Paul Crichton
We are in a digital age. For many people social media updates are replacing letter writing, groceries are delivered to our door at a click of a button and we keep up to date with the latest news via a tweet! The way we live our lives is more efficient, and resisting this change is pushing against the tide.
Accounting cloud software
In the financial services world, this technology revolution starts with cloud accounting software. Nicola Crawford, bookkeeping manager at MMG Archbold (MMGA) was a guest panelist with cloud accounting experts QuickBooks at a seminar in Edinburgh last week. Nicola reflects on the session and the ways in which her team work with technology to deliver a personal service to their clients:
“Accountancy is less about numbers and more about people than you might think. Technology will never replace our client relationships, but for us to progress as a firm we must keep up to date with advances in technology in an effort to enhance our clients’ experience. QuickBooks is a good example of that.
“Gone are the days of visiting an accountant once a year with a shoebox full of receipts and paper work! The way in which we do our job as bookkeepers will change significantly in the coming years. There will always be a need for human input, but this will be from an advisory perspective. Manual data entry will become a thing of the past, and if accountants and bookkeepers are to remain relevant, we need to adapt our skillset to interpret and advise on the figures that the technology provides.
“We have implemented QuickBooks throughout MMGA, and are migrating all of our clients to this cloud based system. We understand that there is a certain comfort in having a box of receipts, or a cupboard of lever-arch files and we are working with our clients to reassure them throughout this process. Later this year we are hosting a “Making Tax Digital” roadshow across the region to share our knowledge with the local business community, whether they are MMGA clients or not.
“It is important for us to interact with our clients in a way they are comfortable with, and that makes best use of their time. Cloud accounting software means that we no longer need to be situated locally as QuickBooks allows us to have remote visibility of our clients accounting records, and enables us to work with our clients in real time. We frequently hold virtual meetings on Skype for Business, which does mean less coffee and cake at meetings, but it frees up clients’ time to work on their business.
“Every member of our bookkeeping and accounting team are accredited to QuickBooks, and a number of colleagues have undertaken advanced training to ensure we have experts in each of our offices. We know cloud accounting is a big change for many people, and we are confident that we can field any question that comes our way! Post your question below or get in touch to set up a Skype meeting (…no cake!).”