Chartered Accountants (CAs) often find themselves spending too much time on more effort-intensive and less growth-intensive tasks. Well, you have the option to automate the day-to-day operations and focus on business development/expansion. How? Using your practice management software!
Practice management software allows you to manage your workflow, documents, and client interactions seamlessly. You can automate everything from sending proposals to onboarding clients to chasing payments. Plus, adopting practice management software makes you 30% more productive. Better yet, it’s good for your bottom lines — you can save as much as $12k annually for your 10-member team.
How does it work? Well, continue reading to understand how CA practice management software can improve your bottom lines!
7 Ways Practice Management Software Helps CA Firms
Practice management software is designed to solve the frustrations of accountants, such as lengthy onboarding processes, coordinating with remote employees, and creating customized proposals for clients, among others.
Here are seven ways in which practice management software can help accounting firms streamline these tasks:
Meet Deadlines
Practice management software ensures you never miss out on an update or an important date, no matter how many tasks you’re juggling. It helps you break down different tasks, assign them to team members, set deadlines, and track progress.
For example, you can customize the software to send you reminders for tax-filing dates and upcoming deadlines, sparing you and your clients the last-minute stress.
Onboard Clients
When onboarding new clients, you need to collect a large amount of data — including client information, authorizations, and terms and conditions — which can be time-consuming.
Over 90% of customers believe the onboarding process can be better. Practice management software helps you simplify this process by offering the following features:
- Customizable workflows
- Automated document collection
- Centralized client and project management
- Real-time visibility and tracking
- Built-in compliance checks
- Risk assessment tools
These features allow you to create a smooth onboarding experience, impressing your clients right from the start.
For example, when a new client signs up, you can use the software to generate relevant documents, collect electronic signatures, and manage client information. This makes the onboarding process smoother and less time-consuming for both you and your client.
Create Proposals
Accountants often need help with creating business proposals because of slow, manual processes.
Practice management software helps you with this. It eliminates the need for separate proposal software by offering built-in proposal creation tools that help you with the following:
- Creating personalized, attractive, and engaging proposals for clients
- Sending professional proposals directly from the platform.
- Allowing clients to access, review, and sign proposals
- Sending follow-up reminders on unsigned proposals.
- Viewing and tracking all proposals in a centralized dashboard.
Plus, using Cone’s proposal templates, you can easily create top-notch proposals that are ready to send over to clients.
Collaboration
CA firms often have to work closely with multiple clients and their teams simultaneously. Practice Management software can make it easier for multiple team members to work together on a client's account — it gives you one place to see and keep track of all your documents — ensuring that everyone is clear and on the same page.
For example, Cone’s practice management software allows you to stay in touch with clients effortlessly. Plus, the software’s centralized feed monitors client activity, emails, messages, and task assignments.
Streamline Invoices
Over 60% of the late payments are because of incorrect invoicing, whereas approximately 10% of the customers don’t get their payment at all. Practice management software, such as Cone’s, helps you avoid these problems — it integrates billing and invoicing functions.
This helps you automate the process of generating invoices, tracking payments, and sending reminders. Plus, it can follow up on unpaid invoices and process payments.
So, instead of manually creating and tracking invoices, you can use the software to set up recurring invoices for retainer clients or generate one-time invoices for specific services rendered.
Manage Calendars
CAs can use practice management software to track client appointments, set reminders for important meetings or deadlines, and make sure that all accountants have a balanced and reasonable workload.
For instance, when scheduling a tax planning meeting, the software helps you avoid double bookings and ensures that all participants are available at the designated time.
Monitor Progress
Dashboards and reporting tools in practice management software let you see how projects are going, how well your team is doing, and where the problems lie.
For example, the software can provide a visual representation of the status of each client's tax return, showing which ones are pending, in progress, or completed.
Optimize Your CA Firm’s Operations
A CA Practice management software helps you automate repetitive and time-consuming tasks. So, be it scheduling meetings, processing payments, or onboarding clients — you can focus on tasks that bring you more value.
It also provides real-time updates on business operations, helping you boost your firm’s overall performance and profitability. Experience how these features can transform your practice with Cone — sign up here.
Cone is an all-in-one practice management solution that replaces over eight software you may be using to make you more productive and your clients happier. If you want more tips on practice management and client management, be sure to check out our blog section.