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.

Any CPA website hosted by CPA Site Solutions automatically has the benefit of email, online documents and more via the Workteam Collaboration Suite. Email integration is easy enough however using online documents, part of a paperless office solution, is sometimes a longer process. The integration of online documents within Microsoft Office through Officesync is easy. It also makes your accounting firm efficient and is one more step towards a paperless office.

Integration. A quick free download gives you access to your Google docs via Microsoft Office 2003 or 2007. The free version gives you the ability to collaborate using Office and Google Docs. There is a premium version that allows collaboration via Google Sites that could be worth it.

How It Works. Officesync shows up directly within your Microsoft Office software. Right below the Save As button you should see an Officesync option. From here everyone in your accounting firm has the option to open, create, or share an online document.

The Benefits. If your accounting firm collaborates on documents between team members, then you have the benefit of instant updates. This shortens the time it takes to work on a project between accounting firm team members. All team members have instant access to any and all updates that have been made to a document, while never leaving Microsoft Office.

Most accounting firm’s are used to using Microsoft Office. Having Officesync means no one in your accounting firm has to learn much more. Accounting members do get the benefits of Google docs within their existing workflow. These benefits include being able to share documents online, access a document from any browser, and team collaboration.

More and more accounting firms are recognizing the benefits of a paperless office in terms of efficiency. Since Officesync integrates with Microsoft Office, there is little or no learning curve.

Do you already use Google Docs within your accounting firm? How has it helped your accounting firm get things done? Comment below.

Having a CPA website is an important step in making sure your CPA firm is seen by more people. Getting the attention of potential clients is an ongoing process that has to be balanced with keeping existing clients. Screen sharing with Unyte Share makes keeping this balance that much easier.

Screen Sharing. Screen sharing is when you invite another person to view – on their computer screen – what you are doing on your own computer. The power of screen sharing lies in being able to give a client a quick walk through of how to accomplish a task.

The Process. Very simple. Sign up for a free account from Unyte Share. Download their free software. Send a link to your client via email or instant message. The client clicks on the link and your computer screen shows in a new browser window.

Screen Sharing

The beauty of this screen sharing service is that the client doesn’t have to download or install anything. There is no account the client has to set up. This saves time and potential confusion, and it prevents client reluctance.

The Possibilities are endless for both existing and potential clients. Each group has their own questions to get answered. The less time it takes to get the answers, the better they feel about your CPA firm.

Potential Clients. Normally a free consultation would mean setting up a face-to-face appointment. Share your computer screen instead and give a personal walk through of your CPA firm’s services.

This way your potential client sees what your firm has to offer through screen sharing. In addition they also see first hand how you could support them from just about anywhere.

Existing Clients. Rather than attempting to explain a complicated process to a client over the phone, you show them with screen sharing. Examples include how to fill out an Online Tax Organizer, log in to a Secure File Exchange system, or look at investment stats.

Anytime a process is made easier, your CPA firm benefits. Unyte Share makes screen sharing easy. There is no downloading or asking the client to set up yet another online account. Best of all, it is free!

Do you already use a screen sharing service? How has the process been working out for you? Share with comments below.

Note: CPA Site Solutions is not an affiliate of Unyte Share. This is one of many online tools that make sense for busy accountants.

Zoho has a lot of different online tools that can be freely and easily used by any CPA. Covered in a previous post was a free project management tool. Here is a break down of another great tool Zoho Show and how it could be used to enhance your accounting firm’s website.

Zoho Share

Free Sign-up. You can sign up for Zoho Show free and it only takes a moment. The service is in beta and they could start charging at any time although it seems there should always be a free service.

Presentations Easier Than Video. Capturing new clients with a presentation on your CPA website can be a lot easier than a video while still offering similar features. Rather than making the client read through a lot of what you offer, you can present key, critical features in a online presentation.

Create or Import. Do you already have a presentation created for your accounting website? No problem you can import it. You can also create a new presentation quite easily using all of their online tools.

Embed on Website. When you are done there is even code generated for you so you can place the presentation on your CPA website. Once you get the code you can email that to support@cpasitesolutions.com with where it should go on your CPA website.

Remote Presentation. You can even use it for seminars for your accounting website. The system allows you to send the presentation directly to any email addresses.

Online presentations can be another way to attract potential clients to what services your CPA firm offers. These presentations can be easier to implement than video on your accounting website yet can have a similar benefit.

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