As bookkeepers and accountants, we’ve all had those moments: a client project lands on your desk, and your first thought is, “This is going to take forever.” Seven years of backlogged financials. A mountain of checks that need to be imported. Vendor records riddled with inconsistencies.
In the past, these projects meant days, if not weeks, of painstaking manual work. But in today’s world, the right tool can shrink a project like that down to hours — sometimes even minutes.
That’s the magic of working in a profession that sits at the intersection of finance and technology. However, it also presents a challenge: how do you find the right tools without getting lost in all the options?
Finding the Balance Between Shiny Objects and Strategic Picks
New apps and integrations pop up constantly. Expense management. Inventory tracking. Automation for reconciliations. It’s tempting to chase every new feature you see. At the same time, ignoring what’s out there leaves you stuck in outdated, manual processes that drain your time.
The sweet spot is balance. Don’t chase every new platform, but don’t bury your head in the sand either. Instead:
- Spend just enough time researching to understand what’s new and what problems it solves.
- Test tools that solve real challenges in your work, not just ones that sound flashy.
- Keep an eye on scalability — will this tool still help when your client doubles in size?
The goal isn’t to have the biggest tech stack. It’s to have the right tech stack.
Where We Find the Best Tools
Contrary to what some marketing teams may believe, most of us don’t discover new technology by Googling “best accounting app,” or something similar and sign up right away. It’s by staying in conversation with people who understand what you’re facing every day. It takes time, trust, and maybe a little push.
- Peers and Communities: Some of the most valuable insights come from talking to other bookkeepers and accountants. “What tool are you using for this?” is often the spark that leads to discovering something that can save hours. Communities — membership based or through social media — also play a huge role. In Roundtable Labs, through Roundtables discussions and community posts, someone might ask, “What tool are you using for this?” or something similar. That’s when the magic happens. Every member has the chance to chime in, share what’s working (and what isn’t), and swap ideas that save us all time, money, and stress. Together, we cut through the sales pitches and get the kind of insights you can only find by talking to people who live this work every day.
- Conferences and Events: Events like Scaling New Heights aren’t just about the sessions; they’re about the hallway conversations and the booths where you stumble into a conversation or demo that makes you think, “Wait, this could actually help.” Then you go back to your trusted peers and communities to ask around.
- Clients: Every once in a while it’s a client who brings a tool to the table. Staying curious about what they’re using and why they’re struggling often leads to exploring technology that benefits everyone.
A Real-World Example: Turning Weeks Into Hours
I was introduced to Amalgam earlier this year in Roundtable Labs, then my team and I met the CRO, Joe, at Scaling New Heights and talked a bit more. Not long after getting back from the conference, we were assigned a massive cleanup project: seven years of financial records that needed to be tax return–ready.
The tasks included:
- Creating and importing 58 journal entries
- Extracting and importing 6,000 checks from QuickBooks Desktop
- Reviewing five years of vendor expenses for consistency, cleaning them up in Excel, and re-importing the corrections
In the past, this would have been a “clear your calendar” kind of job. But with the right tool, we knocked it out in a couple of hours.
The difference wasn’t just speed. It was the relief of knowing the data was clean, accurate, and ready to go — without losing days of productivity on repetitive tasks.
Why Staying Educated Matters
We’re living in an ever-changing technological landscape. Tools come and go. Features change. Integrations improve. That’s why accountants and bookkeepers can’t afford to stop learning.
- Stay curious. Explore new apps, even if you don’t need them right away.
- Stay connected. Conversations with peers often surface tools you wouldn’t have found otherwise.
- Stay practical. The right tool is the one that makes your work faster, more accurate, and more valuable to your clients.
The reality is, you won’t get every choice right. Some tools won’t stick. But every once in a while, you find one that completely changes the way you work. And that’s worth the time you spent exploring.
The Bigger Picture
Expense management, cleanup projects, reconciliations — they all have one thing in common: they can either eat up your time or become opportunities to add value. When we take the time to learn about new tools, test them thoughtfully, and share experiences with our peers, we equip ourselves to deliver better service with less effort.
As I learned firsthand, what could have taken days to complete was finished in just hours. Not because I worked harder, but because I found the right tool through the community, trust, and a solution that fit the need. That’s the power of leaning on your peers, asking the real questions, and staying open to what technology can do for your firm.
Rachel Dauchy founded NetDeposited in 2019 to help small and medium-sized businesses thrive with cloud-based accounting solutions. With a background in banking, accounting, and operations, she built her firm around the idea that accounting should work hand-in-hand with technology. As an Advanced Certified QuickBooks Elite ProAdvisor, a 2025 Top 100 ProAdvisor, and a Shopify Affiliate, Rachel specializes in eCommerce and inventory management, supporting sellers with multiple Shopify stores and multichannel operations while leveraging QuickBooks Online and its many integrations.
Rachel’s expertise goes far beyond bookkeeping. She is passionate about helping businesses grow by creating clarity in their financials, implementing automation to reduce inefficiencies, and guiding clients through the ever-changing eCommerce landscape. She also shares her knowledge as co-host of Workshop Wednesday with Dan DeLong for School of Bookkeeping. Based in Michigan with her family, Rachel is currently pursuing her Master of Science in Accounting at the University of Michigan to expand her expertise and continue bringing value to her clients.