Use Workflow Software for Accountants to Put Your Office in Sync

Whether an office is just starting out or is growing exponentially, everyone needs to be on the same page in order to keep clients satisfied and bring new ones coming back. In this day and age, most employees have a personal mobile device (or several) and a company or work phone that they use to try and separate the two.

While this is an admirable endeavor, it can also mean that calendars get mixed up and appointments and deadlines are missed. Change this habit for the better by using workflow software for accountants to put your office in sync. Employees can use applications and mobile platforms to pertinent data synced between their personal and work devices.

Clean Up Contact Lists

When workflow software for accountants is first installed, it’s important to first import all contact lists and clean up the unnecessary information. Sometimes clients come in once to get their taxes done one year and when tax season returns, they don’t come back. Their information clogs the system and it should be stored on a back server or in an archives folder. This frees up space for the clients that are currently doing business with the firm.

Encourage Productivity

After new software is installed, that doesn’t mean that employees will automatically begin using it to sync their devices. They might not even know that the tools are available. Encourage employees to use workflow software for accountants to sync their devices by making sure the tools are well known. Use memos, signs on the walls, or a seminar to show everyone in the office how the new software can be utilized.

Provide Support

Clients and employees might be wary of new software or change in general. Reassure clients and provide support for employees to grant everyone involved a seamless transition. This means sending out correspondence and calling clients, setting meetings to explain how things might have changed for them, and providing extra help for employees who are having any trouble learning the new ways of doing things.

Reinforce New Procedures

Extra help and client meetings are good ways to provide support but some clients and employees may want to stick to old ways of doing things. In order to sync up the office and put all employees on the same page, there can’t be any gaps in the system. When new procedures begin, ask for weekly reports (daily if necessary) and use reminders to keep people on point.

You’ll be able to view the progress of employees and keep them in sync with new procedures.

This is important because clients will need consistency to stay comfortable during any transition. If the accountants in your firm appear to be at odds with new procedures, then the clients won’t be too happy about things are going.

Positive Rewards

As the workflow software for accountants takes hold in the office and the transition is complete, it’s important to be positive about the way things have changed. Recognize excellence as it occurs through rewards such as granting a larger commission on a deal, competing for a pay raise, winning the chance to run point on an important account, or other similar rewards.

These things will not only help compliance with new procedures but positive rewards also encourage employees to do better and continue to find ways to improve client experience.

Continued Education

Changes may be accepted easily and after they are, new procedures quickly become second nature to employees and comfortable for clients. Down the line, though, updates to the software will be continuous and each time the entire office needs to stay synced in order for operations to stay smooth and efficient. This is an easy thing to do by simply providing continuing education to employees and being available to answer questions from clients when they come up.

If the accountants know everything about each update, they’ll be able to answer client questions with confidence, instilling the belief that they will receive the same (or better) service as they’ve enjoyed thus far. With these updates and the office synced, your office will run better than ever, giving clients top-notch service and helping the business continue to grow.