Brian O'Connell, President

We like to think we’re judged on the quality of our work alone.

But in truth, a company’s image makes a big difference, too. What clients see when they visit your website or pick up your materials has an impact on how professional you appear.

It may seem shallow, but the more professional your image, the higher you can set your rates.

CPA websites with CPA Site Solutions help you do this not just through our website designs, but also through professional logos.

When you pick a logo from our gallery, you get it at no extra charge – which means you raise your image without compromising your wallet. And it takes just a few minutes of your time.

Why Logos?

A logo is a graphic, often combined with a company name, that is instantly recognizable. It’s the face of a company.

You use logos not only on your website, but also on your letterhead, business cards, brochures, and other printed material. This consistency gives your firm a cohesive look and raises the professionalism of all your materials.

A professional logo enhances your image. Choose one for free from our gallery of 100 professional designs.

Getting a Logo Free with Your Website

Your logo shows in the header of each page of your website with CPA Site Solutions. You have the option of using your own logo or picking one for free from our gallery.

You’re certainly welcome to pay a graphic designer for your logo, but keep in mind that it could cost you hundreds of dollars. It also takes time. If the designer starts from scratch, you have a slew of decisions to make regarding color, font, size, and so on.

When you use one of our logos, you get it right away at no additional charge. Choose one as is or ask us to customize a design (which we do for a reasonable price).

Or, if you like, you can find a design that appeals to you and take it to your graphic designer so she has a starting point.

The Next Step to More Revenue

If you have a website with us but haven’t chosen a logo yet, go ahead! It only takes a few minutes. Once your new logo is in place on your website, integrate it into all your promotional efforts. It gives you a more polished look – which means clients won’t balk at paying a higher fee.

Don’t forget that you can update your logo, too. We add new designs on a regular basis – take a look and see if any of our new styles appeal to you.

If you haven’t signed up for a website, give us a try for free for 60 days. You get a logo as part of the package. And if for some reason you cancel your service, keep the logo as our gift.

Do you find that your logo enhances your image? What other methods do you use to lend your firm a more professional look? Share your thoughts below.

If you’re like me, you think of things you have to do at the least convenient times – in the car, during dinner, in the middle of the night.

Did you know that accounting websites with CPA Site Solutions help you capture those important tasks and add them to your to-do list from anywhere?

Update the list in one place and it updates everywhere, including your iPhone.

As long as you have your iPhone, Blackberry, or any cell phone, you’re plugged in to your to-do list.

No more slips of paper with a messy scrawl that you wrote in the dark at 3:00 in the morning. No more rewriting the same list by hand every few days. No more updating a list in Word on your computer.

This means your to-do list stays up-to-date and is actually useful. And your productivity soars.

Small Improvement, Big Payoff

With our Workteam Collaboration Suite, you have a simple to-do list at your disposal. It’s called Tasks, and it’s right on your email page.

Simply check off items when they're complete.

It seems like a small thing, but having an easy way to keep your to-do list up-to-date makes a big difference – because you actually use it.

And when you use a to-do list on a regular basis, you greatly increase productivity.

Here’s why a to-do list helps you increase efficiency:

• It allows you to prioritize your tasks, so you’re sure to get the most important jobs done.

• When you see the list laid out in your Tasks, you see how some tasks can be done together or back-to-back.

• If an emergency arises – and one always does – a to-do list helps you get back on track once you’ve handled it.

• Finally, it’s a stress reliever. Getting it out of your mind and onto the computer takes a big load off.

Your Task List Is Super Easy to Use

The Task list included with your Workteam Collaboration Suite is totally intuitive. It’s not fancy – but that’s why it gets the job done.

Here’s what it can do:

• Simply start typing to add a new task.

• Reorder tasks by dragging and dropping.

• Check off completed tasks to cross them out; view completed tasks if you want.

• Pop out the list so it sits on your desktop.

• Create multiple lists – perhaps one for each type of client – and easily switch among lists.

• Convert an email into a task with the click of a mouse.

To convert an email to your tasks, choose "Add to Tasks" from the More Actions menu (Click to Enlarge Image).

• Best of all, your Task list is synced with your cell phone – an iPhone, Blackberry, or any mobile phone. Update it from anywhere and keep the list relevant and dynamic.

There’s No Charge for the Task List…

…with accounting websites from CPA Site Solutions.

Use a to-do list to maximize your time – and take advantage of the Task list that comes with your Workteam Collaboration Suite.

To get started with our Workteam Collaboration Suite, call 1-800-896-4500, or email us at support@cpasitesolutions.com.

Do you use a to-do list? Has it increased your efficiency? Let us know with a comment.

Have you ever had a day like this?

You just arrived at work. You say hi to your coworkers, get a fresh cup of coffee, and settle in at your desk. The day is off to a fine start – until you turn on your computer and discover your email is down. Not good.

Remote Assistance Means Less Downtime

At first, you’re calm. You tinker with this and that, maybe reboot your computer – but nothing helps. Finally you ask someone else in your office whether their email is working.

Bad news: It’s not the network. It’s just your computer.

Now, you start to panic. Every minute you’re not on email you feel itchy and jumpy. And you have no idea how to fix it.

If you called a computer techie, it would cost you $100-$300/hour – and you’d have to transport your computer to his office, or wait for him to show up. You don’t have the money, and you certainly don’t have the time.

You’re about to pick up the phone and call the techie – resigning yourself to a couple lost days of work – when you suddenly remember: your website service with CPA Site Solutions comes with free tech support!

Instead of calling a busy and expensive computer repair person, you call CPA Site Solutions for Remote Assistance – and your email is back up before 9:00 a.m.

Hallelujah!

The Convenience of Remote Assistance

Remote Assistance is included with CPA websites hosted by CPA Site Solutions at the Gold or Platinum level. Remote support is when a technician logs into your computer, finds the problem with your email, and fixes it.

You stay in control of your computer the whole time, monitoring every step – yet you never have to schedule and surrender your desk or office to an IT person while they fix the problem. You never even have to leave your chair!

And if something comes up that needs your immediate attention, simply suspend or terminate the session.

Our Experts Are Here to Help

Most email problems stem from a configuration error with Outlook. We’ve seen it all, and we’ve fixed it all.

We also provide support if your Email Marketing System, secure Client Portal, or other website feature doesn’t look quite right. We see exactly what’s on your screen and explain what will fix it. And we fix it while you watch.

You have to grant access for us to get on your screen. We can’t get on without your permission.

Nothing to Buy – Just Enjoy More Efficiency

If you’re a Gold or Platinum client with CPA Site Solutions, and we host your email, there’s no software and nothing to buy. Remote Assistance is included in your “We Do It All For You” service.

If you have a website with us but we don’t host your email, call 800-896-4500 and make the switch. You no longer have to pay for email hosting and you get full support.

Are you a Silver client who wants more efficiency with Remote Assistance? Call 1-800-896-4500 or email support@cpasitesolutions.com to discuss an upgrade for only an additional $20/month.

Why not let us fix your email in a matter of minutes – instead of hours or days? Don’t waste your time and energy on outside computer technicians. Let us reduce your frustration – and increase firm efficiency – with Remote Assistance.

Don't waste your money on a CPA website design.

The best way to get a CPA website design is to get one for free.

But how do you get anything for free these days?

I’m not sure about other products, but to get a free web design, go with Ready-To-Go designs from a service like CPA Site Solutions.

Other services charge up to $2,000 just for the design – and using a local designer could cost you up to $7,000.

Ready-To-Go designs with CPA Site Solutions cost you nothing. They’re included with the price of your service.

Save money, save time – and get the same high quality.

A Lot of Work – and Expense

Tons of Decisions. Have you ever had your house renovated? You know how there are tons of decisions to make about every little thing? “What knobs would you like on these drawers?” “Large tiles or small tiles?” “Which shade of off-white?”

Designing a website is a lot like that.

More Than Having a Good Eye. You might have a strong idea about what you like – but do you know how to get what you like? Design is more than just rubber stamping. You need to be able to communicate your likes and dislikes to your designer and guide her along the way.

You’re Locked In. If you pay a web designer or buy a design from a web development company, the design is static. Once it’s done, each and every adjustment costs money. And sometimes, you can’t just tweak the design. You have to pay for a whole new one, a $2,000 cost.

Ready-To-Go Designs Are an Impressive Value

A Ready-To-Go design is just as professional as a custom-built style.

For the same level of professionalism, you get the site for free, you get it fast, and you get the benefit of our frequent updates.

1. Free. At CPA Site Solutions, your monthly fee includes the price of your design – making the design essentially free.

2. Instant. Ready-To-Go designs are named to reflect how ready they are to go! After you pick one you like, you see it up on the Web in 1 business day. Compare that to the weeks or months it takes a web designer to build you a site from the ground up.

3. Constant Improvements. Our team of designers are constantly updating our site styles. Last year alone, we created 107 new designs. That means that when your site starts to feel out of date – or you’re just ready for a change – you get an upgrade to a current look.

To switch designs, just give us a call and let us know which style you like. It costs nothing to switch designs.

Why You Don’t Need to Worry About Uniqueness

You want your design to be unique so it doesn’t look just like Jim CPA or Bob CPA’s site.

But here’s a secret: your design only needs to be unique in your region.

Don’t worry if your site looks like an accountant’s on the other side of the country or 300 miles south. Your competition is the CPAs within 50 miles of you.

If you want to know whether another accountant in your region has the same design, just ask us. We have that information in our database.

Leverage Your Skill Set

The best way to grow your business is to build on your skills. Your education and experience are in accounting – not web design.

Leave the design to the folks who’ve been doing it for years. Save your efforts for the work that brings in revenue: accounting services.

How Do You Get a Ready-To-Go Design?

When you sign up with CPA Site Solutions, you pick a Ready-To-Go design and see it in action within 1 business day. Try us for free for 60 days.

Already have a website with us? Feel free to pick a new design. It costs nothing to switch. Just give us a call at 1-800-896-4500 or email support@cpasitesolutions.com.

And don’t forget about our referral program. When you successfully refer a colleague to CPA Site Solutions, we give you $100.

Have you paid for web designs in the past? Share your story below.

The easier it is to do business with you, the more business you have.

It sounds simple – and it is, with CPA websites from CPA Site Solutions.

When you have a website with our service, you get Online Appointment Scheduling. This feature means prospective and current clients book appointments right on your website. They don’t need to pick up a phone, call you during business hours, or hammer out a time with your receptionist.

This improvement might seem minor – but clients love it.

It makes it easy to do business with you – which means more client work, and higher profits.

Booking Appointments the Easy Way

Online Appointment Scheduling allows people to view your calendar and request an appointment by filling out a simple form.

Here’s how it works:

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

Your calendar shows your busy times and times you're free.

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

Clients explain why they want to meet in the "Comments" section.

3. Your calendar is updated, immediately reserving that time on your calendar.

4. You receive an email about the appointment request.

5. An appointment reminder is emailed to your client.

6. An appointment reminder is emailed and/or SMS texted to you 30 minutes before the meeting.

Giving Clients What They Want

A certain number of clients avoid the phone. If they have to call you to make a time to meet, they put it off – resulting in less work for you.

They are much more likely to set up an appointment if they can do it right on your website, without having to dial you up.

Even if they don’t mind the phone, all your clients love the convenience of booking an appointment whenever they have the time. If they’re up at 2:00 a.m., worrying about their taxes, they go right to your site to set up a meeting.

Let your clients control their appointment scheduling experience. It increases their comfort and satisfaction.

Give clients what they want, so they give you more business.

Included with Your Website

Online Appointment Scheduling is part of your Workteam Collaboration Suite. You don’t need to do anything to activate it or get it going.

Other companies provide this service as a standalone – but they charge you. Web-appointments charges $9.90/month for online booking;  Ebookaplace charges $22.33/month for its standard service and $111.69/month for its advanced service.

To get started with Online Appointment Scheduling, just let your clients know they can book appointments with you without the phone.

And don’t be surprised when you see an increase in business.

Have you been using Online Appointment Scheduling? What’s the response? Let us know with a comment.

It’s hard to run an accounting firm. You’re responsible for numerous procedures and processes that have to be done just right. Each new staff who comes onboard needs to be trained in those procedures – or the firm starts to suffer.

Accounting websites with CPA Site Solutions can help.

Training is traditionally done through one-on-ones with current staff or through printed manuals. One-on-ones take too much time – time you can’t afford during tax season.

And printed manuals use tons of paper and are cumbersome to revise.

There is a better way. It comes in the form of a wiki.

By decreasing the need for one-on-one trainings and doing away with that office dinosaur, the printed manual, a wiki dramatically increases firm efficiency.

And when you’re more efficient, you focus your efforts on your core business – and increase your bottom line.

What Is a Wiki?

A wiki is composed of pages of online content tied together for a single purpose. It includes documents, pictures, graphs, and other media.

Think of the wiki as an internal company website, or intranet. It can be elaborate, with pictures, colors, and an eye-catching layout…

…or it can be a no-frills document. Either way, it’s a fantastic resource for your staff and a better way to document and share company knowledge.

They’re Easy to Make and Use – Honest!

Here’s how to get started with a wiki:

1. Make sure you have the Workteam Collaboration Suite.

2. Take a look at the help section on creating a wiki.

3. Organize your training into chunks. This makes it easier not only when writing it, but also when new staff are using it for training.

4. Write or empower certain key staff to do updates for you, then review this on a regular basis.

And They Deliver

Your wiki improves your efficiency in a host of ways:

1. Consistent Training. Using a wiki means new staff learn procedures correctly, time and again. You don’t have to worry that different trainers will lead to different results. You save time on redoing the training – and you get the assurance that the training’s done right.

2. Always Current. As your firm adapts to the changing needs of your clients and the marketplace, so does your online training document. It’s so easy to update that it stays fresh and relevant.

3. Long-Term Solution. Create the wiki once, and then just update it. You don’t have to recreate the training every time you get a new staff person.

4. Online Access for Everyone. The wiki lives in the “cloud” – which means anyone with permission accesses it from anywhere.

5. Automatic Backups. A wiki is backed up automatically every minute or so. If you need them, earlier versions of your wiki are available, too. There’s no need to hit “save.” Just focus on writing and the rest is taken care of.

Once you have all of these training documents in place, it’s that much easier to take on new staff and get them up to speed. Even when you are thick into client work and need to hire, you have a tool to leverage new trainings – all without digging into time for client work.

Get Started Right Away

The wiki is included with your website already. You don’t need to sign up for anything else or purchase any extra software. All of what you need is already included with your website at CPA Site Solutions.

If you have any questions about creating and using a wiki, call us at 800-896-4500 or email support@cpasitesolutions.com.

You know one sure way to retain clients?

Show them you care about them.

Accounting websites with CPA Site Solutions allow you to do just that – with no extra time, effort, or expense.

Our Free Offer – QuickBooks Backup

Offer Free QuickBooks Backup to Clients

When you have a website with CPA Site Solutions, you can sign up for online backup of 2 GB of your QuickBooks files.

Now, you can extend this free offer to your clients, too. When they sign up, they receive online backup of 2 GB of their QuickBooks files – or other accounting software – absolutely free for 3 years.

With this free offer, you exceed their expectations for service from an accountant.

Simply put, you demonstrate a level of caring that’s far above average.

This translates into a stronger bond with your clients – and a sure path to higher retention rates.

Online Backup Offers the Best Protection

I’m willing to bet that a majority of your clients do not back up their computer files. Of those who do, many use traditional backup methods, like an external hard drive.

That means by and large, your clients are putting their financial security at risk.

They might have no idea how serious the risk is. But if they lost their accounting files, their lives would be deeply disrupted. It would take lots of time and money to restore their data, if they could at all.

The only way to ensure your data is fully protected is to use online backup. With our offer, your clients get state-of-the-art online backup for their most important files.

Clients Stick with Accountants Who Care

Impress Your Clients with Our Free Offer

Be the service professional who goes above and beyond for your clients by protecting them from this disaster.

Here are all the ways this offer shows your level of caring:

• It saves clients money. Online backup costs up to $99.50/year (IBackup).

• It protects their financial data with the best technology available – preventing the unpleasant fallout from a natural disaster or hard drive crash.

• It gets you in front of their needs, providing a solution to a problem they might not know they had.

It’s unlikely other accountants offer this service. Set yourself apart by caring more than the competition.

And hold on to your precious clients.

It’s easy to do: give us a call at 800-896-4500, or send an email to support@cpasitesolutions.com. We add the “QuickBooks Online Backup” page to your site, clients visit the page and sign up right there – and you do nothing. We take care of the rest.

Do your clients back up their data regularly? Leave a comment below.

Store Tax Documents in the Client Portal

CPA websites with CPA Site Solutions offer an easy way to retain clients when you take one simple step:

Store clients’ tax returns on your website so they can access them anywhere, anytime.

That one action alone spares your clients hours of frustration. You become the hero that saves the day – ensuring a loyalty to your firm that locks in clients.

Online Access to Tax Returns Makes Life Easier

Your client – let’s call him Joe Hernandez – just made an offer on a house. To get a mortgage, the bank requires two years of tax returns.

Joe isn’t well organized. He has no idea where those returns are. After searching for a few days, he finally locates them in a box in the back of his closet. Victory!

Except Joe still needs to photocopy both returns and get them to his bank. Meanwhile, the closing date is coming up fast…

After all this, Joe is annoyed and worn out.

If only Joe understood that his tax returns are available right on your website.

He doesn’t need to file them. He doesn’t need to photocopy them. He never has to search for them again.

The Client Portal Is the Key

It’s easy to store your clients’ tax returns in the Client Portal. Here’s how:

1. In your Site Manager, click on Secure File Exchange. You see four options, one of which is Client Documents.

2. In Client Documents, you find a folder for each client. Upload tax returns here to clients’ respective folders.

3. Clients only need to log in to the Client Portal on your website to access their tax returns.

That’s Not All the Client Portal Can Do…

The Client Portal provides numerous benefits to your clients:

• The Client Portal has 14 layers of security, including encryption on upload and download, and it is backed up daily for full protection.

• All important files – not just tax returns – can be uploaded to your clients’ folders: legal documents, employee data, corporation papers, and financial statements.

• Any size or type of file can be stored in the Client Portal, including large QuickBooks files, Excel spreadsheets, and Word documents.

• When you store these documents on your website, clients have easy access to their critical financial data 24/7/365, at home or on the road.

How Can Clients Walk Away from a Hero?

When you alleviate a source of frustration in your clients’ lives, you’re linked to that relieved feeling in their minds. This breeds a kind of loyalty you can’t put a price on.

Store your clients’ critical data on your website. Play a part in destressing their lives – and lock them in to your firm.

Have you used the Client Portal to store tax documents for your clients? Share your story below.

Online Booking Saves Time

As a service provider, you have to protect your billable hours. Spending time on administrative tasks cuts deeply into that billable work.

Luckily, your CPA website handles one of these admin duties: booking appointments.

Let your website do the work of booking appointments. Your clients will love it: studies show that 67% of customers across all businesses prefer to book online.

That’s good news for you – because the more your clients book online, the more you focus on your core business.

More Interruptions Mean Less Productivity

You’re in the middle of a tax return when the phone rings. The call isn’t life or death; a client just wants to make an appointment. You chat with him, maybe answer a couple accounting questions – and before you know it, you’ve been on the phone for 15 minutes.

Once you hang up, it’s hard to get back on track. You check email, read a few blog posts, make another cup of coffee. Another 15 minutes float by before you get back to the grindstone.

If your hourly rate is $125, then those 30 minutes equal $62.50. Twice-a-day interruptions add up to a whopping $30,000 a year in lost revenue.

And during tax season, it’s not just about the money. For those hectic weeks, you simply can’t afford the time.

Let Your Website Do It

Your website with CPA Site Solutions includes an online booking solution called Online Appointment Scheduling. Here’s what it does for you:

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

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

3. You receive an email about the appointment request.

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

5. An appointment reminder is emailed to your client.

6. An appointment reminder is emailed and/or SMS texted to you 30 minutes before the meeting.

Stay focused on your core business and let the Online Appointment Scheduling do the nonbillable work.

Capture New Clients. When a potential client visits your website, make it easy for them to convert to a client. Let them book an appointment right there on your site – and see that new client in your office as soon as your schedule allows.

Increase Efficiency. By “outsourcing” the bookings to your website, you increase the efficiency of your firm. And when you increase efficiency, you free up time for the paying work – leading to higher profits.

Online Booking Boosts Your Bottom Line

Online booking is becoming increasingly common. If your clients don’t already, they will soon be requesting an online booking option.

You have the option of getting this service as a standalone – but you have to pay. Web-appointments charges $9.90/month for online booking;  Ebookaplace charges $22.33/month for its standard service and $111.69/month for its advanced service.

Online Appointment Scheduling with CPA Site Solutions is included in your service at no extra cost.

Let your website be your admin. Take advantage of Online Appointment Scheduling – and protect those billable hours.