Editor’s Note: In a recent Insightful Accountant audience study, we asked some members of the 2021 Top 100, including the "ProAdvisor of the Year" – Mariko Hayashi-Hall, to give us some of the strategies they use to stay on top of their games. Following is the first in a series of their insights—information you can use to help set the blueprint for your practice’s strategy.
In a recent audience study, 53% of the respondents stated that "Keeping Up With Technology" is one of their most pressing challenges. How do you keep up with changes impacting your firm and/or clients?
Lynda Artesani, Artesani Bookkeeping: I love innovation and technology. It is far easier to keep up with technology because of my niche of working only with attorneys and law firms. It takes a wide array of new apps down to a smaller list.
I like to listen to podcasts directed to my lawyer clients and accounting podcasts to stay on top of any new, shiny object I need to review. I subscribe to newsletters on the tech I use at my firm for my clients so I can stay on top of new features in LeanLaw or Clio. It is essential to use the tools and all the features.
Lastly, my advice is to attend conferences. That, by far, is the place to look at new tech, interview and ask questions of the app developers. When you speak to the software developers directly, you hear why they created their program and what pain points they were trying to solve. You can feel their passion behind the product.
In a recent audience study, 53% of the respondents said "Keeping Up With Technology" is one of their most pressing challenges. We asked three of our Top ProAdvisors to give us some of the strategies they use to stay on top of their games.
Mariko Hayashi-Hall, Brilliant Solutions Group: I belong to several professional organizations such as the Woodard Institute/Alliance, Illinois CPA Society and the National Association of Tax Professionals. I am also an alumnus of Goldman Sachs 10K Small Business. Membership in those organizations help me stay on top of emerging technology that directly affects our firm its client base.
Industry publications that help me keep current such as Insightful Accountant and accounting today are filled with recent news and tech advances, besides publications, attending accounting conferences, tech events and training. Conferences are an excellent opportunity to see innovative technology specific to your industry. You can listen to industry leaders, attend classes and talk with vendors about their products.
You can also check out technology-focused events, apply what you have learned to your business and pass the knowledge to your clients. Many conferences make their keynote speeches available online for those who don't have the time or budget to attend.
Lauretta Finis, Quick Bizness Bookkeeping Solutions Aus: Always being open to new technology that will help to streamline the client's processes is one of my priorities. I always look out in newsletters, social media posting, also signing up for accounting IT news and emails from software companies, just to name a few places.
This helps me keep on top of the "newbies" in the market place and also the software that has been updated with new features. Knowing my clients businesses and how they work also helps as I know what to look out for.
Like what you're reading?
Subscribe to our FREE newsletter and we'll deliver content like this directly to your inbox.