Here are 7 tips on how to future proof your practice
1. You need to get your books in order, too
To genuinely walk the talk, it’s essential your own books are up-to-date. This will give you authenticity and a sense of confidence when you work with clients. It also means you can talk to them from experience, given many accountants’ and bookkeepers’ clients are small businesses themselves.
2. Make the most of the cloud
Yes, clients will occasionally still bring you a shoe box of receipts. But this can be an opportunity to get them to commit to cloud accounting. It’s like starting from scratch. Some of the great tools they will immediately benefit from available through QuickBooks include DEXT, ServiceM8 and Tradify.
As a thought leader in accounting and bookkeeping, you can also lead the way with the cloud, by making the most of QuickBooks’ tools and features. The idea is to use tech to support your business model. The workflow tool is especially useful when it comes to helping you manage your practice and your tasks.Â
3. Use all the functionality you can
We’re all guilty of only using part of the functionality embedded in the tech we use. So before you invest in new digital tech, there are fantastic opportunities to explore more of the features and plug ins available.
For instance, QuickBooks’ users have powerful tools at their fingertips. Karbon, MailChimp and QuickBooks Tax powered by LodgeiT are great examples. A great pro tip is to use the QuickBooks mobile app to prepare quotes.
Plus, QuickBooks Online Accountant is the most powerful system available to help accountants and bookkeepers manage their practice and grow their business. And don’t forget QuickBooks’ integration with Hubdoc to manage bank reconciliations.
4. Be true to yourself
Everything changed with COVID-19. Gone are the days of the stereotypical accountant in a cardigan. Similarly, there’s no longer an expectation from clients that you will turn up in a suit and tie. Or skirt or dress. Casual attire is perfectly acceptable, especially if that’s what your clients wear. The value you add is about the skills you offer and your experience, it’s not about your clothes.