“The file transfer feature is valuable to me. Some accounting files can grow too large to email back and forth to clients; with your system, a client can upload a file, I can download and adjust it, and return it to them quickly in a secure environment.”  –Joseph F. Montgomery, CPA  www.jfmcpa.com

In Part 1 of this two part series “Save Time, Go Paperless” we talked about using the vault to eliminate the need for exchanging paper documents. Instead of using email, which is not secure, we talked about using another electronic alternative you already have with CPASiteSolutions, the Vault. Of course if you’re already comfortable with using the Vault the next obvious question then becomes, how can I get my clients to use it? That is what we will be covering in Part 2.

One of the first things you might consider is making a campaign geared around letting clients know about the benefits of using the portal. The first message might be one that talks about how they can get any of their past tax return information 24/7 just by logging in and downloading the information online. They won’t have to schedule an appointment with you and can access the data anywhere they have internet access. That way if they are away and suddenly need access to financial information for such things as buying a house, they can get it without much difficulty.

The nice part about an email campaign is that you can keep track of all the messages in one place. After some time has gone by with the first message, you could send a second that tells them something along the line of “since email is insecure you will no longer be using it to exchange client data”. It is important to mention the reason you are doing this is to keep their data as secure as possible and avoid such things as identity theft. You can also mention the the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act which regulates how financial data is kept

You can then offer some alternatives, the easiest of which is just logging into the portal. You can even point out that you will be automatically notified by email when there is a change to the files. This way you won’t miss out on any important updates. If you are new to how this email process works you can take some time to review it.

Taking a moment now when you have more of it will pay off come next tax season when your clients are able to access their data without having to come to you first. You will be able to still maintain a finger on the pulse of activity for each of the accounts while continuing  the personalized attention that your clients may be used to. In the long run going paperless not only makes things easier but also more secure. In this digital age, could you offer your clients anything less?

You can now include an easy to update blog on your CPASiteSolutions website. The next time you log into your SiteManager you’ll see the new blog page in your “Add Page” menu.

A blog allows you to speak directly, openly and honestly with your clients. When prospective clients and staff members can relate to you through your blog posts, they’ll get to know you and trust you before ever meeting you in person.

The personal relationship you establish through your blog gives you a competitive advantage over other firms in your area. By differentiating yourself through your blog, you’ll stand out from the competition and earn the trust of potential clients. You’ll establish a personal relationship with your readers in advance of their visit to your office.

What’s more, a dynamic and frequently updated blog will help improve your site’s rank in Google and other search engines.  Search engines like Google love unique and frequently updated content on websites. By consistently adding new content to your site through your blog, you can improve your site’s relevance and authority rank.

This means that your site can appear toward the top of the search engines when business owners search for an accountant in your area. As a result, your website gets more visitors who are looking for accounting services. And getting more visitors means means you’ll get more calls, appointments, and clients from your website.

Adding the blog to your site

It’s easy to get started blogging on your site.  You’ll find the blog under the Add Page menu in your Site Manager. Just add that page and arrange it in your SiteMap as you have any other new page on your site.  If you don’t see the blog as an option in your Add Page menu, just give us a call at 800-896-4500 and we’ll migrate your site to our newest hosting system and make the blog available to you.

Once you’ve added the blog, you can post to it anytime by logging into the SiteManager and clicking on the blog page in your Site Map. Then you can simply click “Add Blog Post” to start writing.

Every new post will automatically appear on your blog page, and bump the previous post into the list of Previous Posts that appears to the right side of your blog.

For an in-depth walkthrough of adding, using and managing your blog, check out our Blog Help.

You already have a great calendar feature built into your email and Workteam Collaboration Suite. By adding the new Online Appointment Scheduling page to your site, you can make scheduling your time and client appointments much easier.   Any visitor to your site will be able to view your calendar and request an appointment through the built-in form.

Here’s how it works:

1. Your clients see when you’re available right from your website.

See a sample of this page. Opens in a new window.

2. They pick a time that’s most convenient for them and request an appointment online.

See a sample of this page. Opens in a new window.

3. You or the person who manages your calendar receives an email about the appointment request.

4. Your calendar is updated. Immediately reserving that time on your online calendar.

5. Appointment reminder is emailed to your client.

6. Appointment reminder is emailed and/or SMS text to you 30 minutes before the meeting.

More Features:

Let your clients control their appointment scheduling experience.

• Clients Quickly See Who’s Available When

• Take Appointment Requests From Your Website

• Easily Manage Multiple Calendars – Available to every member of your firm at no additional cost.

• Email and SMS Text Appointment Reminders

• Centralized Calendar Management

• Individual Calendar Management

• Sync Online Calendar with Outlook, iPhone, and Blackberry

The Online Appointment Scheduling system calendar makes the complete management of your calendar and schedule very easy.  Because the administration and syncing of your calendar is provided through the Workteam Collaboration Suite and the associated email function, the Online Appointment Scheduling page does require that your email be managed through the Workteam Collaboration Suite.

“I really like your Secure file exchange. Even my clients that aren’t that computer literate find your File Exchange easy to use. We used to use the post office a lot to send tax returns and other documents to our clients but now we are using the post office a lot less which saves us time and money.  Also unlike typical mail, we get proof that someone receives a file with the exact date and time. As an added bonus, If someone ever gets a tax penalty, I don’t have to worry if they claim that it’s because I didn’t send them a file because I have proof that I did. “

–Ben Bennett (bmbennett.com)

Everyone talks about switching to a paperless office but in the end when it comes time to do it, what does it mean? How would you go about it? If there ever were a time to figure that out it would be now when there is some breathing room from the business of the regular tax season. Lets take a closer look at going paperless. This is part one of a two part series dedicated to the process of going paperless. This first part will look at the Vault and how to use it, the second will look at how to get clients to adopt using it.

There are some who consider the process of making your office paperless part of getting into 2.0 business stream. Whatever you call it, the process is the same, making your firm more efficient by leveraging the tools of the Internet. Although there are many directions that you can turn when thinking about going paperless ultimately you want something that will not just save paper but time. Having a website with CPASiteSolutions gives you automatic access to a paperless solution within the Vault. This gives you a portal to exchange files with clients on-line with 24/7 access and no paper used in the whole process.

How is this any better than sending an email? An email is not secure and is much like sending a postcard in the mail, anyone can read it and take whatever information they want. Not only would it be damaging if the information got leaked but your firm could get fined from breaking some of the laws in place. To avoid this it is best to stop using email to exchange files and start using the Vault.

The best way to think of the Vault is as a virtual filing cabinet that you or your clients can access from anywhere at anytime. Unlike a real filing cabinet you can actually limit what clients can see and do while logged into the Vault. This control gives you and your clients the piece of mind they need surrounding their financial information. This also means you can exchange even larger documents anywhere you have access to a browser and much more securely than with email or even regular mail. This freedom can save both of you time and money.

To get started with the Vault make sure your familiar with signing up new client users and managing client accounts. You can look forward to features such as having an email sent to your client or sent to you when a change is made. This means when a client uploads a document you will be notified via email so you can still have your finger on the pulse of client activity. Once you have a familiarity with the system the next step is getting your clients to use it. Look forward to part 2 where we go into steps you can take that will give your clients motivation to join your paperless office.

Your web site is loaded with many great client retention tools, but how are potential new clients finding you? If your site has not been indexed by Google, you’re losing prospects to your competitors. When searching Google for a service such as a CPA or Accountant, most people will search on their location and service, such as Buford GA Accountant or Long Beach CA CPA. Whenever Google recognizes a search within a location, they will display three different kinds of results; organic listings, local listings, and sponsored links.

I should point out, they will only show three kinds of results, if they have valid results to show. For example, if you search on the phrase Burlington VT UFO Sightings you will find about 5,000 organic listings, but you will not find any local businesses or sponsored links. At least not at the time of this writing. That could all change tomorrow, but back to today’s topic.

Here are the three kinds of results you will generally see on google’s search engine results pages (SERP’s);

Organic listings

When people talk about search engine optimization, they are talking about optimizing for the organic (or free) listings. This is a highly competitive area that every one wants to be on the top of, or at least on the first page. You only stand a chance of getting onto the first page of course, if Google is aware of your web site in the first place. To see if Google has indexed any part of your site is easy. Simply go to Google.com and enter site:www.yourdomain.com in the search field. For example when I search site:www.cpasitesolutions.com, I see Google shows results 1-10 of 189 pages. That means Google has indexed 189 pages of the site www.cpasitesolutions.com.

Perform a similar search on your domain. Does Google show any results? If they do not, you will want to submit your site for indexing. In the case of the major search engines, such as Google, Yahoo and MSN, it is best to manually submit your site and not rely on automated programs and services that will submit your site to 100’s of search engines. Here are links to the submission pages for Google, Yahoo and MSN;

To submit to Google:
http://www.google.com/addurl/?continue=/addurl

To Submit to Yahoo:
https://login.yahoo.com/config/login?.src=srch
&.done=http://submit.search.yahoo.com/free/request
You will need a yahoo Username and Password

To submit to MSN:
http://search.msn.com/docs/siteowner.aspx?t=SEARCH_WEBMASTER
_REF_GettingSiteIndexed.htm

Be patient. It can take more than a month or two for your pages to start to appear in the SERPs. The way Google index’s your site is they will visit and index a few pages at first, then come back and index a few more, and so on. It can literally take 6 to 12 months for them to index every page of your site, including all of the financial guides. So it does take time and you have to be patient. Keep searching on site:www.yourdomain.com and when you start to see matching results you will know Google has found and is indexing your site.

Don’t submit your site more than once every couple of months until it is listed. Once your site is listed you should not need to resubmit your site at all, except after you have made significant changes. If you are needlessly submitting your site for indexing, the search engine may feel you’re spamming them with submissions and they’ll penalize your listing. Once they are aware of your site, search engines should revisit it on their own on a regular schedule. However, some search engines have grown smart enough to realize some sites only change content once or twice a year, so they may visit less often. Resubmitting after major changes will help ensure that your site’s content is kept current.

Local Listings

Local listings are above the organic listings and show only specific companies in the area being searched. Local listings display companies offering the specific service being searched on. For these reasons they are arguably even more important then being on the first page of organic results.

Additionally, requesting a local listing may get a better response from Google then requesting organic indexing, and once you are accepted in the local listings, you will automatically be included in the organic results.

Checking to see if you are in the local listings is easy. Simply visit http://maps.google.com/ and search on your office address. If you do not initially see your business listed, you might do a few broader searches first, just to make sure. For example if your business is

Homer Simpson CPA
742 Evergreen Terrace
Springfield, VT  12345

You might try searches of Evergreen Terrace Springfield 12354, or Springfield VT CPA. If you see your business listed, you are in the local business results. You will want to claim your listing.

To claim and edit your business listing you must be logged in as a Gmail user. There is “sign in” link in the upper right hand side of every page. If you don’t already have one go to gmail.google.com and sign up for a free Email account. You can use this user name and password to log in. Once you’re logged in simply click on your business name in the listing to open up the detail balloon for your business. You should see something like this;

Click the “Edit” link in the detail balloon and from there you will find a link to claim your listing.

If you are not already in the local listings, requesting submission is easy. Just visit http://www.google.com/local/add and you can add a new listing to the local directory.

Sponsored Listings

Sponsored listings are, by and large, pay per click advertisements. Meaning the companies and businesses that advertise here, create their ads (within Google’s advertising guidelines) and bid what they are willing to pay to achieve desired placement. There is no charge to have an ad displayed in the sponsored listings. Companies incur a charge only when someone clicks the sponsored listing link.

As you probably already know, hundreds of books have been written on these subjects and complete industries have started up. We understand your time is valuable and hopefully this primer will get you headed in the right direction. If you are interested in learning more about optimizing your site for search engines or advertising in Google’s sponsored listings, please contact us and ask to speak with one of our SEO Coaches about our Platinum level service. You can also review Working With Search Engines in our online help, and we’ll be posting more on these topics here in the future.

Not only are our designers hard at work on new site designs, but they’re also working quickly to update and expand our classic designs, so that your site can look its best on the newest generation of high-resolution and wide-screen monitors.  Your site, built on any of these eleven classic site designs, can now take advantage of a wider design and our new navigation bar.

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Just like our new designs and previous classic design updates, these redesigns are available on our new hosting system. Give us a call for an upgrade anytime: 800-896-4500. We’ll migrate your site to our new server and give you access to these and all our other two hundred site designs.

There is something interesting about the past year or so that has brought out some creative elements to our daily business. Some call it a “poor economic climate” or “troubling times” yet either way, no matter what you call it, business as usual is not a term that comes to mind. Given this we here at CPASiteSolutions are interested in hearing from you regarding your own creative elements.

What creative solutions have you come up with to make these, shall we say, “interesting” times into an opportunity? We would love to hear how some of the downturns in our economy have actually created a benefit for your company. In particular what sort of tools have you leveraged in order to get things done more efficiently? We might suggest of course that our Secure File Exchange System can leverage your time through reducing the need to run to a clients office or hire a courier to exchange information securely. Even if the story isn’t about how our Critical File Offsite Backup has saved you time and money for documents that would have otherwise been lost. It doesn’t have to be connected to any of the 67 tools we offer.

We find it interesting and of benefit to others to hear of those stories as they can help to bolster and spark new ideas that wouldn’t have otherwise come about. Once we get these stories out staff here will pick through and publish some of the best for all of you to read.

Here is a rough guide for you to follow:

• The story needs to be about a benefit to your company.

• Please include specifics on what sort of monetary gain or saved time you received from this solution.

• What made you try this solution now instead of previously?

• Did the solution make you want to try something else new in the future that you hadn’t previously?

We hope you have fun with this and we will be including some of our own stories in the coming weeks to help others come up with some of their own. Although we have no deadline for submission we will start publishing the best stories after June 30th.

Our designers are continually hard at work bringing you new site designs. This week you have five new options for your site.

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As always we get great feedback from all of you who have a website with CPA Site Solutions. We have recently incorporated some of that feedback and have expanded our daily hours of operation to 8 AM – 8 PM EST. This adjustment gives us greater flexibility in helping our clients all over the country. Not only that but we have also added more people to help during that time so we can be sure to capture every call. Calling isn’t the only way to reach us of course. You can email or have a live chat throughout those same hours. Even if you happen to email when we are closed we will get back to you by the next business day. We place our regular hours at the bottom of every page in case you forget. We hope that these new hours will make getting answers from us that much easier.

The reason you call doesn’t have to be just for a problem you may be experiencing. We are also here to offer suggestions on how to utilize the many tools available to you via your website. Are you thinking of emailing your list of subscribers but are unsure on the best way to do proceed? Maybe you are thinking of finally using the online portal with your clients and need some suggestions. We are here to help you leverage your website in new ways as well as to troubleshoot any problems you may be experiencing. So go ahead and give us a call, with our new hours we are here for you more than ever before.

In addition to our recent new site designs, we’ve been continuing to update and expand our classic site designs to work with the current generation of high-resolution and wide-screen monitors. These five redesigns also take advantage of our new navigation bar, so it’s more attractive, streamlined and much more compatible with a wide range of browsers and operating systems.

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Just like our new designs and previous classic design updates, these redesigns are available on our new hosting system. Give us a call anytime for an upgrade at 800-896-4500. We’ll migrate your site to our new server and give you access to these and all our other two hundred site designs.