Kevin Anderson
Workflow and automation are key factors impacting the success of a firm. Whether you have 1 employee or dozens, having the right automation and workflow solutions in place set your firm up for growth and the move from hourly billing. Kevin Anderson, Executive Vice President, FileCenter, recently shared his thoughts and recommendations workflow automation with Insightful Accountant.
IA: As a person considers developing/refining the workflow for their firm, what are the key considerations they need to begin with?
KA: As someone begins looking into developing or refining the workflow for their firm, the first key consideration to begin with, is understanding what their current workflow looks like? Are they currently following a written-out procedure? Are they using a software solution to help them with that workflow? Do they have anything even written out? These are key questions that I would ask as someone is looking to refine or develop their processes.
This will allow them to look at their current state and see what issues or bottlenecks they have been experiencing and think of new ways to overcome. They can also discuss those that are involved throughout the workflow process and see what is working and what is not working.
IA: Can you recommend the order of approach in which you would implement a solid workflow plan?
KA: The first step of the process should be interviewing the staff and other workers that are involved in the processes. Understand what tasks need to be complete to go from start to finish. Second, determine the roles that are played within the workflow and in what order do they play each step of the role. You need to determine the deliverables. What is it and when is it due? You want to not only determine what the task is, but what are the results that come from the tasks. For instance, you may want to define the task for the preparation of a tax return. But how long do you want a tax preparer to take? A couple of hours? Days? Weeks? Once they initiate the task, you want that task to be completed in a timely manner. Once the expectations are clear, it saves a lot of time and eliminates wasted time. Third, what technology are you using throughout the workflow processes? Tax software, document management, client portals, CRM solutions, invoicing solutions? Are there solutions that help eliminate steps or make the processing of different solutions faster or automated?
Now that you have determined the steps, roles, tasks and timelines, you can start building out the workflow processes. A simple tax preparation could look like this:
- Collection of source documents (Document Management Software)
- Initiating the workflow process to create the tasks (Workflow Solution)
- Tax Preparation (Document Management Software and Tax Software)
- Review and Approval Process (Workflow, Document Management and Tax Software)
- Meeting with Client (Calendaring System and Conference Software for Remote Meetings)
- Complete Return (e-signature solution, Document Management)
- Invoicing (Billing Software, Document Management)
- Final Documents to Client after billing complete (Document Management, Client Portal)
Of course, all of these things are basic, but you get the general idea. Once you have the layout and the solutions, you are also assigning the staff to the different roles that they play along the way, and what technology solutions they will need to have access to throughout the process.
IA: Assuming many firms will keep their employees remote as we come out of the pandemic, how critical is it that firms lock down an end-to-end solution?
KA: As we move into a day in age where more employees are working from home, the need to lock down processes will be more critical than we would probably like it to be. How do we better track what tasks each person/role plays throughout the process? Are they completing tasks in a timely manner? Are managers able to see where tasks are being held up? Having solutions that can work together along the way, like workflow solutions, document management and other tax solutions, will be more important in completing these tasks more effectively and in a timely manner.
IA: Any other words of wisdom on the topic?
KA: Having any sort of workflow, no matter how simple, will bring sanity into your firm. When a defined system is in place, there is no confusion as to what each person’s responsibilities are throughout the process. Everyone then contributes to the success of the firm. If you are a partner or leader within the firm, be sure to explain to everyone what the vision is for your company and your clientele. If everyone in your firm is confused as to what the vision is, you may find that your firm will not have the success that you desire. But when everyone knows and understands what the vision is and how things like workflow play into it, your firm becomes a well-tuned machine.
Don’t try to create multiple workflow processes all at once. The old adage of how to eat an elephant comes into play here. Look to what workflow process will be the most critical to implement at first, get it implemented, then start looking at other processes that can be created or refined.
And once you have implemented a process or have refined it, don’t forget to review the processes regularly. Check on what tasks/roles may be a bottleneck. What is causing the delay or time suck? Then look to see what can be done to enhance or replace different cogs in the processes.
IA: How does FileCenter help automate a firm or enhance their workflow?
KA: Currently, FileCenter is working on integrating a workflow solution that can help firms initiate tasks and walk them directly through the processes a firm has in place. We are excited for what this will do to help our firms in all industries create more efficiencies within their company. In the meantime, we assist by helping manage all of the paper files that are brought in from clients and that are created within a firm. We have automated ways to scan in source documents that will help store the files in their proper places using automated processes when scanning. FileCenter also provides a client portal for sharing files securely along the way. We work with most tax software solutions out on the market today.
Kevin Anderson is a seasoned technology professional and entrepreneur with more than 15 years dedicated experience in the software and computer industry. He has dedicated many years to becoming a subject matter expert in document management and client portals. Over the past decade, he has guided thousands of companies to embracing the paperless office.