tax & accounting firms beef up wages and headcounts
growth seen across the board.
by beth bellor
outlook & analysis
survey: only 19% of firms host email
the percentage keeps shrinking.
the accounting firm operations and technology survey
52% of firms look outside for it support
“i’ll just handle it myself” is the answer for 28 percent.
the accounting firm operations and technology survey
more than half of accounting firms look outside their walls to solve information technology issues, but that doesn’t mean they all do it the same way.
more: pandemic changed work for 64% | pandemic? what pandemic? | m&a looms large for 30% of firms | today’s top 3 tech problems: security, client onboarding and workflow | today’s top 3 problems: staffing, workflow and tech
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.
an external consultant is an answer 30.9 percent of the time, for projects or as needed, with a managed service provider taking on the rest. of respondents who handle things on their own, 80 percent are solo practitioners, while full-time it staff or an it department are 60 percent likely at extra-large firms. read more →
tech vexes 58% of solos
checklist: the five best ideas for winning the tech wars.
by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间
solo practitioners enjoy certain privileges. they can set their own hours, pick their clients, work at their own pace, dress in office grunge, nap at will and take their dogs to work.
more in surveys & research: clients would switch for portals | firms on the brink of big spending | m&a looms large for 30% of firms | is remote the new normal? | the top challenges in these turbulent times | new worlds of opportunity | accountants agree: the top five ways to fix the irs | survey: firms on the brink of big spending | irs audit rates are dropping, and big earners couldn’t be happier | six more ways to fix the irs | cpa hiring rises as number of new grads continues to decline | trend? or just hype? accountants weigh in | six quick solutions for irs backlogs | the big battles ahead for corporate finance
but when it comes to tech, solos can be challenged. they may know accountancy and their clientele better than anybody in town, but when it comes to tech, they don’t know
- what’s out there,
- what’s coming down the techno-pike,
- how to use new apps and
- whether the latest stuff is worth paying for.
and they tend to run their hardware into the ground, investing in new tools only when they have to.
read more →
firms battle disruptions in communications and workflows
next up? scheduling and paper.
the accounting firm operations and technology survey
covid-19 and its variants forced a number of challenges upon the accounting profession. accountants are telling us that tops on that list were communication and workflow, at 49.4 and 49.1 percent respectively. even solos felt the burn, at 40.6%, so it wasn’t all internal communication to blame, although large firms of 51-100 felt it most sharply, at 60%.
survey results
more: pandemic changed work for 64% | pandemic? what pandemic? | m&a looms large for 30% of firms | today’s top 3 tech problems: security, client onboarding and workflow | today’s top 3 problems: staffing, workflow and tech
some responses that didn’t hit the top six still were notable. postal mail was called out by 21.9 percent, including 40 percent of solos and 33.3 percent of large firms. solos also reported phone calls and lost income at 24.6 percent. despite most groups saying lost income was a challenge, relatively few put that figure anywhere near the one for paying bills, except extra-large firms noting 11.8 percent difficulty with lost income and 5.9 percent with paying bills.
details by firm size read more →
pandemic changed work for 64%
extra-large firms had the easiest going.
the accounting firm operations and technology survey
covid-19 threw some in accounting – 3 percent – into turmoil, while 61.4 percent reported that some change was in order.
more: pandemic? what pandemic? | m&a looms large for 30% of firms | today’s top 3 tech problems: security, client onboarding and workflow | today’s top 3 problems: staffing, workflow and tech
survey: firms on the brink of big spending
pent-up plans are ready to break loose.
by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间
the accounting firm operations and technology survey
pandemic? what pandemic?
how some firms are flourishing in the new normal.
the accounting firm operations and technology survey
one of the benefits of an annual report such as the accounting firm operations and technology survey is the opportunity to see not only the current sentiments but those from years before. sometimes, though, new issues arise and are momentous to warrant inclusion via a new question … as when covid-19 crashed onto the scene.
more: m&a looms large for 30% of firms | today’s top 3 tech problems: security, client onboarding and workflow | today’s top 3 management problems: staffing, workflow and tech
of those working at home for the first time, by far the largest group fell into large firms of 51 to 100 employees, where 93.3 percent were new to remote work. medium and extra-large flanked them in those results, at 51.9 percent and 47.1 percent respectively. see table: read more →
m&a looms large for 30% of firms
most solos are happy as they are.
the accounting firm operations and technology survey
mergers and acquisitions for growth are on the minds of 30% of accounting firms, whether within the next year or further out. however, 56% have no such inclination and say a flat “no” to the prospect.
more: today’s top 3 tech problems: security, client onboarding and workflow | today’s top 3 problems: staffing, workflow and tech
for some firms, of course, these activities are options to be acquired. medium firms (11-50) top that interest at 9.6%, while 5.1% of small firms and 3.1% of solos are investigating their options, in the table below.
today’s top 3 tech problems: security, client onboarding and workflow
process automation and tech strategy make the list.
the accounting firm operations and technology survey
security and risk management top the list of technology issues challenging accountants, but they’ve dropped over the past year. meanwhile, there’s growing concern over business process consistency and cost reduction.
firm size plays a role. the largest firms register uniform business processes and integration challenges as their roughest points, while those rank at the low end for solos, who fret more over security and risk management.
both ends call out application updates more than those in the middle, and training worries mid-size firms more than anyone else.
accountants find new worlds of opportunity
clients and firms are both looking.
by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间
as the accounting industry emerges from dark times, many practitioners are blinking in the light of new opportunities.
we’re in a different world now.
- many accountants are freed from central offices. (many clients, too.)
- many clients have gone out of business but moved on to start new businesses.
- new technologies are facilitating automation and the power of small firms.
- the business environment, more complex than ever, requires new services.
- turmoil at the irs is causing both frustration and opportunity.
- boomers in accounting are retiring faster than newbies are being born.
- those newbies have new career goals with less emphasis on income.
- cryptocurrencies are a new frontier in investment and finance.
- inflation is a significant factor that’s linked with rising revenue for firms and clients.
- congress is stagnated between progressives with big ideas and the retrogressive who want to turn back the clock.
today’s top 3 problems: staffing, workflow and tech
cybersecurity, competing for clients and lagging profits make the list.
the accounting firm operations and technology survey
recruiting and retention may lead the list of issues accountants are facing. but problems in managing workflow have almost doubled in the last year.
and, while firms of all sizes share many of the same problems, there are stark differences through the spectrum of solo operators to the largest firms. for instance, about two-thirds of firms with 11 to 100 employees rate staffing as their chief concern, but larger firms aren’t having nearly as much trouble. the mid-size firms are leading in solving the workflow dilemmas, while the largest and smallest firms at opposite ends of the spectrum are having considerably more trouble.
trend? or just hype? accountants weigh in
the real tech trends on worthy topics, according to your colleagues.
by 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 research
ever alert for what’s coming down the pike, the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 business barometer is looking for early omens of future trends. our readers across the continent know what’s happening.
they also know what only seems to be happening.
this year we’re asking where the opportunities are, what the challenges are and, significantly, what the most overhyped trends, technologies and topics are.
in other words, what’s the next wave on the way, and what’s just a bubble in a turbulent sea?
the answers on the overhyped are interesting.