Is Your Firm Prepared for Dispersed Teams?

The large-scale shifts in workplace dynamics over the past few years have accelerated changes in how and where accountants work. In many cases, these changes were already largely underway, as accounting firms of all sizes have been experimenting with dispersed teams for many years.

But while this was largely viewed as an exception rather than a norm, clients and accountants alike are now fully accustomed to the fact that remote work is here to stay. In BILL’s recent survey, the Accounting Firm Hireability Index, 42% of small-and-midsize businesses (SMBs) said it is “no big deal” if their accounting firm only works remotely.

As the concept of hybrid work arrangements with dispersed teams is now cemented within the future of work for most organizations, there are key processes and technologies that accounting firms can implement to ensure there are minimal disruptions to business as usual.

Dispersed Teams Enhance Hiring

The ongoing talent crunch in the accounting industry has created an existential crisis as firms compete for a smaller number of incoming employees. On top of this, the next generation of accountants are also keenly interested in new ways of working, including flexibility in where and when they work.

A dispersed team structure helps address both of these challenges. If geography is no longer a criteria in hiring, firms can tap into a wider talent pool than they would have historically been able to access. This can improve the quality and diversity of a team and can also be an advantage for firms looking for accountants with specialized and/or unique skill sets. As teams grow and become more diverse, there are increased opportunities for innovation.

Dispersed team structures also provide the flexibility that empowers employees to manage their work schedules to account for their preferences and any personal commitments. This in turn can contribute to higher job satisfaction and retention rates.

Just because your team is dispersed doesn’t mean you meet or engage less! Finding time to connect virtually while enabling ideation and engagement is still essential to building a strong workplace culture, and the opportunities firms have for in-person meetings are even more meaningful moments to foster connections between coworkers in a purposeful setting.

Make Tech Work for Your Teams — and Clients

There are many considerations when determining the best workforce structure for any firm, and one of the most essential is technology. The right technology will not only help dispersed teams function

effectively, but can also help enhance client service. Consider the following when selecting tech solutions:

  • Automation: Processes that were traditionally completed face-to-face or involved mailing documents between offices should be digitized and, where possible, put into automated workflows to reduce time spent on these tasks.
  • Scalability: Firms should be able to scale their tech solutions up or down in response to client needs. This can be particularly crucial during busy season.
  • Security: Tech companies should be able to provide peace of mind that their tools offer a sufficient level of privacy and security. For accounting firms, which are usually working with sensitive internal and client data, this is especially important.
  • Collaboration: The technology a firm chooses should make it easier than ever for teams to collaborate without being in the same place. This could also enable accountants to work with clients virtually — especially clients whose own teams are similarly dispersed — which could help firms expand their client base and build strong relationships.

The Importance of Tech Cohesion

A degree of uniformity is necessary for any well-functioning business, but it becomes increasingly important when working within a dispersed team structure. One of the main ingredients to cross-team alignment is a cohesive tech stack. Using the same tech solutions across the whole firm helps to streamline access and ensure consistency for processes and procedures. Additionally, as the accounting industry continues to embrace AI, having clean, consistent data will be an essential part of successful AI adoption.

One way to ensure tech cohesion is by moving away from disparate solutions (that, despite working together in your tech stack, are still inherently built differently) and transitioning to a unified platform. When all accounting functions are handled in one place, processes and workflows are both simplified and standardized and all necessary information is in one, easy-to-access location.

For example, firms that move Accounts Payable and Spend Management functions onto one platform can develop a clear view into spend and cashflow. Besides gaining new insights from this coalesced data, it also helps to make service delivery more efficient, which can lead to increased client satisfaction.

This is helpful well beyond just enabling more efficient hybrid work: 79% of respondents to BILL’s Accounting Firm Hireability Index said they would stop referring their accounting firm — or consider choosing a new firm entirely — if the firm they work with does not stay updated on the latest technologies. A firm’s ability to demonstrate their ongoing understanding of and commitment to tech innovation makes them a differentiator in the eyes of their clients.

Conclusion

For some accounting firms, embracing a dispersed team may no longer just be an option, but a strategic necessity. But by leveraging the right technology and fostering a flexible and collaborative culture, firms can not only navigate the growing pains of switching to this model of work — but set themselves up for long-term success.

Richard Corn

Richard Corn, CPA, Director of Product Management at BILL

Richard Corn is a CPA who gained his experience in public accounting at Eide Bailly working on a mix of corporate tax and audit clients. After Eide Bailly Richard joined the corporate accounting team at Intuit where he acted as the Segment Leader for Intuit Financing Inc. the lending subsidiary that operates QuickBooks Capital. Richard’s 9 years of combined experience in accounting and financial systems have helped him build deep empathy for the product needs of accounting firms. Richard now leads the product area for the BILL accounting firm distribution channel.

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