful tool for the office, instant messaging can provide real value to your business. However, they're a many owners who would rather not deal with it and for good reason. Most instant messaging clients (programs) are insecure, opening your network to much vulnerability. Almost all clients lack a unified source of historical data, which makes tracking staff communications difficult. Staff members often attempt to transfer documents back and forth to each other, office and home, putting your clients data out in the internet unsecured. Many staff members choose to use instant messaging instead of email, which creates more problems in tracking projects. As with email, instant messaging is incredibly difficult to decipher tone, inflection, and sarcasm making an innocent comment into a lost staff member or client.

When you use a unified instant messaging system you create historical data, which is great for tracking projects and managing staff activities. When a staff member needs to ask quick questions or deliver short messages you'll find instant messaging to be the right choice instead of email or picking up the phone. It also allows you to discuss private matters without speaking on the phone. Instant messaging unifies the office without needing to pick up the phone or sending an email.

Texting
Everyone seems to be texting these days but it presents many problems when integrating with the office. Texting does not provide unified historical data, which can be a problem when attempting to track correspondence. Many times texting is used for long conversations, which should be done in person or over the phone. Staff members who text often forget that texting should never be used for time sensitive messages as delivery times are unreliable.

Texting is best used when needing to send quick updates that don't require an email to staff members who are offsite. This kind of communication is extremely helpful when it is used for one-way, non-time sensitive updates about group projects.

Note Taking
Taking notes has been an age-old medium and style of remembering information for use at a later time. But with age it has neglected to keep up with ever-changing technology. There is usually no unified storage besides maybe a filing cabinet. Every staff member takes notes differently and therefore there is no format that is adhered to. When notes are updated there is no historical data to associate with that note that there has been a change. And unless client/project folders are used there is even less information about how notes are associated with these relationships.

But if you were to have a unified storage system that keeps all notes in a digital format you can then access these notes from virtually anywhere. Every office should establish some type of note taking guidelines that help staff members format their notes in a way that everyone can decipher them and make actionable decisions from them. With your storage system it is advantageous to have some way to link these notes to your client/project files in your network. This allows your staff to have all the necessary information available before they speak with a client about a specific project.

Software
Many owners after toiling away on their own decide to move to multiple software programs to help them manage their practice but often end up becoming the computer technician of the office having to fix every issue. They then find that having all these programs do help accomplish certain tasks but lack tracking and historical data between these programs. Retrieving data from multiple programs becomes increasingly laborious and tedious. While delegation and accountability is incredibly difficult to manage. Sharing data between programs is almost non-existent as well as running reports in the same format.

It's time to have software help you rather than work against you. Every owner should consider reducing the amount of programs they use to the fewest possible excluding their industry specific applications. This not only helps with management and technical issues but can save money on license fees. If possible, using one program can dramatically improve tracking items from daily tasks, delegation, accountability, sharing data, and reporting. Using fewer programs will decrease the amount of time it takes to retrieve data, which will save money and frustration.

While there is a jungle of communication options to journey, it is important to remember that when choosing to always consider the management aspect of your choices. Often times owners will choose options that increase management involvement or commitments rather than saving time. These individual options almost always end up costing more money than saving time. Make sure that we consider each of these communications methods; looking at the big picture while solving each inherent problem before implementing a solution.

Office Tools Pro pricing starts at $550 for a single license and $225 for each additional user. 888.667.8440

Published in My Office Today - December 2008

Currently some workflow and document management systems are designed to function independent of one another, making it necessary to run several different applications to perform two tasks that go hand-in-hand. Is it possible for workflow and document management to coexist? Here are some details to consider when combining a workflow and document management system. Document management has many known benefits when trying to reduce overhead, but is going paperless enough in an effort to save costs for the small office? Having access to electronic documents is not the only way to save money. Improving the way we work has far reaching benefits and higher cost savings than just getting rid of paper. The real savings come when the office is transformed by the centralization and integration of documents and workflow.

Document management has many known benefits when trying to reduce overhead, but is going paperless enough in an effort to save costs for the small office? Having access to electronic documents is not the only way to save money. Improving the way we work has far reaching benefits and higher cost savings than just getting rid of paper. The real savings come when the office is transformed by the centralization and integration of documents and workflow.

In the small office, the owner ultimately does most of the management of clients, staff, and workflow. When staff need new assignments or have questions regarding existing work, they come to the owner for assistance, creating constant interruptions to the owner's valuable time. For example, your client mails you an IRS notice regarding an error on a tax return. You scan it into a document management system or server folder and hand the original to one of your staff and discuss their next actions. They take the client's file, complete the work required and log their time. In many firms, this work is tracked using Excel spreadsheets, Outlook and a variety of other applications.

This becomes very costly to the entire firm, as the owner usually bills out at the highest rate for the firm. What if small office owners had a tool that could radically change the way they delegate and manage? A tool that provides, a work list that links staff to workflow and documents, and a method for owners to improve delegation of tasks. A Practice Management Suite could be the tool small business owners are looking for.

Now, let's consider a different methodology using one tool, one piece of software, a Practice Management Suite. First we take the work process we are currently using and define the tasks or steps involved. Define if the steps are concurrent or unique and if one or many staff members perform the tasks. Now define if we will be handling client files/documents, or scanning. Lets apply these steps to tracking a government notice like an IRS notice for a client. You would start by creating a project, selecting IRS notice for your client with an applicable due date. Then scan in the notice, shred the original, file it or return it to the client depending on firm policy. Next, assign a task like reviewing the letter to a staff and log the time spent on administration. Once received by the designated staff member, they will document any questions, note specifics and send it to the appropriate person for resolution. The next step might include creating a response letter; this should be created, stored and tracked with the project as a separate document. Once the document is completed it will be assigned to a reviewer and time will again be logged. The reviewer will make any corrections, send to administration for delivery and log their time. An entire work process has now been created, tracked, and completed using a workflow system, paperless procedures, and time tracking for productivity reporting and client billing. No meetings, no emails, and no unnecessary communication; just work completed and time billed.

With a Practice Management Suite you or your staff can also track the progress of a project, create letters and alert staff to pending work and deadlines. Practice Management software allows each staff member to be a part of the process, eliminating the need to hunt for information or wondering if you are meeting deadlines. Whether you bill by the hour, flat fee or retainer, all time is logged, alerting us to billing goals, productivity monitoring, and ultimately eliminating giving our time away for free.

Having the right Practice Management Suite that tracks document review until completion while tracking each step, time used helps eliminate wasted time, money, and energy. At any time, you can see all open projects assigned to your staff members, the time they have spent on it, the original IRS notice and their correspondence. The best Practice Management Suite workflow methodology ensures that documents, time tracking, and workflow are managed together.

This kind of integration can be carried into every aspect of the office. Keeping client information, staffing and workflow tightly linked, empowers the small office to become more remunerative. By increasing efficiencies, the firm can take on more work, increasing revenue for the same labor costs.

Office Tools Pro pricing starts at $550 for a single license and $225 for each additional user. 888.667.8440

Published in My Office Today - July 2008

Many owners have considered removing such luxuries as the "coffee break" to help curb lost productivity. There is a guilty culprit to lost productivity, and it's not the coffee break. The following will describe a workplace environment we know all too well.

In a firm that has multiple staff members, delegation and management for the owner(s) quickly becomes an issue. Consider when a staff member needs to ask you, what they should do next. They get up and say "hi" to somebody next to them and interrupt them, then they walk by and see another staff person and they think "I wonder what we're going to do for lunch today?" After making lunch plans, they finally make it to the your office only to find you on the phone. While they are waiting for you to finish your phone call, the staff member waits for ten minutes to ask you what to do next. By the time the staff member collects the information they set out for, thirty minutes has passed and very little has been accomplished. These interruptions are compounded when you lose concentration on complex tasks. When you finally return to what you were doing, you are forced to regroup and pickup where you left off, losing valuable time. This permanent loss of time can be very frustrating and detrimental to productivity. After going through this scenario, it becomes obvious that getting a cup of coffee isn't killing productivity.

The issue of delegation and management is not limited to the scenario described above. It is only further complicated when you add phone calls into the equation. For example: five phone calls come in today; they land on your desk. You immediately know which ones you have to handle because you're the only one that has the information needed, but there are three that should have never been given to you. At this point you have two options: first, you could walk over to a staff member, interrupt them, wait for them, and then tell them they need to handle the calls and why; or second, you could route those through a Practice Management Suite to a lower staff member and even attach a note saying, "You need to take care of this for me." You save time by not getting up, writing things down, or going to see somebody. You don't interrupt their day by stopping them to say, "You need to take care of these three phone calls for me." If you use a Practice Management Suite, they immediately get the message and can work from an automated to-do list, or for more pressing issues they can be reminded with pop-up reminders. We call this the Staff Activity List in Office Tools Professional.

Time management problems arise when information is not readily available. A Practice Management Suite can help reduce this wasted time, money and energy. If you have a well-working system where you can assign work to people, it is no longer necessary for staff to come in once or twice a day and say, "I'm done with this, what do you want me to do next?" When you use a Practice Management Suite, you can assign work to people, cutting interruptions by 50%, and with the right reports maybe 50% fewer staff meetings. In most cases the time savings on administration alone can be 1 hour a day. Imagine, 1 more hour of concentrated billable time. If this affects only the owner/manager the revenue ramifications is incredible when considered for a whole year. What if more than just the owner/manager was affected? Now that's' time management working for you.

The right Practice Management Suite brings together every aspect of the office allowing you to work more efficiently and to build a bridge of information between you, your staff and most importantly your client.

So go ahead and buy coffee for the whole office, celebrate by installing and implementing Office Tools Professional: The smart choice for small firm Practice Management.

Office Tools Pro pricing starts at $550 for a single license and $225 for each additional user. 888.667.8440

Published in Small Business Services - January 2008

Just storing documents or changing the way we work: Things to consider when combining a workflow and document system.

Document Management has many known benefits promoting cost savings, but is going paperless enough in an effort to save costs for the small office? Having access to electronic documents is not the only way to save money. Improving the way we work has far reaching benefits and higher cost savings than just getting rid of paper and file cabinets. The real savings comes when the office is transformed by the centralization and integration of documents and workflow.

In the small office, the owner ultimately does most of the management of clients, workflow and staff. When staff need new assignments or have questions on their existing work, they come to the owner for assistance, creating constant interruptions to the owner's valuable time. This becomes very costly to the entire firm. What if small office owners had a tool that could radically change the way the delegate and manage? A tool that provides a work list that links staff to workflow and documents and a method for owners to improve delegation of tasks. Office Tools Pro is that tool.

As an example, your client Mr. Smith mails you an IRS notice regarding an error on a tax return. You scan it in to a document management system or server folder and hand the original to Bob, one of your staff, to "take care of it". Bob takes the client file, completes the work required and logs his time. In many firms, this work is tracked using Excel spreadsheets and Outlook.

However, let's consider a different methodology using one tool, one piece of software, Office Tools Pro. Create a project selecting IRS notice in Office Tools Pro for Mr. Smith, with an applicable due date from the letter, assigning Bob to work on it. Then scan the document into Office Tools Pro to the same project and assign a document review for Bob. Bob receives an electronic message to review the original letter with a link to the document. No meetings, emails or other communication is necessary.

With Office Tools Pro you or your staff can track the progress of the project. Let's say Bob needs to write a letter to the IRS regarding the notice. He could simply write a letter and have you review it or he could create it in Office Tools Pro and send you a document review. In Office Tools Pro, he would create a Word or WordPerfect letter, using a document template from within the program. Once completed, he can send you an electronic message to review his letter for approval. He can also have Office Tools Pro prompt him to log his time upon completion of each step or task. Once you approve his work, you can send a document review to him with the message, "OK to Send". He prints, email or mails the letter and indicates so in Office Tools Pro.

Office Tools Pro tracks the document review until its complete tracking each step, time used and any details. At any time, you can see the open project assigned to Bob, the time he has spent on it and either the original IRS notice or his letter. With Office Tools Pro workflow methodology workflow and documents are managed in the same place.

This kind of integration can be carried to all aspects of the office. From tax preparation to bookkeeping work. From simple delegation to complete document production and workflow tracking. By keeping client information, staffing and workflow tightly linked, the small office becomes more efficient. By increasing efficiencies the firm can take on more work increasing revenue for the same labor costs.

We call it Office Tools Pro workflow methodology. One simple interface for the entire office to use to increase efficiencies and revenues and lower costs.

Office Tools Pro pricing starts at $550 for a single license and $175 for each additional user. 888.667.8440

Featured in Accounting Today

Office Tools Pro does a good job of putting all of the relevant data entry and lookup information onto one screen. From within the central data entry forms, you have access to your client data, time sheet, calendar, work in process, and the to-do list, as well as notes.

Contact information can be established in one central location with subsequent notes added to a common screen with appropriate date and staff signatures automatically appended to each note. Phone messages or notes can be attached directly to a client contact. When phone messages are taken, the information within the note can be transferred directly to the billing module to make sure the maximum amount of billable time is captured for even the smallest tasks.

Scheduling is performed on a daily, weekly, or monthly calendar that is laid out graphically. When you have the proper permissions, you can view any staff member's schedule. One great feature included in the scheduling is automatic creation of reminder cards for upcoming appointments. You can even generate confirmation cards and email reminders for the client to send back acknowledging that the time is correct. The records management aspect of Office Tools Pro is clearly geared toward the firm that has not yet embraced the paperless office. The management of records through this module is primarily aimed at generating labels for and managing paper files. There is included functionality for indexing and subsequent recalling of any digitally scanned client files. Office Tools Pro is nicely laid out with a common interface and a minimum of different screens to navigate. It is especially suited toward any Accounting firm looking to bring all the different practice management functions under one common system. The records & document management features, in addition to embracing scanning, may just be a perfect match for firms looking for a system to track the boxes and boxes of paper files which often appear out of nowhere and threaten to take over whole office complete.

Return on Investment

Since Office Tools Pro offers many built in features the initial costs are minimal compared to other office systems. This makes the return on investment immediate. However, the real return on investment is the increased efficiency of management and delegation that can be attained by making Office Tools Pro an integral part of your business. Ultimately, efficient management and delegation fundamentally determines the firm's success, profitability, and quality of service. Office Tools Pro with all features starts at $500 for the first user and $150 for each additional user.

By Michael Giardina

Robert and Mary Smith run a tax practice. They have 10 employees, and usually hire up to three part time tax professionals during tax season. Their office will process about 1300 tax returns a year. While some of their clients are individual tax payers and they only see them once a year many of their clients are small businesses and the Smiths provide other business services for them, including accounting, payroll and sales tax services.

Although most government correspondence is handle directly by the Smiths, clients who are not seen regularly receive government correspondence in the mail. They will typically contact the Smiths office seeking assistance after receiving a notice. Per the Smiths instructions, they will fax the notice their office. Multiple times a day their office receives faxed Internal Revenue Service notices for their clients.

One day Mary asked Thomas, one of their employees, to look into a particular notice. Their client, Charlene Jones, had received an IRS notice that her 1040 Tax return was filed after April 15th and no Extension had been filed. Thomas called the client to assure them he would take care of the issue. Then he began researching the issue, pulling the client file and finding out that the returns in question had been filed on time. Next he called the IRS to reconcile the issue. After a long time on hold he discussed the issue with the IRS and found out that the issue had been resolved several months earlier. He then called the client to assure them that it had been taken care of. When reviewing the client file further he found the original faxed notice and notes from William, a former employee, who had taken care of the first issue. William had inadvertently misfiled the information.

Thomas decided that it was time to discuss this situation with the Smiths. Too often he had spent hours attempting to resolve a client issue only to find out that the issue had been resolved earlier. In addition clients would re fax notices two or three times and could have different staff trying to resolve the same issue. When the Smiths heard Thomas' complaint they quickly realized that it was time for a solution. It was determined that the firm was losing an estimated 5 hours a week costing the firm almost $300 a week.

With key staff, they discussed the issues and determined that having to review the clients paper file was time consuming and thing being filed incorrectly were difficult to manage. They quickly found that new policies or procedures would not be sufficient and decided a paperless solution would make more sense. New technologies were needed.

They began looking into Scanners and Document management software solutions. They determined five specific parameters for selecting software. One, It must be simple and easy to use. As a small office they did not have the resources to spend months implementing new software. Also, learning the software must be easy process. Two, to manage their time a scanner with a speed of 45ppm or faster would be necessary. Three, they did not want to invest in a solution that would limit their future choices. Thus, they wanted the data stored in PDF or Tiff and not in a proprietary format or database. This would allow them native access and not lock them out of their data if they choose to change software vendors. Four, the office wanted software that was integrated into other software or functions of the office. Having the documents a part the daily work flow and contact management of the office could be a helpful time saver for the staff. In addition since they bill for time spent on special projects integration into the time and billing system could be a plus. Five, it must be affordable.

The Smiths asked Thomas to search and review the market for software and hardware options that meet their needs. Thomas found many choices which he narrowed down to the best group and present them to the Smiths.

Thomas found many document management packages which offered similar functionality. However, he found that systems which filed images and documents in a folder/tree structures seemed cumbersome to use. Exploring for files in deep rooted tree structures seemed to take a lot of time. Even with a search feature you could find your self hunting for files after each search. Most systems required the user to setup a folder structure which proved fatal when errors where later found out after data had been stored wrong. Thomas did find one system that not only meet their needs but exceeded them. He found a product called Office Tools Pro by North40 Systems a software company in Lancaster California. Here is how Office Tools Pro met and exceeded the Smiths needs.

Office Tools Pro is simple to use. They offer On-site, Web training as well as training CD's. They work with any twain scanner and can be configured to use network scanners/copiers. All files are accessible thru Windows Explorer as well as thru the Document Management interface in either PDF or TIFF file formats. Office Tools Pro offers a completely integrated Contact Manager which includes Notes, To-Do, Scheduling, Call Tracking and Instant Messaging. It also offers a Project, Due Date management system and a complete Time and Billing system. Imagine all that information in one place. As an added bonus, Office Tools Pro stores all data in system created folders. No more typo and filing errors. It uses the same name you filed your client under as the folder name and it can create additional folders by Project and Category if desired. Simply type in a client name and you have all Office Tools Pro features at your finger tips including every client document. The 10 user Professional Suite from Office Tools Pro was affordable costing $1700 with an annual renewal of $595 which includes unlimited tech support and all upgrades. This is what became the Smiths' solution for managing IRS notices and they ended up with other benefits too.