Took over my dad's firm and need to moderize

Software. Marketing. Training. Running your business.
#1
Miami88  
Posts:
92
Joined:
4-Jun-2021 8:02am
Location:
Ohio
Hi all!

I've recently taken over my dad's firm (sole prop) and desperately need to modernize. I've been helping him out the last few years but was just doing returns, he did all the admin stuff. This year he just did some returns from home and "the way it's always been done" just about did me in! lol

We use Ultra Tax and Virtual Office and that won't change anytime soon. Looking at other posts it seems like I need to go with something like SmartVault (don't have File Cabinet and TR is phasing that out). There are quite a few clients that would use portals to upload info, which would be great, but I also really want something to deliver the returns and also electronically store my workpapers/documents.

What would be your recommendations (tech, procedures, anything) for trying to modernize a very paper-heavy office?

Kristin
 

#2
Posts:
3694
Joined:
21-Apr-2014 11:24am
Location:
North Carolina
Do you have a PDF editor or just a PDF reader?
 

#3
Posts:
6043
Joined:
22-Apr-2014 3:06pm
Location:
WA State
Since you use UT, I'd encourage you to look at Onvio. I am in the process of implementing it. It's project mgmt, document mgmt, and time/billing all in one solution.
Lots of options out there that will move you in the direction you are describing. Just gotta evaluate and choose what fits for you.
~Captcook
 

#4
smtcpa  
Posts:
515
Joined:
28-Jul-2014 5:16am
Location:
Richmond, VA
I've been on UT forever (except for one miserable season with Lacerte) and used to use all their other produces like Practice and FileCabnet). I beta tested Onvio for Thompson 10 years ago and it wasn't close to being ready then and I hear it still isn't. The other third-party apps are much better so we dumped everything and kept UT. We use Sharefile for our client portal along with RightSignature for all electronic signature needs. Dropbox for internal documents, ClickUp for project management. We use full versions of Adobe for PDF editing and use Tic, Tie Calculate along with Gruntworx for tax work papers. I can go months without touching paper and it makes having a virtual office with employees in other states work well.
 

#5
ATSMAN  
Posts:
2094
Joined:
31-May-2014 8:34pm
Location:
MA
My suggestion is to review your office procedures from the point a client or prospect contacts your office till you deliver the finished product. I have been through this routine twice and let me tell you, some of those older folks had procedures that worked for them and they were successful at their business, but it may not work for you as well. So now that you are in charge make it work for you. Good luck.
 

#6
fish  
Posts:
159
Joined:
1-Apr-2020 3:53pm
Location:
Alexandria VA
Miami88 wrote:
* * * * don't have File Cabinet and TR is phasing that out


i used to use File Cabinet. i quit using it because TR was phasing it out. That was 7 years ago, and i don't see that TR has done anything more to actually phase it out.

There were things about File Cabinet that i didn't like. But i don't think i would base my decision on whether TR might phase out the program.
 

#7
Webster  
Posts:
317
Joined:
5-Nov-2015 5:05pm
Location:
On TPT, of course
Is there no admin help? If there is, get their input.
 

#8
Posts:
8156
Joined:
4-Mar-2018 9:03pm
Location:
The Office
My approach would depend on the demographic of the clients.

If many are older or not tech savvy, and set in their ways a paradigm shift might be resisted or ignored. In that case I don't know how much progress you'll make.

If a good portion are tech savvy, I think the easiest start would be a client portal to accept and deliver documents. Maybe start asking clients if they prefer a PDF of their final returns or a hardcopy. Offer a discount if a client provides all documents electronically (more efficient and you'll save on scanning costs).
 

#9
Posts:
2468
Joined:
24-Apr-2014 7:54am
Location:
Wisconsin
Congratulations!

Onvio talk: Onvio is a very mixed bag. If you use a portal to accept documents, then you can use the same portal to provide them as well, and Onvio would offer both the portal and the document storage. I per diem for a firm that uses Onvio, and there have been some really interesting problems this year (an update reset the last modified date for every file, for example) and it has struggled at times with server loads. But, I guess that's true of any Internet-based service.

Basic advice: It's okay to walk before you run -- and you don't need to change everything right away. Remember, you don't have the experience in running a firm that your father has, which is both good and bad. There might be some good things in the way he has done things which shouldn't be disregarded, but it's easily possible that he hasn't kept up on technology which can absolutely be a place for change.

Look for the easy victories first. Offering an optional portal for clients to use is one of those easy victories, but if it's possible, find the solution that is going to work for your firm in the long term.
 

#10
novacpa  
Posts:
1228
Joined:
28-Apr-2014 1:16pm
Location:
McLean, Virginia 22101
My older clients are the most maddening to me. They will not learn how to operate a laptop, to scan tax documents, to make a Pdf file, to name and save a pdf file; they can send it easily on to me.
Document transfer is the single most maddening part of my Practice.
For decades they have scheduled an appointment, complained about traffic and parking, been chronically late,
and then they forget to bring something, and have to show up again.
They insist on bringing originals despite my opposition.
All this personal attention really burdens the tax preparation process and doubles/triples, my time.
So what do you do? For these folks I charge really high fees to the point where they are painful.
And when and if they complain, I respond it's the price of you not being willing to learn tech.
 

#11
Posts:
2612
Joined:
24-Jan-2019 2:16pm
Location:
North Shore, Oahu
Thoughts:

Insurance

Engagement Agreements

S corporation, as appropriate

Price raising letters (giving advanced notice) to weed out the 10 or 20% that are too cheap

Disengagement letters (giving advanced notice) to week out the 10 or 20% that are PITAs (price raising on some clients just makes things worse)

Branding and asking the good clients for referrals so you can get rid of more bad/cheap clients.

Document portals for secure upload/download (but still take the paper documents for non-tech savvy clients - they need help too)

"Cans" (pre-prepared responses to how to proceed, delivering returns, answering common questions, etc)

Another though it, if it's not broken, don't fix it. As much as we complain, tax preparation is a nice way to make a living.

Organizers and worksheets to simplify data management of common situations
 

#12
Miami88  
Posts:
92
Joined:
4-Jun-2021 8:02am
Location:
Ohio
Thanks everyone for your responses!

I have a pretty good idea of where I want to be, just need to figure out all the steps in between!
 


Return to Business Operations and Development



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 43 guests