For accountants, the right software solutions can make a huge difference in the day-to-day of work life. The right apps can make admin and organisation a breeze, letting you focus your time on the work which can make your business a success. You might be surprised to find that you could be automating some time-consuming tasks to free up valuable work time. Using software tools to make your workflow simple and more productive.
These days having a stack of apps to cater to the different needs of your team is all the rage. An app stack has the advantage over one size fits all app solutions. Smaller apps, dedicated to more specific needs, can make a bigger impact in the areas they focus on.
What Should Accountants Get Out of Their App Stack?
As an accountant, the work you do is highly specialised – you have a unique and in demand skillset, so the more time you can spend using it the better. With that in mind, you’ll want apps which help to reduce the time you spend on things like basic admin, billing, and organisation. These things are important for any business, but at the moment are probably taking up more of your work hours than they need to!
You’ll also want tools which can give you a framework to use your skills most effectively. These days great accounting apps like Xero or QuickBooks not only let you manage your own accounting more easily but can offer you ways of better interacting with your clients’ books.
5 types of software every accountant needs
Time Tracking and Billing Software
The most valuable resource a small accounting business has is time. As highly skilled workers your teams’ time is what you sell to your clients, so understanding how you use that time is important.
A good timekeeping solution can give you a way of easily organising and recording your work hours, both for the purposes of billing your clients by time, and for judging where you might be able to improve your time management skills. Having a correct time tracking record can provide your clients with clarity about the work they are paying for, while letting you assess where you are spending too much or too little time during your workdays.
Automating some of your admin processes is also a benefit that shouldn’t be understated! Software like MinuteDock gives you a way of turning time entries into invoice drafts in no time and making your billing cycle a breeze.
With features like time rounding, you can make sure you are recording time entries in line with your billing policy and make it much easier to put your invoices together. Organise your workday with time budgets or goals to keep track of what you need to get done and keep your business profitable!
Accounting Software
We’ve reached a point where cloud-based software is simply better than relying on traditional methods when it comes to document and account management. If you aren’t using an accounting software package as an accountant, you’re missing out!
There are some great accounting tools out there. QuickBooks caters to the general needs of any business and can be a good tool not only for your team but as a recommendation to your clients. Xero offers another fantastic solution which might be even better for smaller businesses.
Using these tools can let you make your workflow much smoother and simpler than it ever has been. Once you have a good grasp of how your chosen software works, you’ll find your productivity soaring. Accounting admin for your own business will be easier and quicker than ever, while managing and organising your clients accounting will be much more efficient.
Having your accounting documentation in the cloud is another great benefit of using accounting software. How much simpler is your admin when you can find invoices or receipts and track payments at the click of a button rather than needing to sift through your inbox!
Customer Relationship Management
As an accountant you are a service-oriented business. That makes clear communication with your clients a big priority. Being able to keep your client up to date on your progress and having a solid record of chats with your client can let you be certain that you are on the same page about any given project.
There are several good options for CRM tools out there depending on your needs. Using a choice like Zoho or Freshsales you can create a full picture of your interactions with you customers and make sure your sales and opportunities are well organised.
Team Communication Software
Working as a part of a team is a great way of increasing your productivity, but it pays to be careful when it comes to communicating. Miscommunication could end up badly affecting your projects and causing your team to miss key deadlines.
Using a good team chat app like Microsoft Teams or Slack can help your team keep up to date with each other and on the same page about your work. With the ability to assign tasks and set reminders as well as live chat to each other you’ll have fewer mistakes and mishaps. Having a clear record of your communication will also let you create accountability in your team for completing tasks and staying on top of your projects.
Practice/Project Management Software
A good project management solution gives you the tools to organise the small moving pieces of your projects and make sure you meet your deadlines. Staying organised and tracking small tasks as part of a large project can be a big ask, but with a management tool like Asana or Trello you can make sure your team are getting the small details covered.
Visualise and collaborate with your team on the planning and execution of your project from start to finish by carefully mapping out the things you’ll need to carry out and the resources you have to achieve them.
Finding the Right Fit For Your Team
It’s important when putting together an app stack for your team that you take the time and put in the effort to make sure you are finding the solutions which best suit your needs.
These days there’s no need to buy before you try – any software provider worth their salt will give you the opportunity to have a free trial or supply a demonstration of how their product works.
Take the time to browse the market and get the best possible solutions for your needs, because having the right apps in your stack will have a huge impact on your teams’ performance!