What is an online accountant, online accounting, and why should I care?
This is actually something I was asked, by another accountant!
Firstly, all I can do is answer from my perspective and that of Holden Associates, my practice.
An online accountant for Holden Associates is a firm of accountants that have a web presence but rather than a static website have a more interactive one that is designed to not only update clients, but also interact with clients, potential clients or even just anyone who wants to add their views. I also feel the website should be designed to give an insight into who and what the firm is all about, not something that many accountants website do, in my opinion.
However, more than just allowing interaction online, which in our case is done through this our ‘blog’, we also through the use of (in our case) winweb provide the facility of online accounting and this is done by either a member of our team or alternatively the client or clients bookkeeper maintaining their accounting data, online, why online? Simple as not all our clients are local to us, as they are now starting to be more spread out around the country, once the accounting data is entered into winweb everyone can see it, and by everyone I mean the client/bookkeeper/accountant as their data is protected it is not actually sat there for everyone and anyone to see.
Why is this a benefit? Well, we don’t have to actually travel out to see clients to advise them, this is obviously good for the environment, and with high petrol prices it’s good for my pocket too. Moreover, as this data is always very current and up to date it actually means we are able to advise clients based on current and not historical data, and this really is a benefit to clients, for many reasons, amongst them is tax planning. Also because it’s online we can all see the same data at the same time.
We often find that we are now having conversations with clients towards the end of the day or early evening when they have the time rather than barging into the middle of their working day. This also usually means we are looking at data up to the end of business that day, now tell me that’s not a benefit.
This does not mean we don’t ever get out of the ‘office’. We meet locally based clients, we meet other professional advisers and for those not local we talk on the phone, quite a lot actually.
For business owners, choosing a good accountant is always important, but maybe now he/she won’t be down the road, but down the internet or phone line?
Accountants, it will not suit everyone!
So, should you care about online accountants and online accounting, I think so, we are speeding up the way clients are advised, we are removing many of the barriers that exist for getting up to the minute business support for many small businesses.
Hopefully, this little ramble (I am allowed that on my blog) has shed a little light onto what is still a new area for many.
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