If that answer’s never, you’re not alone. But if we’re serious about building advisory-driven firms, that has to change.

In most firms, advisory conversations happen in real time, and once the meeting ends, they disappear into memory. Normally, no one goes back to actually examine how the conversation unfolded.

It’s a missed opportunity!

If accountants want to remain indispensable, we cannot compete on information alone. We compete on our interpretation, strategic advice and the quality of our conversations.

Advisory is the future of the profession, and we need to start treating it like a skill that deserves reflection and refinement.

Go Look For The Blind Spots

You have blind spots, and so does everyone else.

None of us can experience our own communication the way others do. Of course, what you said felt clear to you… Afterall, you’re the one who said it.

You may think you translated a complex tax strategy into something digestible and meaningful. But until you review the conversation, you’re relying on instinct instead of evidence.

Blind spots show up in subtle ways. You might:

• Over-explain the technical details and under-explain the business impact

• Ask questions without actually creating space for them

• Assume the client agrees with you when they’re just being polite

• Default to jargon instead of using everyday language

• Interrupt because you’re trying to be efficient

• Answer the question asked, but ignore the real concern behind it

These things are almost impossible to process on your own, especially in the moment. That’s why Navi changes the game.

Navi Makes Advisory Performance Visible and Trainable

Navi allows you to upload transcripts of client conversations and it analyzes them across six advisory metrics:

• clarity

• authenticity

• engagement

• action

• impact

• growth

Instead of relying on how a meeting felt, you receive feedback tied directly to what was actually said.

You can see whether you clearly connected technical recommendations to business outcomes. You can hear where you defaulted to explanation instead of strategy. You can notice where you rushed to fill silence.

Even more powerful, Navi allows you to complete a self-assessment before reviewing the analysis. You rate how you think the meeting went, then compare it to the feedback.

That comparison is where growth happens because the gap between perception and performance is where the blind spots live.

When you start to notice your own patterns, you can shift communication from something that “just happens” to a real skill that you can intentionally improve upon.

Technical Accuracy Is the Baseline, Not the Differentiator

Most CPAs are exceptionally well-trained in technical accuracy. We’re taught to research, verify, document and defend. But advisory requires something more.

Advisory is about translating complexity into language that both your adult children and elderly parents could understand. Clients don’t want to understand tax law; they want to hear about what it means for them.

When you review your own conversations, you begin to hear the difference between delivering information and providing actual insight.

Then, advisory stops being an instinct some people “just have,” and becomes a skill that you and your entire firm can deliberately strengthen over time.

But despite the tedium, AP/AR remains a critical component of firm operations. This creates the ultimate dilemma. Firms can’t ignore it, but they also can’t allow it to eat up margins, kill staff and diminish clients’ goodwill.

The good news? Modern tools and smarter packaging finally give firms a way out of the dilemma.

Firms can turn AP/AR from a margin drainer to a high-value, strategic service by packaging offerings in two distinct, client-centered models: Oversight Light and Full-Service.

Pairing Melio’s intuitive platform with modern firm workflows, it becomes possible to cover both ends of the spectrum from basic to full-service while capturing new revenue opportunities and building deeper client relationships.​

Here’s how it breaks down:

AP/AR Oversight Light Package

For the wider SMB market, Oversight Lite leverages Melio so clients can be the ones “pressing the button” within a guardrail-safe and guided environment. The accountant acts as monitor and mentor setting up workflows, reviewing payments and ensuring compliance, but not executing every transaction themselves.​

This is a great option for firms who don’t want to “press the button” but still want to support clients with AP/AR and bring in a new revenue stream.

Here’s how this looks:

• The client pays bills and manages day-to-day AP/AR while the firm retains full visibility and can step in when needed.

• Guardrails can be personalized, including approval thresholds, audit trails and role-based permissions, keeping control strictly where needed and without stifling the client’s workflow.​

• Pricing is structured around oversight and advisory value rather than transactional processing, often as a flat monthly advisory fee, setup fee or à la carte bill review fee.​

This model is also scalable to serve smaller clients (i.e., those under $1 million in revenue) who cannot justify the cost or complexity of full outsourcing, but still benefit from the clarity, reporting and support from professional oversight.​

Full-service AP/AR Package

Full-service represents premium Client Accounting Services (CAS) at its best. It’s the firm that “presses the button,” manages bill payments and handles workflow details for the client.

This package is engineered for clients who value total hands-off simplicity and rely on their advisors for turnkey finance operations. This sets up firms to price based on value and offer additional services down the line:

• The accountant controls the process end-to-end from vendor onboarding through payment execution to reconciliation and reporting.

• Pricing reflects a value-based, premium CAS fee that encompasses the time, risk and workflow integration involved. Firms can also further leverage tiered packages.

• Full service is perfect for businesses with complex needs, higher AP/AR volumes or whose owners lack the bandwidth or desire to touch the financial backend.​

How to structure, price and monetize

Both packages can be co-branded, layered with value-added features and marketed to clients based on their size, complexity and internal preferences. The accountant signs up clients directly, tailoring roles and permissions to business needs. This ensures stickiness and the monetization of both acquisition and oversight.​ It also opens the door to additional services that clients will highly value.

Take credit card advisory as a good example. With Melio’s pay-by-card feature, accountants can offer clients meaningful advice on extending cash flow, earning rewards and creating custom financing strategies for large bills. This elevates the accountant’s value from processor to proactive advisor, commanding premium fees for client coaching and execution.​

How Points Redemption Becomes an Advisory Opportunity

Most firms don’t think about credit card reward points as an advisory opportunity, but they should. Here’s a clear example of how this service benefits clients and opens the door to a new advisory revenue stream.

Nick, a trusted advisor, had been stacking Chase Ultimate Rewards points and knew most people missed out on the value, like redeeming for Amazon purchases at just 1 cent per point. When JetBlue partnered with Japan Airlines, Nick jumped on the chance to transfer 370,000 Chase points through JetBlue for two first-class tickets to Japan, a $36,000 value.

Realizing the power of this strategy, Nick began helping clients, especially high-spending restaurant owners, turn everyday expenses into valuable points using business cards like Chase Ink and Capital One. Instead of just handling AP, Nick realized that the firm could extend advisory services by advising clients to earn and redeem points strategically, unlocking huge ROI and laying the groundwork for a “Points Advisory” service.

Accountants play a crucial coaching role here, guiding clients on responsible usage and opening deeper cash flow conversations.

Beyond reward points, advisory also extends to payment options like fast pay and pay overtime, both features supported in Melio:

• Fast payments. Quick payment options are all about keeping vendor relationships strong and avoiding late fees. Fast payments not only reduce friction and keep the business running smoothly, they also let accountants map out payment schedules for clients to ensure bills are paid on time, every time. That means less risk and more trust, both inside the firm and with vendors.

• Pay over time: This feature enables SMB`s to turn big bills into manageable installments to free up cash flow and avoid the stress of large cash outflows. Firms can advise clients on which payments to split and how to leverage financing options, adding a strategic layer to their services that helps clients stay liquid and ready for new opportunities.

Smart features like these allow firms to dig deep into a client’s cash flow situation and offer tailored guidance rather than serving as mere bill processors. It’s a win-win with firms expanding advisory opportunities and clients getting some financial breathing room.

Turning Operations Into Opportunity

Rather than pushing all clients into one model, Melio’s platform enables accountants to build a true channel that matches the right AP/AR solution to each client’s needs while retaining a central view and monetizing guidance. Firms benefit from:

• Dual revenue streams, including full-service CAS and basic oversight advisory.

• Better client collaboration as accountants invite clients, set up workflows and monitor AP/AR in real time.

• Customizable guardrails that foster trust and compliance, allowing delegation while protecting firm and client interests.

• The ability to scale both service models alongside new firm growth, acquisitions or shifts in client base.​

By packaging AP/AR two ways, accountants move past messy back-office work into the future of high-margin, advisory-first services. It’s how they are creating a smarter, saner and far more profitable channel for both the firm and their clients.

• Full and confident automation

• Seamless layering of AI tools

• Reliable, stress-free audit turnarounds

• Better sleep (seriously!) because you’re not worried about unknown exposures

Data governance is not just an IT checkbox; it’s now a core business continuity issue. The next phase of CAS, especially as AI becomes baked into tools and workflows, demands airtight data trust.

Why? Because AI can’t operate on broken data, and automation won’t save you from contaminated information. But with centralized control and audit-ready records, you can:

• Double, even triple, the client load with the same team

• Onboard new service lines faster

• Reduce the risk of ever handing off messy books to audit or compliance teams

Governance as a scaling prerequisite

For CAS firms aiming to scale without compromising compliance or client trust, data governance isn’t optional. It’s foundational. You want to centralize control across key governance pillars: audit trails, access control and sensitive data monitoring. Track and attribute every edit, deletion or share, ensuring you know exactly who touched what, and when.

Layer on top of this is role-based access management to ensure only authorized users can view or change high-risk financial data. And have built-in sensitive data detection that flags personally identifiable information (PII), tax IDs or payment details that surface in unsecured environments. All so you can stay aligned with internal controls, client expectations and evolving regulatory standards.

Trust layer for operational maturity

As client demand grows, so does operational complexity, and that’s where most firms start to lose visibility. That requires a trust layer that scales with you, not against you. SysCloud acts as a control center, pulling in audit logs from QuickBooks, Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, so firms have a unified view of all activity across platforms.

From permission changes in Google Drive to manual journal entries in QBO, everything is monitored, logged and auditable. This transparency makes it possible to confidently delegate tasks, manage distributed teams and support multiple clients across industries, all without losing control. Scalable growth requires scalable integrity.

All of this is built on the bedrock of visibility and control. What you can’t see, you can’t manage.

You can’t scale broken books

You can’t scale if your foundation is rickety. And you can’t layer advanced automation, AI or strategic advisory on top of unreliable, invisible or compromised data. No matter what the software vendor promises or how fast your team moves, broken books guarantee failed initiatives and lost client trust.

Imagine your CAS tech stack as a growing house. If the foundation is cracked, adding floors is a recipe for disaster. Clean, visible and protected data is the only foundation that supports true automation, AI and modern strategic growth.

Want to upskill the team from controller to CFO-level advisor? Want to integrate best-in-class AI tools? Before you even consider these steps, you have to shore up every area of foundational risk:

• Full, restorable backups

• Field-level change monitoring

• Proactive, real-time alerts

• Bulletproof access and audit trails

AI-readiness starts with clean data

AI only performs as well as the data it’s fed. For most CAS firms, that data lives in messy, multi-platform ecosystems. You can ensure your entire stack is AI-ready by design, starting with automated daily backups that capture every change in QuickBooks Online, Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. From there, use an anomaly detection engine to continuously flag irregular activity like backdated invoices, unauthorized vendor changes or mass deletions so your systems don’t silently absorb corrupted data.

Layer that with robust governance controls and audit trails to protect the integrity of the data pipeline before it ever reaches your AI workflows. The result? Clean, trustworthy inputs that give your AI tools the context and clarity they need to generate real insights, not amplify existing errors.

Building AI on trustworthy data infrastructure

AI-powered automation, forecasting and client insights all depend on a stable, transparent data foundation. Through continuous backups, you can capture every version of every transaction. This ensures nothing is lost to sync errors, manual edits or cloud glitches. Its record-level anomaly detection highlights inconsistencies or fraud indicators before they pollute your systems, while its governance framework enforces secure access, proper data hygiene and auditability.

So, whether you’re training internal AI agents or integrating with platforms like Copilot, ChatGPT or Intuit Assist, you want to ensure that your inputs are clean, your trail is documented and your confidence is high. It’s the infrastructure layer your AI stack can trust.

This is where platforms like SysCloud shine. They surface previously hidden failures, enabling your firm to not only prevent catastrophes but also securely level up to AI-enabled advisory powered by data you can trust.

Getting started: Five essential questions to audit your CAS foundation

Are you ready to scale with confidence? Or are you operating on a faulty foundation? Ask yourself:

1. Do you have full, restorable backups of your QBO or other SaaS software data?

2. Can you track who made what changes in client files and when?

3. Would you get notified if something critical changed in a client’s books?

4. Do you know exactly who has access to client data, and is it fully locked down?

5. Could you defend your data and process integrity in a client dispute or an audit?

If you can’t answer “yes” confidently to all five questions, it’s time to evaluate your foundation to ensure you’re operating within a scalability, secure and chaos-free CAS environment.

Scale with confidence, not chaos

It all comes back to the same truth we started with: scaling chaos is impossible. Secure firms scale faster. Strong systems do more than just safeguard data. They protect your clients, your reputation and your firm’s growth potential. All the modern innovation in the world depends on the stability and transparency of your CAS foundation.

SysCloud and similar solutions aren’t just “nice-to-haves” for tomorrow’s CAS practice; they’re the new table stakes. With full visibility, automated backups, real-time alerting and centralized governance, firms get the full control necessary to serve more clients with higher-value advisory services and a greater level of trust.

Don’t let chaos throttle your growth. Scale with the confidence that comes from knowing every risk and controlling it before it controls you.

For too long, AP/AR has been a messy drag on firm growth. It’s a workflow blockade that creates cash flow headaches, data silos and unneeded stress. Even the most advanced firms experience the same challenges: drain on staff time, killer of advisory opportunities and propellant of messy general ledgers.

And let’s be clear, if the GL is messy, you’ll have nothing but problems from the get-go. It’s the starting point of clean numbers — the data that feeds other services and positions a firm to offer profitable advisory offerings.

And because the GL is where it all begins, even more reason that your accounting software should be a client-free zone.

Why keeping clients out of acounting software is key

The truth is that most clients don’t want to use accounting software in the first place. Hovering over the numbers only serves to keep them away from what they love most which is running their businesses and interacting with customers.

From the firm’s perspective, you don’t want clients in the GL either, especially if they’re not equipped to handle it. And most clients aren’t.

Take the newest QuickBooks interface. It offers so many bells and whistles that clients can get lost, leading to issues like accidentally misclassifying, duplicating or even deleting transactions.

Clients, of course, don’t intentionally mess up the GL, but it does happen. And more often than you think. It’s then left to the accountant to figure out what the client did, where it went wrong and what got changed. A recipe for costly cleanups and lost time.​

Give clients a simple, clean AP/AR environment

This is about positioning clients for success and that means keeping them out of the books. Popular client accounting solutions are just too complex and feature heavy. Clients just need a system to send invoices and pay bills.

It’s about creating a client experience that’s simple and easy. Clients only need to know what they need to know, so don’t overwhelm them with a long list of functionalities that aren’t relevant to their day-to-day work life.

Melio is designed precisely for business owners who want simplicity, not a crash course in accounting, supporting a painless way to:

• Pay bills

• Record payables

• Manage AP/AR in an interface built for clarity, not complexity

• Lose the complexity while enjoying seamless sync

Systems like Melio not only offer a simple dashboard but also seamless sync with QB. This means that both clients and accountants see the data, but only one holds the keys to the books (that’s your firm). The firm manages the GL with confidence while the client avoids the confusion and risk that comes with a complex accounting dashboard.​

Two-way syncing means your AP/AR platform and your accounting software talk to each other in real time, automating the process end to end. No more toggling between systems or re-entering the same data twice.

Here’s how it plays out day-to-day:

• Automagic data flow. This is possible when clients aren’t bogged down with complex functionality and handling accounting tasks that are beyond their acumen. With automatic sync between QuickBooks and Melio, when clients create invoices or pay/update bills, changes are instantly reflected in both systems.

• Error reduction. By default, keeping clients out of QuickBooks means a reduction in data errors. It’s really hard for clients to mess up the books if they’re not allowed anywhere near the GL. No more manual entry mistakes and duplicate records.

• Faster reconciliation. When clients are only creating invoices and paying bills, it translates to faster month-end reconciliations. No more chasing down missing transactions or hunting for discrepancies caused by the client.

• Consistent reporting: Clean books equal easy, consistent reporting. With data synced (and clients out of the GL), you can generate reports with confidence, knowing you’re working from a single source of truth.

“Oversight not overwrite”

This is the new AP/AR mantra (or it should be), reframing AP/AR from a liability into an opportunity. And here’s what that means…

Melio offers firms full visibility into transactions — reviewing, interpreting and advising based on client input — but the client never gets a chance to accidentally overwrite or derail the books. This split not only preserves data integrity but also gives clients what they truly want: a simple process to pay bills and run their business without accounting headaches.

For the accountant, it’s a chance to modernize, monetize and maintain sanity. AP/AR oversight then becomes a scalable advisory service. One where firms can offer differentiated packages from full-service advisory to clients who only require “light” support.

One of the biggest benefits is peace of mind. Firms get full visibility into what’s going on for all clients, and clients don’t have to worry about complex AP/AR functionality.

As firms move beyond compliance into relationship-driven services, our true value lies in meaningful, forward-looking conversations with our clients.

But how do you know if your conversations with clients are truly moving the needle?

Productive advisory sessions don’t just check boxes; they create clarity, momentum and alignment.

Here are three clear signs your advisory session wasn’t just a meeting, but a moment of real progress. When these signs show up in your client meetings, you know you’re not just providing a service. You’re building a relationship that leads to results.

1. The client was engaged and actively participating

A productive advisory session starts with an engaged client. If they were asking thoughtful questions, contributing insights or even challenging ideas, those are strong signs they were present and invested.

When a client actively participates instead of zoning out, it shows they trust your expertise and are beginning to take ownership of their role in the process. Participation signals they see the value in the conversation and are processing the guidance you’re giving.

This two-way exchange is essential for building advisory relationships that are collaborative, NOT transactional! It’s why your clients will choose to keep coming back to you, year after year, instead of straying toward AI alternatives.

2. There was real clarity and understanding.

Did your client walk away nodding in understanding? After the meeting, were they able to summarize their challenges, reframe their goals or connect the dots between strategy and execution?

When clients can repeat insights back to you in their own words, it signals the conversation landed! That kind of clarity means you communicated complex ideas in a way that was accessible and relevant. When clients get it, they can act on it.

When you help your clients truly understand their financial situation, you’re making a meaningful impact on their lives and you’re making yourself irreplaceable!

3. You both left with action steps

The strongest sign of a productive advisory conversation is a shared, actionable plan. If you and your client both walked away with defined next steps, you didn’t just talk strategy. You’re driving change!

Action items turn ideas into outcomes. Concrete next steps ensure your advisory work has traction and follow-through. This level of structure helps clients see the tangible value of your guidance. They won’t feel like they’re walking out of a meeting that could’ve been an email.

They don’t just understand their financial situation better; they know what to do next. Maybe next year, they’ll adjust their withholdings or make a more strategic retirement contribution, setting them up for future success.

That kind of clarity and direction is what turns a tax review into a transformational advisory moment. It’s the kind of relief that only financial first responders are equipped to provide!

This not only covers you for the classic client comeback: “We didn’t touch that, you did,” but also for many other critical reasons:

• Client service recovery: With granular change monitoring, you can confidently show where and when a client, team member or external party altered the books. No more being blamed for changes that you didn’t make.

• Staff coaching and QA: Now you can see where processes break down, errors occur or misunderstandings happen. This empowers targeted training and systemic improvement. A quick suggestion is to view every adjustment as a coaching opportunity.

• Fraud detection: It’s not about casting suspicion but about identifying anomalies before they turn into a crisis.

• Audit readiness: When it comes time for an audit, having a bulletproof trail of relevant changes will make your life (and your clients’) a thousand times easier.

Consider a real-world scenario…

A junior staff member unintentionally deletes a set of vendor bills. Would you even notice this before reconciling at month-end? Or even worse, before the client does? With true change monitoring and alerting, these risks become visible, manageable and preventable.

This is accountability in action. It’s how you transform collaboration from a risk vector into a business advantage.

Find problems before the client does

No one wants to be in the position of a client pointing out a glaring error in their own books. In today’s CAS firm, managers juggle hundreds, even thousands, of files. Pre-cloud, you could review everything before it left your desk. Today, that’s impossible at scale.

This is why proactive alerts are game-changing. When your platform tells you immediately that something suspicious or just plain weird has happened, you can:

• React fast to anomalies and unauthorized access

• Reduce fire-drill scenarios that consume staff time

• Build trust by catching and correcting problems before the client does

This isn’t just a defensive play. With real visibility into data patterns and changes, you can package new advisory services. For example:

• Notice repeated AP file disruptions? Offer to take over AP management.

• See recurring errors in payroll edits? Upsell payroll audit or cleanup timelines.

Consider also that with advisory services, you’re providing the platform, which can be baked into your fee. You charge a nominal $30 for the platform that’s maybe costing you $15. This transitions the cost of the software to clients without breaking the bank, and you have a vendor that is actually budget positive.

This is all so much easier to accomplish when your platform offers a real-time alerting engine built to intercept threats before they escalate into client-facing issues. Whether it’s a bulk vendor deletion, a spike in invoice edits or an unexpected drop in file volume, the system compares each new snapshot against a 30-day learned baseline and flags deviations that exceed defined thresholds.

These alerts are not passive reports. They’re active signals delivered to CAS leaders via daily dashboards, exportable summaries or integration with preferred communication tools. The moment an anomaly is detected — for example, a bot integration misfires or an employee mass-deletes transactions — platforms like SysCloud send a targeted alert, allowing firms to step in immediately, investigate and resolve before the client even notices. Whew!

Anomaly confidence scoring + tiered response

Behind every alert, SysCloud applies anomaly confidence scoring to help prioritize action. For example, a surge of 100+ new vendors in a day, which is well above the learned range, would be flagged as a high-confidence anomaly, prompting immediate investigation. Conversely, a subtle change to payment terms might trigger a lower-confidence alert for review.

This tiered-visibility model helps CAS teams focus on what matters most without drowning in noise. Alerts can be mapped to fraud indicators (e.g., deleted liabilities, invoice amount changes, journal reclassification), giving accounting teams a real-time, risk-based lens on their books. It’s not just about fast notifications; it’s about the intelligence to know what to act on first and why it matters.

Real-time notifications for material changes give you the confidence to scale. They also offer additional value without losing sleep over what you don’t know.

AP doesn’t have to be a drag. It can actually be a revenue stream. Yep. You heard me right.

In this video, I break down four radical plays to stop letting AP drain your time and energy and start letting it fuel your firm’s growth.

Play #1: Keep Your Clients Out of the GL

Your clients don’t belong in QuickBooks. Period.

Give them a simple, button-based AP tool, like Melio, where they can pay bills easily while you keep oversight.

IT’s about oversight, not overwrite. You protect the integrity of the books. They get simplicity. Everybody wins.

(Seriously, watch the video — I show how easy it is to add, approve and pay bills. No messy new QuickBooks screens required.)

Play #2: Repackage AP for Profit

There’s not just one way to deliver AP anymore. You’ve got two solid models:

• Full-Service AP: You do it all. Press the button. Manage the workflow. That’s premium CAS pricing right there.

• AP Oversight Light: Let your clients press the button, but you monetize the guardrails. You stay in control, keep the GL clean and still earn a margin.

Either way, you turn a headache into a structured, scalable, profitable service.

And here’s a little insider tip: Melio’s accountant partner program actually rewards you for it. The more clients you move onto the platform, the better your pricing gets. So you’re not just improving workflows, you’re stacking margins. It’s literally built to make AP a win-win for you and your clients.

Play #3: Automate the Ugly Stuff

If your team is still manually entering bills, chasing client errors or reconciling twice — stop. With OCR, inbox forwarding and smart integrations, you can eliminate the grunt work and double handling.

Approval workflows and permissions give you control without chaos. That means more trust, more efficiency and way higher margins.

Automation isn’t about replacing people; it’s about freeing them to do better work.

Play #4: Turn AP into Advisory

This is where the real magic happens. That bill pay button? It’s not just about getting vendors paid. It’s the start of cash flow strategy, and that’s advisory.

When you teach clients how to extend payment terms, leverage card rewards, and manage liquidity, you’re helping them make smarter business decisions.

Advisory starts at the bill pay button, because that’s where cash flow takes shape.

Modernize. Monetize. Future-Proof.

AP doesn’t have to drag you down. When you modernize your workflows, repackage your services and automate the ugly stuff, you free your team to focus on what matters most — helping clients grow.

Stop playing defense. Start winning the AP game.

And like any great guide, you need a plan before you set out.

A strong agenda helps you steer the meeting with confidence, stay focused on what matters and create space for your client to show up fully. It provides structure and strategy so that you have brain space to stay flexible and focus entirely on your clients’ needs.

Creating a strong agenda is the first step, but where should you start?

1. Define the purpose of the meeting

Start with the “why!” What do you want this conversation to achieve? Maybe it’s about aligning on long-term goals, diagnosing current roadblocks or developing an actionable plan for next year’s taxes. Getting clear on the purpose sets the tone and direction for everything that follows.

Consider your client’s current situation, key challenges, goals and aspirations, learning style and time constraints.

If you can’t figure out exactly why you’re meeting, maybe that’s the purpose of the meeting. Don’t be afraid to show up anyway so you can really listen to your clients’ needs and use what you learn to drive future conversations.

2. Gather client information

You should know where your client is coming from before they even walk in the door. Do your research to understand their business stage, industry context and current challenges. Then, tailor the conversation to what really matters.

All of your advisory conversations should center your clients’ needs. They intimately understand their finances, but you understand the big picture. So, let them in on it! But study up ahead of time so that you’re ready to share that wealth of information in a way that’s relevant for them.

3. Structure the Agenda

Break the meeting into clear, logical parts. A typical flow might look like:

• Vision Alignment — Connect on the client’s long-term vision and goals

• Challenge Diagnosis — Pinpoint what’s standing in their way

• Strategic Insight — Offer guidance based on your expertise

• Action Planning — Turn insight into defined next steps

4. Allocate Time Wisely

Don’t let one part of the meeting dominate. Assign time blocks to each section to keep things on track. A 60-minute meeting might break down into 10-minute segments that can be adjusted as needed.

As you flow through the meeting, take time to support your client emotionally, not just financially. No matter what you say, they’re probably going to feel overloaded with information. So, make sure to give yourself plenty of time to pause for their questions and let them process what you’re saying.

Obviously, don’t waste your clients’ time. But also, don’t be discouraged if you have to meet again (and again, and again, and again.) That’s proof you’re getting somewhere! We could talk about this stuff forever, but normal people only repeatedly schedule meetings about their finances if you’re really adding value.

5. Share the agenda in advance

Transparency builds trust. Send the agenda to your client before the meeting so they know what to expect and can come prepared. It shows them you’re intentional and value their time.

It also gives them an opportunity to mention topics you may have overlooked, giving you a chance to prepare ahead of time. That way, you’re not caught off guard in the last five minutes of your meeting when they ask a six-part question about a random topic you had no idea they’d been ruminating on.

6. Be flexible in the moment

It’s worth repeating. ALL of your advisory conversations NEED to center your client. That means putting their needs first. To do that, you need to be flexible.

Your agenda is a roadmap, not a script. Stay open to detours. If the client brings up something urgent or unexpected, adjust as needed. You can circle back to the agenda when it makes sense or schedule another time to meet if there’s topics you still need to talk about.

If you can meet your client where they are, they’ll keep coming back.

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I know you’re probably thinking that makes this month the perfect time to kick back, devour a whole Costco bag of Halloween candy, and watch mindless TV ‘til it all starts again next year.

Wrong!

It’s time to investigate! Figure out what went wrong while everything’s still fresh, so that you can find the AI tools that will help you solve those challenges next year.

What did you put off until October 15? And why?

What’s left at the end of tax season is usually the junk that no one wants to touch. The stragglers, the “we’ll deal with it later” returns, the clients who ghosted you for six months and then emailed you a Dropbox link at midnight. All the crap that doesn’t fit into your workflow because it was never designed to handle it.

You’re probably thinking this is the part where I tell you how AI can solve all your problems.

Maybe it can, but how can you implement AI tools if you don’t even know what problems you want them to solve?

Everyone wants to slap some AI on top of their mess and hope it’ll clean things up, but that’s just a waste of time. What you actually have to do is figure out what was so hard about all the projects you had to save ‘til the end.

AI-first doesn’t actually mean, “First, AI!” AI-first means, “First, find a problem! Second, find an AI tool to help you fix it.”

I know, it’s not really as catchy. But you can’t pick a tool to solve your firm’s issues if you don’t know what your firm’s issues are. Duh!

That’s why you’re so stressed out by all the options. You have no idea what you need AI to help with! Figure out your firm’s pain points first, and the AI tools will literally pick themselves.

All pain points trace back to your process (or the fact you don’t even really have one)

You can’t throw AI on top of chaos and expect it to make things better. AI doesn’t fix disorganization. It scales whatever you already have.

So, if your process is broken, guess what? AI will just break it faster.

You’ve thought about which returns you procrastinated finishing ‘til this month. So, ask yourself these questions to figure out the patterns connecting them all.

• Is your team following the same steps every time?

• Are those steps written down anywhere?

• Can every team member describe the workflow?

• Do different team members do things in different ways?

• Is the process paper-based? Digital? Automated? Confusing?

• Where do things consistently get stuck?

• What are the “we’ll fix it next year” moments you’ve been repeating for five years?

If the answer to any of those questions is “ummmmmm….” Congrats! You’ve found your problem.

Now you’re ready to pick a tool!

Once you know what’s actually breaking in your process, finding the right AI solution becomes way less overwhelming and way more strategic.

Instead of asking, “What’s the best AI tool out there?” You’re asking, “Which tool solves this specific problem in my actual workflow?”

• Talk to your peers. Ask what they’re using and what problems it’s solving for them and see if those match your firm’s needs.

• Search smart. Use keywords tied to your pain points, not just “best AI for accountants.”

• Watch demos on YouTube. Look for tools that solve the exact thing you’re struggling with.

• Ask ChatGPT. The robots can help you narrow things down. It can help you understand features, compare options or even suggest questions to ask vendors.

• Test small. Don’t overhaul your entire system overnight. Pick one tool, one process, one pain point and see if the tech makes it better.

AI can absolutely help your firm, but only if you know what you’re asking it to fix. So take time now to reflect, reset and get strategic. Next tax season doesn’t have to feel like this one, but it will if you keep duct-taping tools to chaos.

It’s Monday morning, and your inbox is already overflowing. Tax season may be months away, but your clients’ questions never stop, especially when it comes to business compliance.

One email stands out. A long-time client just decided to form an LLC. “It should be simple,” they write. “Just tell me what I need to do.”

You know better.

Forming and maintaining an LLC isn’t just a matter of filling in a form and sending it off. Each state has its own maze of rules, deadlines, and documentation. What’s straightforward in one state might be a bureaucratic nightmare in another. Missing just one filing can mean penalties, suspended operations, or even losing liability protection.

And here’s the kicker—hours spent digging through state requirements or chasing down paperwork aren’t billable hours. They are hours you could be spending on higher-value advisory work.

That’s where Tailor Brands steps in.

The Tailor Brands Advantage for CPAs

Instead of navigating fifty different state rulebooks, you can partner with a team that does it every single day. Tailor Brands takes the legal and administrative weight off your shoulders so you can focus on what you do best—guiding your clients and growing your practice.

You don’t have to worry about:

• The tedious paperwork. From the very first step of formation to every annual filing, we handle the process end-to-end—accurately and on time.

• Knowing the rules. Our experts stay on top of every state’s changing regulations, so you and your clients avoid costly missteps.

• Losing control of the process. Refer your clients directly or manage their journey through our simple online portal—whichever works best for you.

This means more peace of mind for you, year-round. We keep your clients compliant behind the scenes, so you can focus on strategic work—not tracking deadlines.

The CPA’s LLC Compliance Checklist

(And how much you can take off your plate when you partner with Tailor Brands)

At Formation:

🔲 Verify business name availability (including searching the corresponding state’s business registry)

🔲 Navigate name rejections or duplicates (wait for client responses, suggest alternatives, repeat if needed—often requiring multiple back-and-forths)

🔲 Draft and file Articles of Organization

🔲 Designate a registered agent

🔲 Create an operating agreement

🔲 Obtain EIN from the IRS

Ongoing Compliance:

🔲 Track annual report deadlines

🔲 File annual reports with the correct state agency

🔲 Maintain accurate ownership records

🔲 Keep registered agent details up to date

🔲 Monitor and adjust for state-specific requirements

The most time-consuming parts aren't just the tasks—they’re the interruptions. Waiting on clients for new name suggestions or approvals means constantly picking things up and putting them down. That inefficiency adds up quickly.

With Tailor Brands, all of it is handled. We streamline the process, eliminate the stop-and-start, and free you up for higher-value work.

Why This Matters Now

Business owners—especially first-time entrepreneurs—are starting companies faster than ever. They need guidance, but they also need execution. As a CPA, your ability to say “Yes, I can help with that” can be the difference between being seen as just a tax preparer and becoming a trusted, full-service advisor.

With Tailor Brands, you can expand your value without expanding your workload or taking on the legal risk.

The Bottom Line

You don’t have to be an attorney to guide your clients through LLC formation and compliance. You just need the right partner.

Tailor Brands acts as your behind-the-scenes compliance team, giving your clients confidence that their business is set up and maintained the right way, while giving you the time and freedom to focus on strategic work.

So the next time that “quick LLC question” lands in your inbox, you won’t have to hesitate. You’ll have the right answer—and the right partner—at your fingertips.

Clients tend to take on LLC setups because it’s something that needs to get done at the start of (or before) a business launch. The problem is that a lot of business owners don’t know how to set up an LLC correctly. By the time it gets to us accountants, it can be a hot mess.

Firms can easily avoid the pitfalls and common pain points (client-made messes) by using the right LLC platform. At the same time, intuitive, powerful solutions allow firms to avoid wasting time while offering yet another valuable service to clients.

The fact is that clients are already asking for this service. But many firms simply don’t want to offer it based on perceptions of complexity and clients’ self-made LLC messes (like being out of compliance). But just take a moment to think just how streamlined LLC services could be when you own the process.

Why LLC Setup is a Time Drain

Setting up an LLC means you have to know the rules for each state, fill out the right forms and make sure everything is in on time. It’s why so many clients make a mess of the process when they try to do it themselves. By the time it gets to the firm, you have to sort through the compliance issues.

There are also the ongoing LLC requirements, such as yearly reports and taxes. Multiply this work across all your clients and the level of tediousness just keeps growing.

How it Steals Time from Higher-Value Work

Everyone knows that client advisory services (CAS) represent the future (and the now) with its recurring revenue stream and the ability to build strong, loyal client relationships. A disjointed LLC service only takes time away from higher-value work. And no one wants that.

Accounting professionals are not just number crunchers. They’re a trusted partner, advisor and coach to their clients who support clients with tax planning, financial forecasting and cash flow analysis. Stealing time away from CAS is not optimal.

Outside of a streamlined LLC process, a firm can easily spend hours filing forms and tracking deadlines. This misallocation of resources can hinder the growth of both the accounting firm as well as clients’ businesses.

Common DIY Mistakes

A lot of small business owners attempt to set up their LLC primarily to save time and money. However, when clients handle setup independently, it often leads to making critical mistakes, including:

• Filing in the wrong state. Entrepreneurs sometimes choose a state with lower fees or perceived benefits without understanding the implications of forming a foreign entity in their home state.

• Using incorrect addresses. Clients may use post office boxes or inappropriate addresses for registered agents, which can lead to compliance issues.

• Skipping operating agreements. Many DIY setups overlook creating operating agreements, leaving businesses vulnerable to disputes among members.

• Missing deadlines. Filing annual reports or other required documents late can result in penalties or dissolution of the LLC.

These mistakes not only create headaches for accountants tasked with resolving them but also expose clients to unnecessary risks. When clients realize their errors — often when it’s too late — they turn to their accountant for help. This, of course, only adds urgency and complexity to an already demanding firm workload.

A Better Way Forward for Firms and Their Clients

Given the challenges, firms should consider leveraging third-party services that specialize in LLC formation. Top-rated tools streamline the process by handling filings in minutes and tracking deadlines for compliance. These platforms also allow accountants to either refer clients directly or manage the setup process themselves with minimal effort.

Just consider a few benefits:

• Accountants can ensure accuracy and compliance without dedicating extensive time or resources

• Clients benefit from a seamless experience while avoiding common pitfalls

• Firms can earn referral fees that offset labor costs associated with entity formation

• Firms can avoid the time drain of DIY LLC set up to focus on higher-value advisory services

This approach not only reduces administrative burdens but also positions accountants as proactive problem-solvers, delivering yet another efficient and much-needed solution to clients.

There is a roadmap for being Radical. But you’re going to have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Because shifting to a Radical business model isn’t just a tweak; it’s a transformation. And it will make your firm future-ready.

The Tenets of a Radical Firm

Before we talk transition, let’s get something straight: the Radical CPA movement is built on tenets that have stood the test of time. These are what make a Radical firm. Period.

1. Cloud Technology – By now your firm should be 100% cloud-based. If not, you know you’re behind. But it’s more than simply being in the cloud. Today, you have to protect client data and back up the cloud. When you ensure clients have the right data at the right time, you can collaborate in real time, automate and eliminate bottlenecks. This is what sets the stage for advisory to happen.

2. Social Business – No, this isn’t about posting memes on LinkedIn. Social business is about transparency, communication and building relationships digitally. It’s about meeting clients where they are and using technology to create a connected, engaged experience.

3. Value Pricing – Forget the billable hour. Your clients don’t care how long something takes; they care about the result. Value pricing means pricing based on outcomes, not hours. It’s a radical shift in mindset, but once you make it, your firm will never look back.

4. Customer Experience – This is the biggest differentiator of all. A Radical firm doesn’t just do accounting — it creates an experience that clients actually love. Your clients should feel like your services were designed just for them (because they were!).

5. AI-First. The newest tenant of a radical firm is operating AI-first. AI isn’t just another tool; it’s a fundamental shift in how firms operate, interact with data and serve clients. Firms that embrace an AI-first approach will gain efficiency, improve decision-making, and unlock new value from data in ways never before possible.

By following these tenets, firms create a more efficient, scalable and client-centric model. That means increased profitability, stronger client relationships and a reputation that attracts forward-thinking businesses.

Firms that transition to value pricing often see higher revenue per client while also reducing the friction of billing disputes. Meanwhile, cloud adoption means staff can work remotely, increasing flexibility and access to top talent. These changes aren’t theoretical — they have propelled firms into a new era of success.

How to Transition to a Radical Firm

Here’s your step-by-step guide to breaking free from the old-school firm model.

1. Get buy-in. If you’re in a partnership, getting buy-in from your leadership team is the first (and sometimes hardest) step. Not everyone is going to be on board, and that’s okay. The truth? Some firms will need to lose a few traditionalists to gain a future. If you’re a solo firm owner, congratulations, you just saved yourself a lot of headaches. Now, it’s all on you to make the change happen.

2. Start with one service offering. You don’t have to overhaul everything at once. Pick one service to transition into a productized, value-priced model. Maybe it’s monthly advisory services. Maybe it’s tax planning. Maybe it’s CAS. Whatever it is, define it, price it and standardize the process.

3. Automate everything you can. Radical firms don’t waste time on manual processes. Use cloud-based accounting platforms, automate data collection and integrate workflow tools to streamline operations. The less time you spend on low-value tasks, the more time you can spend on delivering real value to clients.

4. Ditch the billable hour. This is the hardest part for most firms, but it’s also the most important. Clients want predictable pricing. They don’t want to feel like they’re on a taxi meter every time they call you. Develop fixed-price packages, clearly define deliverables and set expectations upfront.

5. Create a customer experience that turns clients into raving fans. This is more than providing good customer service. It’s about designing an experience that makes clients feel valued, understood and excited to work with you. When your firm operates with transparency, responsiveness and a client-first approach, your customers become your biggest advocates.

6. Build a team that thinks differently. That means hiring people who embrace technology, creativity and problem-solving over rote compliance work. Training should be ongoing, and learning should be part of the culture. If someone isn’t aligned with this vision, they’re not the right fit.

7. Make change a constant. There’s no end to this transformation. A Radical firm doesn’t “get there” and then stop. Innovation is baked into the culture, and change becomes part of your firm’s DNA. You’re always improving, always evolving and always staying ahead of what’s next.

Transitioning to this model could take years, depending on the firm’s size and complexity. Setting realistic expectations is crucial. Firms should measure success by tracking client retention, revenue growth, efficiency improvements and overall client satisfaction. Small wins like successfully implementing value pricing for a segment of clients or automating a key workflow signal progress.

Keep moving forward, and soon enough, the transformation will take hold.

It’s Still Radical

You’d think by now, more firms would be operating this way. But the truth is, the majority of accounting firms are still stuck in the past. They’re resistant to technology, terrified of pricing outside the billable hour and clinging to outdated models that are quickly becoming obsolete. This is being exacerbated by firms ignoring AI or adopting a wait-and-see approach, ensuring they remain stuck in compliance and fall behind those AI-first firms that are making data-driven proactive decisions.

Radical isn’t a better way to work — it’s the only way to future-proof your firm. The profession is changing, client expectations are shifting and firms that refuse to evolve will get left behind. But the ones that embrace this new way of working will be the ones shaping the future of accounting.

Here’s how to rethink your KPIs and make your firm not just a place to work, but a place where people want to work.

Why the Old Ways Don’t Work Anymore

First off, the world has changed. Customers expect Amazon-level service. Automation is taking over repetitive tasks. The next generation of accountants isn’t interested in grinding out 65-hour workweeks. If your firm’s culture is built on timesheets and utilization rates, you’re not just behind the times — you’re actively losing the war for talent and clients.

Face it. Nobody gets excited to wake up and log every second of their day into a timesheet. It’s bad data, it’s demoralizing and it’s not even accurate. Employees hate it, and clients couldn’t care less how many hours you spent. What they care about is results.

So, let’s fix this.

The New KPIs Every Firm Needs

Here’s what you should focus on instead of tracking hours like it’s still 1985:

Read more

A new firm isn’t just a rebrand; it’s a total mindset shift. These firms are built for speed, adaptability and delivering value at every touchpoint. They're not afraid to ditch outdated practices (bye, timesheets!) and embrace the modern principles that today’s clients crave. Let’s explore what makes a new firm tick.

The DNA of a New Firm

Nobody cares how long it takes you to do something — they care about the results. That’s why new firms are done with hourly billing. Instead, they focus on pricing based on the outcomes clients actually want. These firms aim to align with outcomes. They are clear with clients about what they are getting and why it matters. This is done with transparent pricing that builds confidence from the get-go, too.

All this puts the focus on efficiency. You’re rewarded for working smarter, not longer, to provide real value to the client. Value-based pricing is a win for your bottom line and the foundation of better client relationships.

Productized Services

New firms don’t reinvent the wheel for every client. They’ve figured out what works, standardized it and turned their services into consistent, scalable offerings.

This is beneficial because it leads to:

• Predictability - clients know exactly what they’re getting

• Efficiency - your team isn’t spinning its wheels on custom solutions

• Profitability - repeatable processes mean higher margins

For example, instead of billing hourly for tax prep or consulting, a new firm might offer a fixed-price package tailored to specific industries. This helps clients feel confident, and you get to streamline your work.

Tech-Savvy Operations

If you’re still buried in manual processes, you’re doing it wrong. New firms are powered by technology, from automation to real-time analytics. They are saying goodbye to repetitive tasks and hello to time for high-value work thanks to automation.

This translates into real-time insights where clients get data they can actually use, not last month’s numbers. And information is a collaboration made easy thanks to cloud-based tools. Everyone’s on the same page, wherever they are.

Tech isn’t just a tool — it’s the backbone of a new firm. And no, you don’t have to be a tech genius to make it work.

Clients as Partners

In a new firm, clients aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet — they’re partners in success. These firms go all-in on understanding what clients need, what obstacles they face and how to deliver solutions that move the needle. It starts with a deep dive into discovery to learn their goals, challenges and pain points.

This is then used to identify the services offered that matter most to them.

The focus is on the long term. You want to build trust that turns one-off projects into lasting partnerships. When clients see you as a partner — not just a service provider — they stick around.

A Growth Mindset

The old-school firms fear change. New firms embrace it. They know the only way to thrive in a world of AI disruptors and tech-savvy competitors is to stay flexible and keep evolving. It requires quick adaption; pivoting when the market shifts. The solutions delivered are future-ready. It’s not about reacting. These solutions keep clients ahead of the curve.

This mindset includes the need for continuous improvement, too. These firms do set it and forget about it. They are staying ahead of the curve. New firms aren’t just surviving—they’re leading the way.

Why New Firms Are Crushing It

Clients are over the old way of doing things. They want transparency, efficiency and value. These are all things legacy firms struggle to deliver. New firms? They’re built for this. They are able to provide consistent value by aligning pricing and services with real client outcomes. They standardize processes to scale for growth without the growing pains. They build stronger relationships with client-first models that create loyalty that lasts. New firms are the future!

How to Become a New Firm

Thinking about making the leap? Here’s how to start:

1. Rethink your pricing - shift from hourly billing to value-based or fixed pricing

2. Standardize your offerings - find your repeatable sweet spots and productize them

3. Invest in tech - automate the grunt work and focus on what matters

4. Focus on outcomes - build your services around what clients actually value

5. Embrace change - experiment, learn and keep evolving.

The new firm isn’t just an idea — it’s the blueprint for thriving in a world that demands more. By focusing on value, technology and client relationships, these firms are rewriting the rules and creating a future where everyone wins.

So, who’s ready to step up and become a new firm? The time is now.

Don’t Miss My Session!

I’m moderating a session on 2025 tax and HR compliance updates for. My guests include:

• Amy Miller - Senior Director of Government Affairs, ADP

• Kelly Phillips Erb - Tax Counsel, Erblaw

• Ronald Ulrich - Retirement Services Executive, ADP

It’s a rockstar panel that, I’m sure, will have a wealth of information to share. Be sure to check out and register for the Accountant Connect Summit in January.

At the Accounting Today Private Equity Summit, it was like time traveling between the nostalgia of yesteryear and the cutting-edge of tomorrow. Picture a room of 300 sharp-suited traditionalists discussing radical transformations. No breakout sessions, no distractions, just one big melting pot of ideas, insights and some top-tier donuts.

So, what’s the buzz about PE in accounting? Let’s break it down:

The Fresh Boost Accounting Needed

Say goodbye to the “wait 15 years to make partner” slog. PE investment is reshaping how firms reward their rising stars. Talented professionals no longer need to wait forever for a piece of the pie. With PE, the focus shifts to immediate rewards, better retention and sustainable growth.

And this isn’t just about padding pockets. It’s about reinvesting by upgrading tech, recruiting stellar talent and building firms that can thrive in the modern world. The days of coasting on outdated practices are numbered.

Debunking the Greed Myth

Think PE is all about lining pockets and gutting firms? Think again. Sure, there’s a push for accountability, but that’s not a bad thing. PE brings strategic discipline which means better financial management, clearer goals and growth-oriented cultures.

Here’s a twist: many PE funds draw their resources from institutions like pension funds. That means retirement savings might be indirectly driving the future of accounting. So, next time someone trashes PE, remind them it could be grandma’s 401(k) transforming the industry.

The Innovation Gap

PE brings cash, but is it delivering innovation? Sometimes, yes. Often, no. Adding automation to a broken process isn’t innovation — it’s a band-aid. The real magic happens when firms redesign themselves from the ground up. True innovation isn’t just about tech; it’s about mindset and operations.

The Bigger Picture

PE isn’t for every firm. It’s for the top firms with solid growth and clean operations. But their influence is raising the stakes for everyone. If you’re competing against a PE-backed firm, you better step up with better metrics, smarter management and a sharper vision.

The disruption doesn’t stop with PE. Venture capitalists, fintech players and new firms are muscling into the space, bringing new technologies and client-centric approaches that leave traditionalists scrambling to keep up.

Radical Visions for Accounting

Imagine an accounting profession where innovation isn’t just a buzzword, it’s baked into the DNA. PE might be the spark, but the fire is ours to build. The future isn’t about tweaking old models; it’s about creating something brand new — a profession that’s profitable, sustainable and even (gasp!) fun.

Change is here. It’s exciting. And it’s time to embrace it, the Radical CPA way. Who’s ready to ditch the playbook and start rewriting the future?

It’s often difficult for accounting professionals to collaborate effectively. Whether it’s managing complex client interactions, spending time on tedious, manual workflows, or switching among half a dozen tools to get work done, essential processes are often disjointed and, as a result, the client experience suffers.

That’s why we created solutions. ShareFile wants to simplify everyday processes and empower accounting professionals with customized workflows that are ready to use, so accountants can get exactly what they need for engagements, all in one place.

Simplify Tax Teturn Processes

The Income Tax Return solution streamlines the client engagement process for individual and business tax returns, from onboarding to gathering the documents required for the return to signing 8879 forms. With the solution, accounting professionals can:

• Standardize client engagements for individual and business tax returns: Organize tax services with ready-to-use templates for individual and business tax preparation — forms 1040, 1065, 1120-S, 1120-C, and 990

• Effortlessly onboard clients: Onboard and collect client information with embedded workflows and intake forms

• Automate engagement letters: Send automated engagement letters to speed up the engagement process

• Collect client data with templated questionnaires and PBC lists: Enable seamless collection of client documents and data with customizable, templated request lists and digital forms

• Import files easily from popular accounting software: Securely transfer files easily between ShareFile and accounting software like CCH, Drake, Lacerte, ProSeries, UltraTax, and others

• Improve staff visibility and collaboration: Delegate tasks, collaborate with team members, and manage client engagements in a single location

• Streamline the finalization process: Finalize the service by sending IRS form 8879s for e-signature with knowledge-based authentication, centralizing the entire process in the client engagement

Everything in One Place

The Income Tax Return solution brings together document-heavy processes in one place, simplifying client collaboration and providing visibility into return status. In fact, ShareFile can help you save an estimated 4.25 hours per client tax return!*

There’s no need for multiple tools to support document request lists, digital forms creation, and e-signatures, helping you to reduce costs and tech stack complexity. The solution also enables firms to accelerate service delivery with automation that eliminates manual touchpoints.

*This calculation is an estimate only based on internal research using current prices and is subject to change. ShareFile is not responsible for the content, results, or accuracy of the estimated information and actual results will vary.

You see, many firms are stuck in old ways. They are putting out fires, micromanaging employees and wondering why their customer experience (CX) isn’t what it could be. This doesn’t work because your CX is doomed if your employee experience (EX) is broken! The secret sauce? A solid process that works for everyone. And it’s time to get excited about it.

Why Process Matters for Your Team

No one goes to school dreaming of punching a time clock or spending their days buried in grunt work. Yet, that’s where a lot of firms leave their team members — caught in the grind of timesheets, repetitive tasks and chaos. It’s frustrating. It’s demoralizing. And ultimately, it kills the creativity and passion that can make your firm stand out.

What’s the fix? A killer process that actually works for your team.

Read more

And it’s hard to tell a CPA how to be advisory because it’s so specific to firms and peoples’ practices. There really isn’t a boilerplate way of going about it once you start getting into the nuances of how advisory is delivered. 

In the past, those at the forefront of this radical movement have been trying to convince the masses that advisory and value pricing and all of that was the way to go. Finally, things are changing and accountants want to learn how to be advisory, which is huge. 

Read more

SHAREFILE - SPONSORED ARTICLE

I’m excited to deliver this information-packed article from our friends at ShareFile who are dedicated to helping us move the profession forward with education-based content.

Thank you for tuning in. And big thanks to ShareFile for providing this helpful, timely article!

- Jody Padar, The Radical CPA

Today, accountants have access to modern accounting workflows that replace physical, paper-based processes with automated ones. Whereas paper-based processes are inefficient and error-prone, digital accounting workflows are faster, more accurate, and leave more time to  devote to clients.

Unlocking the full potential of digital accounting workflows requires the right approach. This means defining and implementing standardized digital accounting workflows that make it easy to track critical files and stay on top of important tasks.

In this post, we'll walk you through everything you need to know to optimize your accounting workflows, including:

• What workflows are

• What role workflows play in your business

• The most important workflows

• Best practices for implementation

• Common questions about workflow optimization

What is an accounting workflow?

An accounting workflow is the chronological steps required to complete an accounting task and the basic directions for each step.

A complete accounting workflow will document steps as well as who performs them, what tools or databases they should use to complete the steps, and how long each step should take.

Depending on the type of task, a workflow can be simple or complex. For example, requesting a client signature is a basic workflow. There are 1-3 steps total. More complex workflows might have multiple variables, steps, and stakeholders. Preparing a client’s annual tax return, for example, requires multiple documents and steps.

Workflows vs. business processes

A business process is used to detail all of the activities required to achieve a business objective or solve a large-scale issue. Steps within a business process can be assigned to an individual or an entire team. They are more process-oriented and strategic in nature and often consider outside data and business impacts.

• Workflows are more granular and are designed to complete an individual task. They are more tactical and include a series of steps.

The benefits of accounting workflows

Accounting workflows help make sure that tasks get done on time by outlining who needs to do what, and when.

When accounting workflows are well documented, your firm can think about automating them to improve speed and accuracy.

Standardization reduces the chance that someone will make a mistake or overlook something important. This process focuses on creating standards for specific tasks, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and repeatability. It also makes employee onboarding much simpler because new hires get a clear idea of their role and responsibilities.

Manageability

Using workflows helps break down complex business processes into manageable, incremental phases. This can be especially beneficial for bookkeepers. Instead of focusing on monthly, quarterly, or annual journal entries and records, bookkeepers can focus on recurring tasks.

Delegation and oversight

With delegation and oversight, team members have a clear idea of what each task involves, while leadership has greater visibility into individual workloads. This makes it easier for all parties to assign, delegate, and prioritize critical tasks and projects.

Scalability

With consistent, repeatable results, it becomes easier to retain clients through the high-quality services you provide. Having the right processes in place makes it easier for your firm to grow. And a systematic approach to business processes makes it easier to automate and scale your accounting operations.

Optimization and decision-making

Workflows help to enable more accurate and consistent data collection, supporting more informed decision making. Rather than manually hunting down and consolidating critical information, you have a high-level, real-time view of your business. You can even use analytics to help guide your decision making.

Thanks to the visibility and transparency workflows provide, it's also easier to identify bottlenecks and weaknesses in business operations, like issues around the handoff from sales to customer success.

The most important accounting workflows

While it would be ideal to invest time and effort into developing and mastering workflows for every major task and process in your firm, your time and resources are limited. You need to start small, narrowing your focus on where workflow optimization will have the greatest impact. For most firms, that means focusing on the following areas.

Client onboarding workflows

Efficient client onboarding is essential for retention and long-term success. You must welcome new clients and establish a working relationship with them as quickly as possible, all while clearly communicating everything they need to know. This contributes to faster revenue growth and results in a higher rate of customer satisfaction.

For context, a good onboarding process can increase conversion rates by roughly 80% and boost customer lifetime value by as much as 500%.

Important client onboarding workflows include:

• Data collection: Seamlessly collect a new client's data and integrate it into your systems and processes.

• Communication: Keep in touch with the client during and after the onboarding process.

• Handoff and training: Create an onboarding checklist or process that clearly tells the client what they need to know about working with your firm and details next steps.

• Client support: Proactively identify and resolve potential issues and ensure your team is available whenever the prospective client needs help.

Project management workflows

Process inefficiencies can cost a company up to 30% of its annual revenue, and poor project management is among the most common causes. Potential bottlenecks include improper planning, ineffective resource scheduling, and problems with leadership. The following workflows can help you avoid these common pitfalls:

• Delegation and progress tracking

• Internal communication

• Standardized data collection and recordkeeping

Service delivery workflows

How can your accounting practice offer value to clients outside of basic services? It’s important to have workflows in place that ensure consistent and efficient service delivery, with distinct processes for services like audits, tax preparation, and bookkeeping.

Beyond that, you might also want to consider adopting a strategic workflow that enables your team to pitch and provide additional advisory services for clients, both new and existing:

• Identify characteristics or behaviors that might indicate a client is looking for advice on financial decisions, tax structure, or other accounting challenges.

• Create a tailored pitch to present your advisory services to the client based on their goals, strategy, and needs.

• Collect relevant data from the client and use it to begin modeling a strategy.

• Build out a long-term strategic roadmap for the client.

• Meet with and advise the client on a recurring basis to discuss goals, progress, and success metrics.

Sales and marketing priorities

Traditionally, accounting firms rely on referrals to generate new business. In an increasingly crowded marketplace, this is no longer feasible. A strong online presence and high-quality content are more important than ever.

So with that in mind, what strategies does your firm have in place to attract new clients? How do you intend to plan and execute marketing and advertising campaigns? Do you have a clearly defined lead generation and qualification process?

To put all this in place, focus on the following areas:

• Create marketing collateral and define your sales and marketing strategies.

• Determine the effectiveness of your sales and marketing efforts through analytics.

• Purchase placements via Google AdWords, Facebook, and other platforms.

• Identify and attract potential leads to your accounting firm.

• Define your ideal prospect, then use targeted messaging and questions to determine which leads are likeliest to convert.

Client management workflows

Effective policies and processes for invoicing and client management help ensure more effective service delivery, payment processing, and communication. These workflows represent the other side of client onboarding and the second critical ingredient to customer retention. To keep things as painless as possible for both your practice and its clients, develop workflows for the following:

• Invoicing and payment processing

• Updating and maintaining customer information

• Customer support

• Recurring reminders

• Account termination

• Customer satisfaction

• Recurring client task management

Compliance

Depending on your region, the nature of your work, and the industry in which your clients operate, compliance for your accounting business can take many different forms. It could be as simple as ensuring financial data is stored and financials are closed out in a timely fashion. Or it could be as complex as complying with multiple regulatory and privacy frameworks.

Utilizing accounting workflow automation

Automation uses software to complete tasks so that humans don’t have to. Accountants can automate one or more steps in a workflow.

Automation can help improve accuracy. For example, you can automate the preparation of an engagement. The software will look at your client data base to pull in the client’s name and address. The risk of error is much lower than if a human manually typed or entered in that information.

Automation also saves time. Even the automation of simple tasks has the potential to save accountants between two and four hours a day.

For example, tax preparation is often a complex process, requiring extensive data collection, validation, and reconciliation.

Accuracy is crucial because a single mistake can be costly. Automation ensures that if documentation is available, a tax professional always has access to the most up-to-date information on everything from income and losses to credits and deductions. In addition to keeping data collection free of human error, automation also helps tax professionals to reclaim valuable time they can spend addressing more complex tax challenges or engaging with additional clients.

Streamlining accounting workflows with templates

Workflows can be challenging to build from scratch, but with workflow templates, you don’t have to. That's why a good starting point for automation is to use pre-built templates. ShareFile provides pre-built templates for creating and automating repetitive tasks, making it easy to streamline your accounting workflows.

Through our Custom Workflow Automation feature, we make it easy for your accounting practice to put routine tasks on autopilot, building and maintaining processes that free time for more valuable work. You can quickly pre-fill forms with client data that already lives in ShareFile. You also maintain full visibility of all workflows and can save any workflow as a template for future use.

The takeaway: Workflow automation is the future of accounting

Efficiency, precision, and transparency are the pillars on which all successful accounting practices are built. As the world continues to transition to a digital economy, it's increasingly difficult for accounting practices to fulfill all three through manual processes alone. To stay competitive and drive future growth, accounting firms must embrace standardized, automated workflows.

This is best achieved through specialized, purpose-built software — that’s where ShareFile comes in.

Combined with support for custom workflows, our platform uses the same security as the world's largest financial institutions, with full email and file encryption, access control, and user authentication. Alongside integrated e-signature functionality and a built-in client portal, we provide everything your practice requires in order to meet — and exceed — client expectations.

Learn how simple, secure document workflows for accounting can help streamline your client engagements.