Tax Practice News
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As 2018 comes to a close and financial professionals begin their preparation for a busy 2019 tax season, everyone is of course trying to come up with ways to optimize/streamline their processes for their own staff as well as their clients.
Although many clients have already moved to some form of Saas solution (QuickBooks Online, Xero…) or a hosted solution, the majority of QuickBooks users continue to remain on the desktop. Unfortunately, this user group are often the ones that require more work to retrieve their information.
In some cases, you have the traditional business owner that has been “too busy” throughout the year and walks through their preparers door with the file backed up on a drive of some sort and the standard shoe box full of receipts. In other cases, you may have clients that have been more diligent about entering information throughout the year, but you still must come up with a way to access their QuickBooks file to close out the year and create their tax return.
In some cases, financial professionals will have the client send them an Accountant’s copy (limited functionality) or possibly a backup of the file (requiring the client to stop entering data into the main file until they return the backup). They may also try using a form of “Desktop Sharing” which require the financial professional to schedule a time with the client when they can take over their computer. Additionally, the functionality of the mouse/keyboard can be erratic when using a desktop sharing solution.
One much simpler way to support any desktop clients is with the use of Qbox. Qbox not only allows you to have a collaborative relationship with your client throughout the year that can potentially avoid the “shoe box” scenario, it also gives you a much simpler way to process your client’s year end information during tax season.
With QBox, financial professionals and their clients continue to use the same desktop version of QuickBooks. However, using Qbox, they have a locally hosted copy of the file that is continually synchronized with their remote client’s copy. In other words, no more sending accountant’s copies/backup files back and forth, no more screen sharing, and no more downloading/uploading of QuickBooks files. With Qbox, there is also a locking technology that avoids the creation of conflicting copies.
Using Qbox, you are not subject to the performance of your internet (or lack thereof) while working in the file. The internet/cloud is only involved during the synchronization process which initiates automatically when the file is closed. While synchronizing, the user can open and work on another QuickBooks file or any other locally hosted program. In other words, you are not waiting on the internet. Additionally, you can work on your client’s file even if their computer is turned off.
Over the past several years, we have had numerous financial professionals talk about how Qbox has saved them countless hours during tax season, by simply avoiding the time delay waiting for their clients to send them a copy of their QuickBooks file(s). Additionally, they share how frustrating it has been to explain to their client how to import the updated information back to their file once the year end close out is complete. Using Qbox, any updates made by the financial professional are automatically imported into the client’s QuickBooks file(s) without them having to do any work.
To learn more about how to save time during tax season , visit our website at www.qboxplus.com. From there you can read about Qbox, watch some user testimonials, and sign up for a live “Intro to Qbox” webinar occurring each Friday.
You can also view a short video below, discussing more about how Qbox works.
chris wise
Author Bio: Chris Wise, Director of Sales and Marketing, has participated in the successful launch of Coral Tree’s application specific file sharing/collaboration resources. Prior to joining Coral Tree, Chris worked for the past 18 years in the insurance industry specializing in employee benefits. Chris has participated in the founding of three successful agencies in addition to being a business and marketing consultant to brokers throughout the area. During this time, he implemented web-based enrollment and HR management systems and was part of a group that launched an insurance industry specific web hosting company providing simplified, cost effective, websites for brokers. Using his experience in team building and brand expansion, Chris is responsible for managing the sales/marketing efforts ensuring the Qbox brand is introduced to any financial professionals interested in supporting remote clients using QuickBooks Desktop.