Volume 2
Issue 2
2007
Power of
3 C’s Issue
IN THIS ISSUE:
Remote Assistance
Client Accounting:
Many problems, one solution
Geek is chic
Let your website give
your practice a boost
Payroll services are not
for every accountant
Now You’ve Got the
Power of the
3C s ’
Changing the way accountants run their practices.
Tired of cleaning up your clients’
bookkeeping mess?
Take control of client accounting with Accounting Relief.®
“All-in-one” Accounting Relief is
web-based software —a compre-
hensive write-up, trial balance,
and financial reporting system
for your firm. Plus, it includes a
full-featured, fully customizable
bookkeeping module for your
clients. Accounting Relief lets you
and your clients work together,
but with you in control.
You will minimize client errors by
customizing the system for each
client and limiting your clients’
access only to the functions they
can comfortably perform. 4 ways to profit from Accounting Relief®
Simplify your clients’ work while
making client accounting quicker 1. Work together. Clients enter bookkeeping transactions;
and more profitable for you! then you perform your accounting with one unified system.
2. Work from anywhere, anytime. Effectively service clients
anywhere in the U.S. and around the world.
3. Client errors greatly reduced. You’re in full control.
4. Cumbersome file transfers completely eliminated.
To experience this ground-breaking software, visit
www.AccountantsWorld.com/accounting or call: 888-999-1366.
unprecedenTed offer:
AccounTing Relief for $99 per monTh for unlimited use
for your firm and all your clients. No per client charges! 60-day
money-back guarantee.
Accounting Relief is a registered trademark of AccountantsWorld.
ABACUS | The Accountant-Centric Magazine volUMe 2 | iSSUe 2
ABACUS
the accountant-centric magazine
Volume 2, Issue 2, 2007
editoriAl
Publishers
Dr. Chandra Bhansali
cbhansali@accountantsworld.com
Sharada Bhansali
sbhansali@accountantsworld.com Views
CoVer story, PAGe 5
editor
lawrence Rinkel
Now you’ve got the power of the 3 C’s
lrinkel@accountantsworld.com
laurence K. Zuckerman, CPA, MST
zuckerman@accountantsworld.com Computation, Communication, Collaboration: Changing the way accountants
Art Direction run their practices.
George Hernandez
ghernandez@accountantsworld.com
News
Consultative Design
The James Group PAGe 7
www.thejamesgroup.com
remote Assistance
AccountantsWorld The genie in your PC.
140 Fell Court
Hauppauge, NY 11788
888-999-1366
solutioNs
subsCriPtioNs/riGhts/ PAGe 8
PerMissioNs Client accounting: Many
No part of this publication may be reproduced, problems, one solution
stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in Take back control of client accounting
any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the
with client collaboration.
prior written permission of the publisher.
ABACUS is available free of charge to qualified AdViCe
subscribers. To begin a subscription to ABACUS,
visit www.accountantsworld.com and sign up for a
free lifetime membership.
PAGe 10
To be removed from the mail list, send an e-mail to Geek is chic
marketing@accountantsworld.com.
Some simple, practical, and useful gadgets
other product and/or company names mentioned
for your practice and fun!
in this journal may be trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective companies and
are the sole property of their respective owners.
ABACUS, an AccountantsWorld publication, shall AdViCe
not be liable regardless of the cause, for any
errors, inaccuracies, omissions, or other defects in, or PAGe 12
untimeliness or unauthenticity of, the information
contained within this magazine. AccountantsWorld
let your website give your
makes no representation or warranties as to the practice a boost — by using
the power of the 3 C’s
results obtained from the use of this information.
AccountantsWorld does not warranty or guarantee
the results obtained from the use of this infor-
mation and shall not be liable for any third-party It costs little, but the payoffs are huge.
claims or losses of any kind, including lost profits
and punitive damages. Views
PAGe 14
Printed in the U.S.A. Payroll services are
not for every accountant
© 2007 AccountantsWorld. All rights reserved. But those who have learned the ropes
are making money.
Message from the Publishers
It’s all about “hard” skills, “soft” skills,
and the role of technology.
This issue is about the power of the Collaboration. Most important, the
3 C’s. As you must be wondering what Internet adds a new dimension to the
the 3 C’s are, let’s start with the asser- equation: collaboration. It’s the power ACCouNtANtsworld
tion that they play an important role in to collaborate with anyone at any Adds MANy New
your practice development. place that promises to have the most Free serViCes For
profound impact on your practice. its MeMbers.
It’s a well-known fact that you need
“hard” skills and “soft” skills to suc- The impact of the 3 C’s on accountants’ One of the objectives of ABACUS is to high-
ceed. “Hard” skills are the skills you practices is unprecedented. Thanks to light the vast array of resources, tools, and
solutions available from AccountantsWorld
need to perform your work in the best the power of the 3 C’s, for the first time and how you can use them most effec-
possible manner. These include your technology can be as helpful in aug- tively for advancing your practice. To make
academic training, your experience, menting your “soft” skills as it has for your AccountantsWorld membership more
and your professional knowledge—as boosting your “hard” skills. rewarding, we are continually developing
well as the most effective use of the highly useful services such as the ones we
resources and tools available. The first article in this issue of are pleased to introduce in this issue.
ABACUS, Now You’ve Got the Power
“Soft” skills are essentially your people of the 3 C’s, explains what the Internet While most professional organizations impose
skills—interaction with others, team- offers from a perspective you won’t membership dues for comparable services, we
work and communication, marketing, find elsewhere. It underscores how you are making these Premier Services available
presentation, and networking skills. can’t appreciate the mind-boggling to you for no charge and at very competi-
tive rates. If you’re not an AccountantsWorld
implications of the Internet, until you member, join the over 100,000-member
Up to now, technology has helped you understand how it completely redefines strong AccountantsWorld community to take
enhance your “hard” skills, and to a communication and collaboration. advantage of these and other tools, resources,
much lesser extent your “soft” skills. and services available to you.
Electronic spreadsheets and tax and ac- The rest of the issue primarily explores
counting programs help you complete how you can apply the power of the • Professional liability insurance. Offered
your client engagements faster and eas- 3 C’s. We’ll give you a fresh look at all through Marsh Affinity Group Services,
ier. Telephones and fax machines have the innovations happening around you Professional Liability Insurance specifically
been indispensable for communication. and how they impact your practice. If designed for accounting professionals.
And for effective presentations, every- you seek stimulus for your practice,
• Auto, homeowners, and Personal
one now uses PowerPoint presentations this issue of ABACUS has a lot to offer. liability umbrella insurance. Offered
shown through an LCD projector. through Liberty Mutual. Competitive rates
Sincerely, available to AccountantsWorld members.
But now the Internet has the poten-
tial to augment immensely both your • office supplies. Save 15% on everyday
“hard” skills and your “soft” skills, office supplies you buy online from
directly resulting from the combined Office Depot.
power of the 3 C’s:
Please visit www.AccountantsWorld.com
Computation. By letting us take for details.
Chandra Bhansali
advantage of the resources of web Sharada Bhansali
servers spread throughout the world, Publishers Accountantsworld invites
the Internet greatly expands the com-
putational power available through articles from AbACus readers
web-based software.
Do you have any exciting experiences to
Communication. Even more remark- share with your colleagues or wish to sub-
ably, the Internet has greatly expand- mit an article that you believe would be
ed our ability to communicate. useful to your peers? Submit your abstract
to us at AccountantsWorld.com/abacus.
For online versions of
AbACus, please visit
4 | ABACUS Accountantsworld.com/abacus
Now You’ve Got the Power of the 3 C’s
Computation, Communication, Collaboration:
Changing the way accountants run their practices.
By Dr. Chandra Bhansali
Often the cues for where accounting YouTube is harnessing the power of a The best of both worlds—and more
technology is heading come from totally new dimension of the Internet—its abil- The Internet is the first technology that
unexpected sources. ity to connect people like never before. And performs both computations and com-
whether or not you realize it, the pro- munication extremely well. And in do-
A few months ago, an event that doesn’t found impact on your practice of this ing so it has expanded the scope of both
seem even remotely connected to your new dimension is already making its these first 2 C’s.
practice created a sensation. Yet this way into accounting technology.
event points to a technological revolu- The Internet lets you exploit the
tion that has already started to invisibly The first 2 C’s computing power of not only your own
transform your practice. Until recently, computers did primar- PC but of other servers connected to the
ily one thing and did it extremely web, regardless of physical distance.
The event is the acquisition of well—perform computations at blazing This is what lets you transact over the
YouTube by Google, for a whopping speed. That’s what they were designed web and use web-based programs like
$1.65 billion! for, and that’s why you can do tax re- Payroll Relief and Accounting Relief,
turns and accounting much faster with which reside on secured servers.
YouTube is a website where anyone can a computer than by hand. On the other
upload their videos for others to view. It hand, telephones and fax machines con- At the same time, the Internet has
would appear this business couldn’t be nect people and let them communicate, become a far superior way to
worth so much. So why would Google regardless of distances. communicate than traditional means
pay a cool $1.65 billion to buy YouTube? like the telephone and fax.
Simple: because Google knows some- But neither of these technologies
thing that most accountants do not. could perform both these functions
equally well.
The Accountant-Centric Magazine | 5
The collaborative power of the 3 C’s has
also turned payroll from an “all pain, no
Those accountants who have gain” ordeal to a highly profitable client
service. “With Payroll Relief, I let my cli-
understood the power of the 3 C’s have ents run their own payrolls, yet I can re-
view what they have done before final-
transformed their practices. izing the payroll,” says Gottlieb Bright
of Beltsville, Maryland. “I have moved
all 20 of my payroll clients from a desk-
The first communications breakthrough And since there is no other profession top system to Payroll Relief, and my
resulting from the Internet was e-mail. where clients and service providers’ in- ability to work together with my clients
This was followed by IM—instant mes- teraction is as strong as the interaction has changed my payroll practice.”
saging. Then came VOIP—Voice Over between accountants and their clients,
Internet Protocol—which made it pos- collaboration is where accountants are Beyond your core
sible to use the Internet for transmitting poised to reap the greatest rewards. While these 3 C’s will change the dynam-
voice. VOIP has changed the face of voice ics of your client services, a very interest-
communication, letting us call anywhere These 3 C’s, this powerful trio of com- ing aspect of the 3C’s is that their circle of
in the world for pennies. putation, communication and collabora- influence is much wider. The Internet of-
tion created by the Internet, are already fers an unprecedented array of resources
Next was the transmission of dynamic changing not only how you complete for connecting with your clients and en-
images over the Internet. Today you can your client engagements, but also how hancing client relationships.
watch videos over the web with excel- you conduct your entire business. You
lent quality. If you haven’t experienced
YouTube yet, you’ll be amazed at the
quantity and quality of the videos there.
Soon broadcasting TV programs over The most important aspect of client
the web will become mainstream.
collaboration is that it puts you in control.
On the professional accounting front, the
combination of computation and com-
munication advances has made e-fil- can use the power of the 3 C’s to enhance If you’re like most accountants, “soft
ing easier, online research possible, and virtually every aspect of your business. skills” are not your forte. In the article
given birth to accounting portals like But the most important benefit of client “Let your website give your practice
AccountantsWorld.com—where you get a collaboration is that: a boost — The power of the 3 C’s” on
wide range of tools, resources, and ser- page 12, you’ll learn how you can use
vices for your practice absolutely free. Client collaboration the power of the 3 C’s to prevent this
puts you in control handicap from impairing your ability to
Most of the benefits of the Internet re- This aspect of the 3 C’s is what makes compete effectively.
sult from the fusion of computing pow- them so useful for accountants. They’re
er and communication. The Internet has already changing the paradigm of your “My Accountants Practice Online, cre-
taken these 2 C’s to the next level, where core client services. ated for me by AccountantsWorld, does
the implications are so enormous that in all the preselling for me,” says Mark-
a short time the Internet arguably has Accountants who understood the pow- wei Boye, an accountant in Southfield,
made a greater impact on the world er of the 3 C’s have transformed their Michigan. “Before prospects talk to me,
than any other technology. practices. One of the best success stories they have a good understanding of what
is that of Tom Carrigan, who was fea- I have to offer. When I talk to them, all I
But that’s not all. Now a third dimension tured in the Internet Issue of ABACUS have to do is understand their business
of the Internet has emerged. And this in 2006. He has used the power of the and make a proposal.”
dimension is boosting the power of the 3 C’s to transform his entire prac-
Internet multifold. tice, and his story has inspired many Scores of accountants are already prof-
accountants to reevaluate their own iting from the unprecedented power of
The magic of the working methods. the 3 C’s. In the following pages you’ll
Third C—Collaboration find ideas and experiences from many
While the Internet has greatly enhanced “This story motivated me to evaluate of your colleagues who have put these
computation and communications, you Accounting Relief, and now I’m mi- 3 C’s into practice.
already had these capabilities in some grating my clients to it. Accounting Re-
shape or form from other technologies. lief gives me a lot more control,” says
The third C gives you power you never Donald Bicking, a CPA in Cherry Hill,
had before, the power that will have the New Jersey. “The beauty of the system Dr. Chandra Bhansali is Co-Founder and
most impact on your practice. This third is that my clients also love the idea of president of AccountantsWorld.
C is collaboration. being able to work with me.”
6 | ABACUS
Remote
Assistance
The genie in your PC
By Robert Torella, MBA
You’re always short on time and clients Have your client (not you) do the following: For training purposes, you may find it
keep putting demands on your time. beneficial to let clients navigate through
They need training on new systems like • Open the Help and Support Cen- the system with your guidance. This will
Accounting Relief, they have problems ter by clicking Start; then click Help help them remember what they did.
running various PC applications, and and Support.
given the trust they’ve placed in you as For fixing client problems, you may find
their accountant and financial advisor, • Click “Invite a friend to connect to your it easier to take control of your client’s
they expect you to supply all the an- computer with Remote Assistance.” PC. While you have control, it is best if
swers they need. your client does not move the mouse or
• When the Remote Assistance type, because the session will respond
In the past, helping your clients would page displays, click “Invite some- to both your inputs.
have required you to spend considerable one to help you.”
time over the phone or make a special trip At any time, your client can end the ses-
to the client’s location. But now, thanks • Click “Use e-mail to send invitation.” sion by hitting the ESC key or selecting
to the collaborative powers of the Inter- Stop Control.
net, a new technological solution from • Your client will be asked to set up
Microsoft lets you provide the train- a password for you. Have the cli- To Learn More
ing and support your clients need while ent tell you the password over the Generally speaking, Remote Assistance
you’re both sitting in your offices or the phone or e-mail it to you. is not a difficult process to learn and use,
comfort of your home. and once you start to use it, you’ll won-
• An e-mail invitation will be created der how you ever did without it.
Welcome to Remote Assistance asking you for help. Your client fills
Windows XP and Vista include a tool in your e-mail address and sends For a more detailed overview of
called Remote Assistance that is an ide- the e-mail to you. Remote Assistance, either use the help
al means for your clients to get the help system in Windows XP or Vista, or visit
they need. Remote Assistance gives you • When you receive the invitation, www.microsoft.com and search for
the means to view and control your cli- click on the link and enter your Remote Assistance. You’ll find training
ents’ PCs remotely in a secure, pass- password to establish a connec- videos, frequently asked questions, and
word-protected Internet session. The tion. Once you and your client more than enough information to get
only requirements are that both you have accepted the remote ses- you started.
and your clients are using Windows sion, both of you are collabo-
XP (Professional or Home Edition) or rating as if you are sitting next Windows Remote Assistance has the
Vista, have access to the Internet, and to each other. ability to transform the way you pro-
have an e-mail account. vide customer service to your clients.
View or control This is another good example of how the
How does Remote Assistance work? Remote Assistance works in two modes: power of the 3 C’s can improve your
Using Remote Assistance is straightfor- You can view only what the client does firm’s productivity, enhance your client
ward. Just follow these simple steps in or share full control of your client’s PC services, and raise your bottom line.
Windows (please note that the word- through the “take control” feature. One
ing for the prompts is slightly different option may work better than the other
for Vista): under different situations. Robert Torella, MBA is Senior Support
Manager at AccountantsWorld.
The Accountant-Centric Magazine | 7
Client Accounting:
Many problems, one solution
Take back command of client accounting with client collaboration
By Dr. Chandra Bhansali and Sharada Bhansali
It’s possible that you’re completely accounting today. It’s ironic that the mas-
happy with the current state of client ters of accounting have been put into such
accounting. a challenging position.
But if you’re like most accountants, you The solution: collaboration
feel some pain when performing ac- The solution is simple. Create an environ-
counting engagements. What is that most ment that lets you and your clients work
frustrating problem you’d rather not deal together using one unified system, but with
with? you in command.
Is it the errors clients make in their book- But how is that possible? The answer lies
keeping systems, the different programs in the 3rd C—the collaborative power
clients use, cumbersome file transfers, or of the Internet. By using this concept,
lack of control? AccountantsWorld poll reveals client errors AccountantsWorld has created a new
are a major cause of frustration. breed of accounting software that chang-
These are some of the major problems ac- es the premise of client accounting.
countants acknowledge. nancial statements. There is virtually no
room for error in this scenario, because Whereas the current environment forc-
According to extensive polling con- you do it all. es you and your clients to use sepa-
ducted by AccountantsWorld, about rate accounting systems on separate
half the accountants find client er- But the situation changes when your cli- PCs, the web-based Accounting Relief
rors highly annoying and believe they ents get involved. Typically, the tasks of provides a complete accounting solu-
cause significant loss of time. Forty client accounting are split between you tion in one unified system—which,
percent find these errors somewhat frus- and your clients. Clients enter the transac- along with all your client data, resides
trating but manageable. And a small mi- tions; then you take the data they provide on AccountantsWorld secure servers.
nority believes they’re no problem. and complete your professional work. But Accounting Relief includes a write-
unfortunately you have no control over up, trial balance, and financial report-
The cause: the disjoint the work your clients produce. Often ing system for your firm, as well as a
What are the causes of these problems? clients who have no accounting knowl- bookkeeping/transaction entry sys-
edge wander into unchartered territory, tem for your clients. Both you and
AccountantsWorld did a thorough analy- making mistakes. You must first correct your clients log into the system using
sis of the problems accountants encounter these client errors before you can pro- a secure Internet connection, but you
in client accounting and concluded these ceed with your own work. access different functions. First, the cli-
problems have one root cause—the disjoint ent performs the bookkeeping part;
between accountants and their clients. While you and your clients are perform- then, using the same data, you perform
ing different parts of the same project, the trial balance work and produce
When you perform write-up for your cli- there’s a lack of coordination and su- finished financials.
ents, you enter the transactions, perform pervision. That’s the primary cause of
trial balance work, and produce the fi- most problems accountants face in client
8 | ABACUS
Accountant-centric accounting doing,” says Gary Nelson, an E.A. in that we used to spend entering the trans-
To restore full control over client account- Tulsa, Oklahoma. “But most of the time actions previously.”
ing to accountants, AccountantsWorld has they don’t, and that creates a mess. With
also incorporated two special features into Accounting Relief I can block clients Another important collaboration
Accounting Relief: from accessing the functions I believe Client-accountant collaboration—putting
they shouldn’t perform, and now errors you back in the driver’s seat, made pos-
• Accounting Relief is sold exclusively have been reduced tremendously for sible by the Internet—is forever changing
to accountants, who decide how they the clients who use Accounting Relief,” the way you perform client accounting.
wish to use it. he adds. But there is one other collaboration—the
partnership between accountants and
• Accounting Relief is fully customizable “My clients like using Accounting Relief AccountantsWorld—that is playing an
for each client, so you can limit client because I have made the program eas- equal role. As your trusted partners, we
access only to the functions clients are ier to use by customizing the program have done everything possible to make
capable of performing. to their needs. They like the fact that upgrading to Accounting Relief easy,
we both can tap into the same program highly cost-effective, and risk-free. Please
For example, Al the plumber is comfort- and I can easily help them. It’s an excel- visit www.AccountantsWorld.com/ac-
able writing checks and entering deposit lent concept.” counting for details.
slips. Therefore you limit his access so
that when he logs in, all he sees are the For Hector Garcia, a CPA in San Antonio, And let us know if we’ve helped you re-
screens for writing checks and entering Texas, correcting client errors and work- gain control over client accounting and
deposit slips. On the other hand, Jim em- ing with different versions of his clients’ solve the problems you currently face in
ploys a good bookkeeper to whom you client accounting.
provide access to the entire bookkeeping
module, including setting up the chart
of accounts and entering receivables and
payables. He is only prevented from per- Chandra and Sharada Bhansali are
forming the functions that are part of your Co-Founders of AccountantsWorld.
engagements—making adjusting entries
and preparing financial statements.
10 ways to profit from
Accounting Relief
Hector Garcia, CPA, and wife Maria are glad that • Since you limit client access to only the
Accounting Relief gives them more control. functions they can perform, client errors
are greatly reduced.
programs were a nightmare. “Because of • Clients feel comfortable with a system
these problems, we could not spend as configured to match their needs and
much time on advisement as we wanted abilities.
to. Another problem was that previously • The web-based system lets you, your
we could not assist our clients with cash staff, and your clients work from any con-
With Accounting Relief, you can limit client flow management as effectively, because venient location at any convenient time.
access to the functions they can use. the data was old by the time we got it.
Accounting Relief has virtually elimi- • Cumbersome file transfers and dupli-
In essence, you may create as many ver- nated these problems. With real-time ac- cation of data entry are completely
sions of Accounting Relief as you have cess to client data, we can help our clients eliminated.
clients, and you still use the same core manage their cash flow more effectively, • With real-time access to client data, you
system for write-up, trial balance, and fi- which is a key benefit of our service.” can help clients manage their cash flow
nancial statement preparation! more effectively.
Hector’s wife Maria, who manages the
• You no longer need to work with differ-
Your ability to work collaboratively client accounting, adds: “We love the fact
ent accounting programs or different
with your clients and take a supervi- that Accounting Relief is geared for CPAs
versions of the same program your
sory role changes the entire premise of and accountants. We have more control
clients use.
client accounting. We call this making and it helps us facilitate and supervise cli-
accounting accountant-centric. Like ent accounting.” • The risk of data loss due to virus attacks
most users of Accounting Relief, you’ll or hard disk crashes is eliminated.
find this accountant-centric approach And Gottlieb Bright, an accountant in • There is no software to install,
greatly reduces or even eliminates Beltsville, Maryland, is deriving another no updates and patches to apply.
many of the problems you face in client major benefit from Accounting Relief.
accounting today. • You don’t chase after your clients to get
“We moved a number of our write-up
accounting data in a timely manner.
clients to Accounting Relief, and taught
Accountants share their experiences them how to enter cash receipts and dis- • Clients have real-time access to their
“Most bookkeeping programs are excel- bursements. Now they do transaction financials.
lent—if the client knows what they’re entries themselves, saving us all the time
The Accountant-Centric Magazine | 9
is Chic
Geek practical, and useful gadgets for your practice and fun!
Some simple,
By Gregory L. LaFollette, CPA, CITP
I have a confession. Even after nearly 35
years as a practicing accountant, I’m still
a geek! I love all things digital. If it’s got
a chip, I own it. Or at least I want to own
it. Geek is the new “cool”! That’s what I
keep telling my wife as I continue bring-
ing home the high-tech toys I believe
will point towards better efficiency and
more profitability.
I also know that as a group, we practic-
ing public accountants are not widely
known for our early adoption of tech-
nologies—especially “bleeding edge”
technology whose usefulness is yet not
fully demonstrated. Therefore, for this
article, I have selected a trio of items that
don’t require a major investment of time
or money and pose no risk whatsoever.
I have tried each of them for a consid-
erable period of time to actually see the
benefits they have produced. I believe
they are worthy of your consideration.
Multiple monitors
A precious few years ago, a 17-inch
color CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) was a son for less than $700. Other manufac- display in a compact box that sits outside
status symbol. Today, it takes multiple turers of dual screen monitors include your computer and connects to its VGA
monitors to even register on the geek- Zenview, Array, and Star Logic. (video graphics array) output, effectively
o-meter. Dual monitors are becoming “splitting” the signal. Simply plug in
a standard in the profession. Realizing The primary advantages of “dual” your dual monitors, and, voilà! you’re in
what the implementation of dual moni- monitors as compared to “two” are multiple monitor heaven.
tors can mean in an accountant’s office the look, the perfect balance, and the
seems to prompt an automatic “ah-ha” fine alignment and consistency of re- The Internet over home
reaction. In other words, once you’ve fresh and flicker rate. Implementing power lines
seen a tax return on one monitor and dual monitors is easiest if you have one If you are a SOHO (small office, home
the supporting workpapers right next AGP or PCI video card that has dual office) user, a relatively new technol-
to it on another (or a trial balance and outputs and dual heads. I recommend ogy—BPL may prove to be a better op-
workpapers if you hail from the A&A this setup because it’s easy to configure, tion for connecting your PC or laptop
side), you’ll never want to go back. apparently causes the fewest problems, to the Internet than laying out Ethernet
and uses the least computer resources. cable or using wireless technology. The
I use dual monitors in both of my of- For general use, I’ve found the NVIDIA BPL (Broadband Power Line) technol-
fices, using my laptop as a third monitor GeForce4 MX 440 to be solid. And for ogy uses your regular home power line
dedicated exclusively to Outlook. While a few dollars more, you can go to the for connecting your PC or laptop to the
the simple “two separate monitors” ATI Radeon 9000 or NVIDIA GeForce Internet or creating a small network. It’s
seem to work for many practitioners, FX 5200 series. far easier to install than dedicated net-
more and more professionals are choos- work cable, and works better than wire-
ing the ergonomically designed “dual For those wary of opening cases, or less technology for longer distances.
monitors” from manufacturers such as bound by a laptop’s single display, there’s Since outlets are already well-placed,
DoubleSight Displays. Its DS 19 model a quick and easy solution for you, too. I locating IP throughout an office is a
has been offered at many accounting recommend the Matrox DualHead2Go. simple task.
trade shows and conferences this sea- For about $150, you get an external multi-
10 | ABACUS
Portable GPS
In some shape or form, GPS tech-
nology is on its way into your life
sooner than you think—either as
The iPhone:
IS IT In youR fuTuRe?
a built-in unit in your car, a compo-
nent in your cell phone, or a stand-alone The introduction of the iPhone has
unit. Until recently, I was a skeptic. Now I been one of the most talked-about tech
can’t do without it. events in recent years. on the weekend
of its introduction, Apple sold 700,000
After much delay and many, many hours units—well above their expectations of
of deep research (blogs, independent re- 250,000 units. What’s so great about it?
views, and user groups are marvelous for
this sort of purchase), I finally broke down The iPhone is part
and bought a Garmin nüvi 650. It’s a tiny phone, part iPod and
little guy. At just over six ounces and 3x5 part computer—a
inches, it’s just a bit larger than a PDA. The smart phone. It lets
important specification, however, is its you surf the web;
very bright 4.3-inch screen. I spent about download and play
15 minutes with setup, which required music and video;
that I establish an account on Garmin’s handle e-mails;
site and register my unit. It then automati- see maps, weather
cally updated the software and installed forecasts and stocks;
the latest maps. From there I headed take photos; and
to my car for its first test. In about three more. It’s designed
minutes, it had located the satellites, and primarily for
I was off and “navigating.” Now I use it consumer use, and
everywhere I go. It keeps me on track turn consequently lacks exchange synchro-
by turn with an instruction reader on the nization, considered by many essential
My foray into BPL was with a NETGEAR display and through voice with street for serious business use. While many
“Space-Saving Powerline Network names and directions. And it does a lot other handhelds do most of what the
Extender Kit Model XEPSB103” that I more—guides me to my all-important iPhone does, they lack its most striking
bought at Best Buy for $170. I plugged the stop at Starbucks on the way, tells me aspect— the exceptionally simple user
master unit into an outlet near my exist- where I can find the closest gas station and interface. There is no keyboard. you do
ing router and connected both using an ATM machine, and even shows me an al- everything with your finger.
Ethernet cable—then headed upstairs as ternate route in case of traffic delays. And
far away as I could get. I plugged in the unlike my former navigator (to whom The day is not far when you’ll be carry-
other unit, extended the Ethernet cable I’ve been married for over 35 years), this ing a smart phone—be it an iPhone or
from the unit to my laptop, and was one “recalculates” alternate routes with- something else. And as their computing
out complaint! power increases, they will do a lot more
than the iPhone of today.
Whether you choose the Garmin, a Tom-
Tom, a Magellan or another brand, you can But for now, the question remains—is
be confident it will take you from point A the iPhone version 1 as just released a
to point B with the least amount of stress, useful gadget for the accountant? The
and you’ll never be late for an important jury is still out. If you have been using an
amazed at how clever I was. It worked client meeting because you got lost. iPhone, tell us your experiences with it.
perfectly! My speed tests showed that I
was getting about 30Mbps. While that’s You always thought gadgets are for
not wonderful, it is certainly acceptable. geeks. These are three gadgets that are all
This was a great implementation. One ca- simple, fun to use, and very useful even
veat is that the system cannot be used in for an accountant who is not a geek like Gregory LaFollette, CPA, CITP, practices
conjunction with power strips, condition- me. Why not invest in one (or two or all with Eide Bailley, LLP, in Sioux City, South
ers, or UPS units. But try it, you’ll like it. three)? You’ll be glad you did. Dakota and is the Executive Editor of CPA
Technology Advisor.
The Accountant-Centric Magazine | 11
Let your website give your practice a
boost —The power of the 3 C’s.
It costs little, but the payoffs are huge.
If you still don’t understand the impor-
tance of having a really good website,
just put your prospects in your shoes.
Let’s say you were looking for a tax
or accounting system for your prac-
tice. What would you do first: call each
vendor’s sales department, or visit their
websites? The answer should be pretty
obvious. Only after visiting each ven-
dor’s website to see who best presents
their products and which products meet
your needs, would you contact the ven-
dor for further information or to make
a purchase.
Your prospects will probably do the it’s also required for retaining your ex- If you use any of the website tools for ac-
same when looking for an accountant. isting clients—by enhancing your image countants, starting a customized website
They’ll first look at your website, and and improving your client relationships. shouldn’t take more than a few hours. By
if they find your online presentation spending just another couple of hours or
to their liking, then and only then will The reality of doing business today is so every month—one of the best invest-
they call your office. that you don’t just need a website to at- ments of time your firm can make—you
tract and retain clients; you need a web- can keep your website refreshed. If you
Even if you’re still using word-of- site that stands out from the rest. simply don’t have time, take advantage
mouth as your only channel for getting of the modestly priced customization
new clients, you need a good website as Give your website the services that AccountantsWorld and oth-
much as your competitors who use such importance it deserves er vendors offer.
approaches as online marketing. Why? Having worked with thousands of
Because even word-of-mouth referrals accountants who own Accountant’s One thing that gives visitors a bad
may want to see your website before Office Online, we’ve been disturbed to impression is to have pages “Under
they ask for your phone number. find that most accountants don’t give Construction.” Instead, just hide the
their websites the attention they de- pages you haven’t yet completed.
your clients are the prime users serve. Even when our customer service
It’s not uncommon to think that your cli- people call proactively to help, we rou- The 3 C’s come to the rescue
ents don’t use the Internet. Think again. tinely hear, “I know I need to do work How do you create a good website?
Chances are most of your clients are us- on my website. But I’m too busy now. Take your cue from the accountants
ing the Internet in some shape or form. I’ll do it soon.” Too often that “soon” who have made their websites their
And that’s why today a website is not never comes. ultimate channel for connecting and
only necessary to attract new clients, but communicating with their clients and
prospects, and then for collaborating with
their clients. In short, those accountants
who use the Power of the 3 C’s.
How do you create a good website? “My website is a reflection of me
and my practice,” says Leala Ciampa-
Take the cue from several accountants who have made Fantasia, a practicing CPA in Amesbury,
Massachusetts, who by presenting
their websites their ultimate channel for connecting her firm in the best possible light
and communicating with their clients. has gotten 30 clients from her
website (www.mycpaleala.com) in less
than one year.
12 | ABACUS
Give your website a personality
One prime consideration should be
the image of your firm you want to Your website can help you get new clients, enhance
project. A mid-sized firm in an urban
area might find a formal corporate client relationships, save time, and make your practice
style the right choice. But many small
firms have discovered they don’t need more profitable. And all this for a modest investment
a “stiff” corporate look.
of time and money. Can you top that?
To emphasize the personalized service
they offer, many small firms have given
their websites an engaging, casual, yet Once you have given your website a
professional appearance that both reflects personality, show visitors how your
their firm’s personality and resonates with firm differs from all the others in the
their clients and prospects. Try adapting neighborhood. Describe your firm’s ca-
your website to the clientele and locality pabilities and the qualifications of your
you serve. For example, Marsha Heinke, partners and staff. Add visual appeal by
a CPA and DVM who serves veterinary including photos of your staff and cli-
professionals (www.drmarshaheinkecpa. ent meetings in your office. Make your
com), has given her website a look that website a resource center by including
would appeal to veterinarians. financial calculators, newsletters, and
other tools of use to your clients.
Take your website to the next level
by incorporating the audio-visual Give your clients 24/7 access to their
capabilities of the Internet. Include documents on your website.
Flash presentations about any special
services you offer. Don’t have the re- their documents any time,” says Hector
sources to create your own Flash pre- Garcia. Just remember that client collab-
sentations? Then link to presentations oration is possible only if your website
from other sources—such as the highly offers secure capabilities for clients to log
effective multimedia demos of Payroll in to your services.
Relief and Accounting Relief that
AccountantsWorld has made available Spread the word
Marcia Heinke, CPA, DVM, has tailored her to users of Accountant’s Office Online. Don’t assume that just because you
website to her veterinary clientele. have built it, they will come. While
many accountants are ecstatic about the
business their websites are generating,
But even if you have a general tax others with equally well-designed sites
and accounting practice, you can add are disappointed they’re not getting
subtle touches that give your website new clients. Some probing reveals that
a personality. Hector Garcia, a CPA most of these accountants are not taking
in San Antonio, added pages en- any proactive measures to even encour-
titled “Friends & Family” and age their clients to use their websites.
“Words of Wisdom” to his website Remember: A website won’t do all it
(www.hgarciacpa.com)—thus provid- can for you until you drive your clients
ing a human touch that clients and and prospects to it.
prospects find appealing.
Get results
A frequently neglected but important The staff photo on the Daniel Brown, CPA Today, your website can do a lot for your
aspect of your web presence is your website reflects the image of a close-knit firm. practice by letting you connect, com-
website’s URL, or web address. Spend municate, and collaborate with your
time selecting a catchy, personalized clients and prospects. Your website can
web address for your firm—something your website as the platform help you get new clients, enhance client
like www.MyCPALeala.com. for client collaboration relationships, save time, and make your
Your ultimate goal should be to use your practice more profitable. And all this for
Let your website do the talking website as the platform for collaborating a modest investment of time and mon-
As we discussed in “The Power of the with your clients. One useful, easily im- ey. Can you top that?
3-Cs,” page 5, no medium for commu- plemented approach is to use a document
nication surpasses the Internet. Exploit management system like CyberCabinet,
this capability to make your website which comes bundled with Accountant’s
your primary means for communicat- Office Online and gives clients 24/7 se-
ing and interacting with your clients cured access to their documents. “My
and prospects. clients are thrilled that they can access
The Accountant-Centric Magazine | 13
An unspoken truth:
Payroll services
are not for every accountant.
But those who have learned the ropes are making money.
By AccountantsWorld staff
Let’s first admit the obvious: web-based 2. Client relationships. Virtually every
payroll systems have made payroll successful accountant we talked to has
processing both easy and hassle-free. Yet excellent client relationships. Often cli-
our research shows that only 20% of ac- ents themselves asked their accountants
countants have made payroll a highly to offer payroll services because of their
profitable branch of their practice, bring- excellent service and rapport. These cli-
ing in $100-200 per hour. That’s great ents were eager to participate in their
news, but in fact most accountants who accountant’s payroll service—in con-
dabble in payroll processing don’t get trast to the 80% of accountants whose
past five payroll clients, with according- biggest complaint is: “I can’t make my
ly disappointing results. clients switch.”
Michael Levin, CPA
So why have a relatively small percentage 50-client payroll practice and growing. 3. Collaboration. While the first two
of accountants made payroll even more traits are instrumental in acquiring
profitable than tax and accounting, while But most accountants start payroll pro- clients, a third ingredient is crucial for
the majority don’t do really as well? cessing with the attitude: “Let me try it making a payroll practice highly prof-
to see if it makes sense.” Once you start itable. By collaborating with their cli-
After speaking with hundreds of with that attitude, you’re more likely to ents, successful accountants turn the
Payroll Relief users, we have discov- give up early. No business ever succeed- simplicity of web-based payroll sys-
ered that truly successful accountants ed without a firm commitment. tems to their advantage. Basically, all
share the same basic traits. But first your clients do each pay period is enter
let’s understand what factors limit What do the top 20% know? data and print checks, while the pay-
most other accountants. By contrast, those accountants who have roll systems do everything else. In this
succeeded with payroll services almost way, payroll accountants have learned
Why don’t most accountants invariably exhibit the following traits: to take a mainly supervisory role, turn-
succeed at payroll? ing payroll processing into a money-
In looking at accountants who haven’t 1. Commitment. As with any other making machine by letting their clients
made payroll a lucrative service, we usu- business, these accountants analyzed do most of the work.
ally see a tendency to give up too soon, their clientele. They evaluated the best
or to commit themselves only half-heart- solution for their needs. They created a Gottlieb Bright, an accountant in
edly to the venture. systematic approach for acquiring and Beltsville, Maryland, moved 20 of his
training clients. Clearly, they launched payroll clients from a desktop system to
We all know a new business starts gener- their payroll services with a commit- web-based Payroll Relief. “With the PC-
ating profits only after reaching a certain ment to success. based system, I was spending an awful
level. With payroll processing, you start lot of time processing payrolls. When I
seeing benefits only after your service Michael Levin, a CPA in Brooklyn, New migrated my clients to Payroll Relief, I
has grown to 5-10 clients. After that not York, started his payroll practice with trained them on the system. It was very
only your net profit but your profit mar- full commitment and planning. Now he easy. The best part is clients like it. Now
gin increases as you process more and has over 50 clients on Payroll Relief. I’m spending much less time on my pay-
more payrolls. roll service!”
Are you ready?
By collaborating with their clients, successful Payroll services are not for every accoun-
tant. But if you are genuinely committed
accountants have turned the simplicity of to growing your practice and have excel-
lent client relationships, why not join the
web-based payroll systems to their advantage. top 20% who have made payroll a highly
lucrative service?
14 | ABACUS
Create a New Profit Center
for your Practice!
Payroll Relief makes payroll processing fast, easy, and profitable.
P
“ ayroll Relief remains
one of the strongest and
best designed programs,
standing at the heart of the
revolution that is bringing
profitable payroll services
back to accounting firms.”
— Accounting Today,
July 2005
6 Reasons Payroll Relief Builds New Profits for your Practice
1. Incredibly easy to use. You or your clients enter payroll data. Payroll Relief handles all
computations and compliance issues automatically.
2. Blazing fast processing. Process 10–1,000 employee payrolls in minutes by importing
payroll data from Excel or letting your clients enter it themselves.
3. web-based system designed for accountants. You and your staff have the flexibility to
process payroll from anywhere, anytime—home, office or client location.
4. Guaranteed 100% accurate. AccountantsWorld will pay any penalties due to
processing errors.
5. Incremental Practice Profit. Within 9 months, most practices will be processing payroll
for enough clients to generate significant incremental profit.
6. Beyond Processing. Includes tools to grow and manage payroll processing profits.
Experience the demo of this ground-breaking, Accountant-Centric system.
Visit www.AccountantsWorld.com/payroll or call: 888-999-1366.
Better Control. More Time.
That’s what AccountantsWorld gives you.
Pioneered by AccountantsWorld, the new breed of Web-based Accountant-Centric solutions is changing the way
accountants service clients and perform client engagements. These groundbreaking solutions give you features
and capabilities you’ve never had before. They let you and your clients work together as a team, with you as
coach. With better control, you make your clients’ life easier and complete your engagements faster. It’s a win-win
for both you and your clients.
vv
AccountantsWorld Software and Solutions:
Accountant’s Practice Online
Build your own website in 5 minutes, incorporating widely used online
tools. This integrated suite of online services includes a document man-
agement system and practice management software to let you harness
the power of the Internet. Manage your practice more effectively, enhance
client services, and above all save time.
Payroll Relief
“Payroll Relief remains one of the strongest and best designed programs,
standing at the heart of the revolution that is bringing profitable payroll
services back to accounting firms.”
— Accounting Today, July 2005
After-the-Fact Payroll
A fast and easy solution for processing and printing Forms W-2, W-3, 1099,
1098, 1096, 940 and 941 (including Schedule B). After-the-Fact Payroll also
generates employment, vendor, and employees’ earning reports, as well as a
complete payroll ledger. Get the best of both worlds—the Windows interface,
and the convenience of data storage on secure web servers accessible from
anywhere, at any time.
Accounting Relief
Accounting Relief is web-based software—a comprehensive write-up, trial
balance, and financial reporting system for your firm, along with a full-
featured, fully customizable bookkeeping module for your clients. With the
new paradigm made real by Accounting Relief, you and your clients work
together, but with you in control.
To learn more about any one of these groundbreaking software solutions,
visit www.AccountantsWorld.com or call: 888-999-1366.