Brian O'Connell, President

I like to write blog posts that directly inform or benefit my readers. But today I’m deviating from that just a little to ask you to vote for our CPA websites in The CPA Technology Advisor’s 2011 Readers’ Choice Awards.

The 5th annual survey gathers votes from accounting and tax professionals regarding their favorite programs, services, and online systems. Anyone can complete the survey – CPA Tech Advisor says there are no “major rules” about who can vote – but you only get one vote per computer.

CPA Tech Advisor says they’ll post the results on their website and in their December 2010 issue.

We’re in Three Categories

There are three questions in the survey – which takes about 3 to 5 minutes to complete – that directly relate to what we offer.

• No. 17 – Best Client Portal (we’d be a write-in)
• No. 18 – Best Document Management and Document Storage (we’d be a write-in)
• No. 23 – Best Website Builders for Accounting Firms (we’re a choice in the list)

Why Vote for Us?

I guess, put simply, you should vote for us if you’re a raving fan.

If our secure Client Portal is helpful to you… if you like our Online Document Management system… and if you appreciate our Complete Web Suite loaded with content and your choice of 300 professional designs – then please vote for us.

Even more important to me, though, is that you let us know if you feel you can’t vote for us. If you’re not a raving a fan, we want to know why! And we want the opportunity to change that.

How to Vote

The survey is online and is easy to take: vote here.

You have until November 1, 2010, at 6:00pm EDT.

Thank You!

If you’re a fan of CPA Site Solutions and you vote for us, thank you! We greatly appreciate it.

We’re committed to being the very best provider of CPA websites on the market. If you’re not able to say that you’re a raving fan, please let me know. You can reach me at brian@cpasitesolutions.com. Or call our support staff at 1-800-896-4500, and tell one of our Dedicated Webmasters what we could be doing better. Thanks.

Kathy O'Connell, CPA

A lot of folks do NOT like  Twitter. They don’t understand how to do it or how it benefits their CPA firm.

I think this is a mistake. Twitter might not win you new clients directly – but participating in this microblogging site delivers other valuable benefits.

In fact, it helps you strengthen your network, learn about your clients, and build up your expertise.

If you’re going to dive in to other technology – CPA websites, smartphones, email marketing – then take one more step into Twitter.

The famous Twitter bird.

Twitter Is an Important Marketing Tool

Twitter.com, which began publishing tweets back in 2006, has grown, in that 4-year period, to an estimated 145 million users and 90 million tweets per day.

A lot of people treat Twitter as a social tool, sharing their daily adventures with their friends in the form of 140-character tweets.

But businesses can do a lot with Twitter, too. Twitter 101 explains how companies large and small – from hometown merchants to national brands – can use Twitter to connect with their customers.

And Twitter takes you beyond customers, too. It allows you to talk with partners and other industry players. It helps you build a broad network. It lets you easily keep current with the latest news and trends – learning what folks are saying both within your industry and about your industry.

Any businessperson benefits from this kind of activity. Yes, including accountants.

Accountant Michael Sciortino

One CPA’s Experience

Michael Sciortino, CPA,  has had a Twitter account for a year. When asked why, he explained,

“[Potential clients] don’t go to the phonebook anymore to learn about a business. I wanted to be accessible to anyone who wanted to learn more about my practice.”

Sciortino tweets regularly – about 5 or 6 times a day. He uses the stock content on his website from CPA Site Solutions to create a steady stream of relevant tweets:

“I started tweeting links to articles on topics – retirement, getting married, needing financial advice. . . . As much as I like to write things, there’s only so much time in the day. To have content already there, at your disposal . . . I’d be unwise not to tweet it.”

Sciortino thinks of Twitter as part of his long-term marketing strategy:

“With repetitive posts, you get your face in front of potential clients. They may not use you as a CPA this year, but maybe next year or the year after, something changes and they think ‘Who will I go to?’ and your name’s already in their head.”

Tips on Using Twitter Effectively

An article in WebCPA lists a few tips on how to tweet for your CPA firm. Here are the tips, with my thoughts added:

• Be polite and friendly – but please, don’t share lots of personal details. Treat this as a professional forum and before you tweet about something, consider whether you’d say it at a conference.
• Repost tweets that are especially valuable so your followers can benefit. (This is called “retweeting.”) Retweeting gets more exposure and maybe more followers for the original tweeter, so it can be a real act of kindness and goodwill to retweet.
• Use Twitter to listen to the conversation. You want to hear what people are saying about CPAs, taxes, the finance industry, marketing to clients – everything accounting-related. You can type the regular word into the search bar (“accounting”) or use a hashtag (“#CPA”). To do a quick search without going to Twitter itself, visit search.twitter.com.

Getting Started Is Not As Hard As You Think

To get started with Twitter, all you need is an account – and it takes just a couple minutes to make one.

Go to Twitter.com, hit the gold sign-up button, and then just provide your full name, whatever username you’d like, a password, and your email address. It’s that simple!

Just go to Twitter.com and hit the gold "Sign Up" button.

Search on “CPA” and “accounting” to start listening to the conversation. Follow the big accounting and finance names to start: CPA Trendlines, AICPA News, WebCPA, the Wall Street Journal – and CPA Site Solutions, of course!

If you have any questions about Twitter, call us at 1-800-896-4500, or email us at support@cpasitesolutions.com.

Twitter is truly useful for accountants looking to broaden their network and find their place in the professional community. And best of all – it’s fun!

Brian O'Connell, President

This week, a reader left a comment on our QuickSend blog post. He said he didn’t think we needed to worry about the security of email.

He wrote,

“I know that you say email is not secure, but the chances of your competitors setting up an intercept for your email are so small that it’s kind of silly, especially if you use a reputable mail client (even gmail works) and a browser with encryption.”

In this post, I want to explain why our focus on security for our CPA websites is anything but silly.

In fact, it keeps our clients safe from a security breach that could ruin their practice – as well as saving them from a $100,000 fine.

Defining the Threat

Do you really need to worry that Ed Smith’s firm down the street is going to intercept your email?

Here’s what Bob Rayl, our Chief Technology Officer, said about that question, in reponse to the above comment:

“Our primary goal is to make it as easy as possible for accountants and tax professionals to protect their clients.

“We’re not overly concerned with an accountant’s competitor intercepting e-mails; we’re much more concerned with people who would use sensitive information (social security numbers, account numbers, etc.) for nefarious means — of which there’s been no shortage lately, judging by the disturbingly large (and growing) number of people out there whose machines have been compromised for just such purposes.”

Yes, “intercepting email” sounds like such a remote possibility that it’s not even worth considering. But, in fact, the threat lies in the potential for your computer to be hacked – not by your competitors, necessarily, but by “professional” hackers – for the prized information you have stored in your email attachments.

Why Password Protection Is Not Enough

Bob explains why – unfortunately – protecting your emails with a password falls short of the mark:

“If you’re sending files via e-mail, they can be cracked, even if you’re password protecting the file.

“A large portion of firms out there have been using passwords such as their clients’ social security numbers, zip codes, or a combination of the two. A simple script can ‘brute-force’ the password in a matter of minutes in the case of a 9-digit number such as a social security number. It’s a matter of seconds for smaller passwords such as zip codes.”

Simply put – if a hacker wants the information in an email attachment, he can probably get it.

Federal Regulations Mandate High Security

Even if we decided that we did not need to protect our clients against the possibility of hacking, we would still be obligated to tell them that email is not secure.

Why? Because of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) of 1999. All tax, accounting, and CPA firms, regardless of size, must comply with the GLBA, also known as the Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999.

The GLBA was enacted to protect consumers’ private financial information. It governs the collection and disclosure of clients’ financial information by CPAs, accountants, and tax preparers.

A single violation of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act carries a fine of up to $100,000 for each violation, and key officers may be fined up to $10,000 per violation.

If we don’t protect your data according to the regulations, your firm is in serious jeopardy.

Our Client Portal Keeps You Fully Protected

If email is not an option for transmitting financial information, what can you use to exchange documents with your clients?

Our secure Client Portal.

When you use our Client Portal, your clients’ data is 100% encrypted. This virtually eliminates the legal liability associated with data breaches. In fact, your Client Portal has very detailed Audit Trails that help prove that information hasn’t been leaked.

Furthermore, our Client Portal is proteceted by 14 layers of security. Other Client Portal vendors provide only 5 or 6 layers.

QuickSend and SecureReceive, our time-saving features that allow you and your clients to quickly exchange files without having to click in to the Portal interface, uses the very same highly secure technology.

Using these tools keeps you fully compliant with the regulations and as protected as possible.

We Welcome the Comment

I’m delighted that a reader questioned why our security is so high. I know it’s a topic with a lot of technical details, and explaining it can get a little dry.

But it boils down to this: providing our clients with the highest level of security is paramount at CPA Site Solutions.

If you have any questions about our secure Client Portal, QuickSend, SecureReceive, or anything else, give us a call at 1-800-896-4500, or email support@cpasitesolutions.com.

Some clients won't feel comfortable using the Online Interactive Tax Organizer. We have a solution for them.

The Online Interactive Tax Organizer that comes free with our CPA websites is secure, flexible, and a huge boost to firm efficiency.

But not all your clients are ready to enter their tax information online. They may be resistant to change – or maybe they don’t trust the security of an online program.

Meeting your clients “where they are” is key for client retention. So how can you maintain efficiency while also serving your less tech-savvy clients?

Just suggest they use the PDF version of our tax organizer. They download and print it out directly from your site, so you don’t need to mail a thing.

PDF of Tax Organizer

For clients who just don’t want to use the online version, we provide a PDF of the Tax Organizer.

Clients simply go to your website . . .

To get the to the right page, clients choose "Free Tax Organizer" under "Tax Center."

. . .  click on “Free Tax Organizer” under “Tax Center” . . .

Clients just click "View Tax Organizer" to get the printable PDF.

. . . and click on “View Tax Organizer” in the bottom left to call up the document.

So, instead of urging your skittish clients to use your Online Interactive Tax Organizer, just direct them to this page on your site. All they have to do is click a button.

(They will need Adobe Acrobat to open the PDF. Note that this page on your site includes links to download Acrobat for both a Mac and a PC.)

2010 Tax Questionnaire Now Available

Your printable tax questionnaire is now updated for the 2010 tax year. Clients can now print a copy of the worksheet and begin entering in their information, to bring to a meeting in the office with you.

The Tax Return Questionnaire takes your clients through all the information you need to complete their return.

Serve Your Clients – Efficiently

Just because your clients aren’t ready to use all the time-saving features of your website doesn’t mean you have to say good-bye to efficiency. Our Free Tax Organizer is easy to access and print out – and it saves you time and energy.

Do you have questions about our Online Interactive Tax Organizer or the PDF version of the Tax Organizer? Give us a call at 1-800-896-4500 or email us at support@cpasitesolutions.com.

Be prepared this tax season!

Brian O'Connell, President

Pocket protector, hair parted in the middle, more comfortable with the calculator than people… Does this sound like someone you know?

Unfortunate as it may be, many people think of accountants as boring and nerdy – wallflowers who don’t like to socialize or have fun. But is this accurate?

I’ve worked with accountants for years, building CPA websites – and I think they’re friendly and fun. (In fact, I like them so much, I married one.)

But the general public might not see them this way. Marketers at Kaufman, Rossin & Co. in Miami made a video about just this topic: Are Accountants Social?

Social Media

In the Kaufman & Rossin video, the videographer interviewed average folks she met on the street, getting their impressions of accountants.

At one point, she tells two young women that she’s a marketer for an accounting firm and working with social media. The women are visibly surprised and claim they’ve never heard of that. The videographer responds that accountants now realize they need to embrace online social programs like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

So, join in! Here are the benefits to the Big Three social media sites…

Facebook

Facebook is arguably the best tool for reaching out to prospective clients. You might start with a friend list made up of your actual friends – but from there, it’s easy to friend new folks and expand your circle.

Say you run into a friend at the store. She’s with another friend, and introductions are made. Friend no. 2 learns that you’re a CPA and expresses some interest in hiring you for the upcoming tax season.

When you get home, go onto your friend list on Facebook and see if Friend no. 2 is on Friend no. 1′s friends list. If she is, friend her! This will keep you in her mind and maximize the chance that she will reach out to you when the time comes.

Twitter

The best way to think of Twitter is that it’s a place to connect with others in your industry.

A common type of tweet for professionals is the “tiny URL” that links readers to an article or blog post of interest. Click over to these articles to quickly read about the latest news. And don’t forget to tweet out links to your own blog posts or articles you’ve come across.

You probably won’t find many clients on Twitter, and even if you do, the client connections you make there won’t be as strong as those on Facebook. But Twitter helps you stay current in the field. And that’s ultimately useful for client retention and attraction.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is excellent for networking and recruiting. Your LinkedIn profile allows clients and colleagues to read about your job history and your areas of expertise. You can also connect your Twitter account to LinkedIn, so all your tweets appear to your LinkedIn contacts.

When it comes time to add to your firm, LinkedIn will come in very handy. Use LinkedIn to do period checks of your colleagues’ connections – so that when you need to hire, you already have some folks to call.

Take advantage, too, of LinkedIn’s groups. Join a few local and national accounting and finance groups and contribute to the conversation. These folks can act as advisors and sounding boards for all types of situations your firm runs across.

Leverage Your Socializing with Your CPA Website

Show your clients and other visitors to your website that you’re out there making connections and rubbing elbows. Add Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn widgets to your homepage.

Don’t forget that you can auto-post your blog posts to the Big Three, too!

If you have questions on how to integrate social media into your CPA website, give us a call at 1-800-896-4500 or email support@cpasitesolutions.com.

And please – follow us on Twitter (@cpasitesolution) and “like” us on Facebook!

Provider of CPA Websites Ranks No. 1313 on the 2010 Inc. 5000 with Three-Year Sales Growth of 223%

Winooski, VT – August 26, 2010 - CPA Site Solutions, a provider of CPA websites, was just named to the prestigious Inc. 5000 list, a compendium of the fastest growing private companies in America.

“I’ve wanted to make Inc. Magazine’s list since I was 16 and dreaming of being a successful entrepreneur,” comments Brian O’Connell, President of CPA Site Solutions. “Thirty years later my dream came true – and I owe it all to our fabulous team for making it possible,” O’Connell adds.

CPA Site Solutions was honored as the 1313th fastest growing private company in America, with an extraordinary three-year growth rate of 223%.

“On the heels of an excellent year, CPA Site Solutions is poised for future growth,” continues O’Connell. “Technology and Web-based services are increasingly important in the accounting field. We truly enjoy providing accountants with the fully loaded websites they need to excel in today’s environment.”

An Innovative Company in a Small State

CPA Site Solutions was founded in Winooski, Vermont, in 1999 by Brian and Kathy O’Connell, CPA. It was the first company to be devoted solely to websites for accountants.

The small company with 16 employees was named the 3rd fastest growing company in Vermont.

“We’re very proud to be a leader among small businesses in Vermont,” says O’Connell. “We love this state, and we find it an excellent place to run a successful company while enjoying work-life balance.”

The Inc. 5000 Distinction

The Inc. 5000 list, produced by Inc. Magazine, represents the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economy—America’s independent-minded entrepreneurs. Music website Pandora, convenience store chain 7-Eleven, Brooklyn Brewery, and Radio Flyer – maker of the iconic children’s red wagon – are among the prominent brands featured on this year’s list.

“The leaders of the companies on this year’s Inc. 5000 have figured out how to grow their businesses during the longest recession since the Great Depression,” said Inc. president Bob LaPointe. “The 2010 Inc. 5000 showcases a particularly hardy group of entrepreneurs.”

About CPA Site Solutions

CPA Site Solutions (http://www.cpasitesolutions.com) provides websites for more than 4,000 CPA and Accounting firms. They offer personalized websites, a dedicated webmaster, a secure client portal, a client newsletter, secure email accounts, search engine optimization, and 109 additional website features designed specifically for Accountants.

This demo video gives an overview of CPA Site Solutions’s offerings: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxMz_GwWgX0

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Don't drive away clients with inaccurate tax info!

CPA websites absolutely must include this one feature – or your clients will go elsewhere.

What is it? Updated tax information.

The Danger of Outdated Tax Information

For the majority of your clients – both business and individual – their most urgent need for your services is related to taxes.

Clients must feel secure that you are fully informed on the latest tax laws and regulations.

If they visit your site and can’t find the information they’re looking for, they might cease to trust any of your expertise – even when it doesn’t relate to taxes.

The kicker is, you might be fully aware of the tax changes. But if you don’t post the updated information on your site, your clients won’t know that. They might assume you actually are ignorant – even if nothing is further from the truth.

Our Solution – Four Areas Updated

CPA websites with CPA Site Solutions are always up-to-date with the latest tax news.

Here are the four places on your site where we post tax information:

1. Tax Services. This section of your site, under Services, describes your tax-related offerings. We make sure the three subsections – Tax Preparation, Tax Planning, and Tax Problems – reflect current laws.

Your website has a 3-part section devoted to Tax Services.

2. Financial Guides. Your site contains 3,000 pages of articles about financial issues. Two of these sections are especially relevant to tax news: Tax Strategies for Business Owners and Tax Strategies for Individuals. These are updated for you regularly.

Two of your Financial Guides are solely about taxes for business and individuals.

3. Financial Calculators. You get 58 interactive financial calculators in the Resources section of your site with CPA Site Solutions. Your clients can trust that these are programmed with the most recent version of the tax code.

Your 58 financial calculators reflect the latest changes to the tax code.

4. Monthly Client Newsletter. Finally, in each Monthly Client Newsletter you get articles and tax tips about recent tax updates. For example, the August 2010 newsletter ran a piece titled “Homebuyer Credit Closing Deadline Extended,” which discussed the closing extension from June 30, 2010, to September 30, 2010.

Your Monthly Client Newsletter keeps your clients up-to-date with articles about the newest tax information.

Updated 2 to 4 Times/Year

Your website is updated 2 to 4 times a year with the latest tax information.

That’s several hours every quarter or two that you don’t need to worry about gathering the latest tax news from http://www.irs.gov or other sources of information.

We take care of it for you. Kathy O’Connell, CPA, one of the company’s cofounders, makes sure your site is fully updated.

That means you stay totally assured that when your clients visit your site, they’re getting the professional image of you that you deserve.

Keep Your Valued Clients

Sign up for a Complete Web Suite with CPA Site Solutions today. You get 60 days to evaluate your site’s effectiveness – such as the tax information that’s regularly updated.

If you already have a site with us but have questions about the tax-related content, give us a call at 1-800-896-4500, or email us at support@cpasitesolutions.com. Or leave a message below!

Consider having a "business breakfast" with your clients a couple times a year.

Do you want to know the best marketing trick for accountants?

Well, okay, it’s actually not a trick. It takes time, attention, and effort.

But it’s the number one way to retain your clients.

Be a real person, and get to know your clients as real people.

Perform this “trick” on a regular basis and your clients will find it very difficult to leave.

Don’t Sell. Build.

Rather than selling to your clients and potential clients – get to know your clients.

What do they do for work, and how do they like doing it? What’s their family structure? What are their hopes for the future?

Likewise, let them in a little. It doesn’t mean you should be unprofessional – but find common ground with your clients.

This is very powerful and leads to an actual relationship – not just one person delivering a service to another.

Even More Important for CPAs

Certainly all service-based professionals should focus on building relationships with clients. But it’s especially important for CPAs.

Despite the accounting scandals of the last two years, accountants – especially small to medium-sized firms – are one of the the public’s most trusted professionals.

This means your clients are already receptive to you on a more personal level. Use this trust as a starting point.

Strong Relationships Lead to Cross-Selling

Of course, you would never refer to it as “cross-selling” with your clients. But the truth is, if you know your clients well, you have the leverage to offer them your full range of services.

Our CPA websites are an excellent way to meet all your clients’ needs:

• Your clients receive a Monthly Client Newsletter stuffed with tax tips, helpful articles, and even QuickBooks information. The articles remind your clients to get in touch with you for further details – thus driving more business back to your firm.

• Your Online Accounting services help you manage your clients’ books while keeping their data fully backed up and protected.

• 56 Interactive Financial Calculators allow your clients to make sense of their finances – including the gaps, where they might need more assistance from you.

• When you add the Online Payroll feature to your site, you show your business clients how you can safely and cost-effectively meet their payroll needs.

• A 10-page Tax Resource Center – including an Online Tax Organizer – allows clients to work on their taxes 24/7. This effectively tethers them to you and your offerings.

Don’t forget that your site includes 35 pages of details on the services you offer. Once you have a strong relationship in place, and you’ve identified a need of one of your clients, you can professionally “soft-sell” your services.

Start Building Relationships Today

If you have a website with CPA Site Solutions, you’re on your way to building strong client bonds. Consider adding the Online Accounting or Online Payroll modules to your site. And use your website as a meeting ground with clients – a place to connect and establish trust.

If you’re an accountant who needs a website – or thinks your current website could be improved – give us a call at 1-800-896-4500, or email us at support@cpasitesolutions.com. You get the first 60 days free!

What methods have you found to be most effective in building strong client relationships? Share your suggestions in the space below, or tweet us at @cpasitesolution.

Allison Lazarz, Webmaster

I recently learned firsthand why excellent customer service is so important, not just for providers of CPA websites, but for all businesses.

Last weekend I called 3 different venues that I’d like to consider for my wedding reception.  I left messages for someone at all three places on Saturday.

Unbelievably, I never actually received a return phone call from any of them.

I made a follow-up call to one of the locations because it’s of high interest to me, and the event coordinator said she’d written my number down wrong and that’s why she didn’t get back to me.  (I’m quite certain I didn’t give her the wrong phone number, so maybe she could have been a bit more diligent!)

A Bad Taste in My Mouth

I don’t tell this as a sob story, for I do have a reception location lined up and am currently just looking at alternatives before I sign a contract.

I tell this story because I can’t believe how unconcerned these places are with someone who’s willing to give them thousands of dollars.

It reminds me of our website signups.  Folks who sign up online are eager to do business with us.  And we try very hard to get back to them within hours.

After all, our clients went to the trouble of visiting our website and filling out the contact form. It’s just plain rude to ignore them. And it’s definitely not good business.

A timely return phone call starts off your relationship on the right foot.

Call Back Every Prospect

What if accountants treated all prospective clients as though they were brides looking for a place to have their wedding?

Please – don’t keep them waiting! Call them back within 24 hours to show them you care about their business.

From the very beginning of your relationship with them, show them how honored you are that they’re considering giving you their hard-earned money.

Judging by the lack of attention I got when I called those 3 vendors over the weekend, not all businesses do this.

Surprisingly, simply making a return phone call in a timely manner is an effective way to stand apart from your competitors.

Leverage Your Website

Of course, your website is a great starting point. It clearly displays your contact information so that potential clients know exactly how to get in touch with you.

It also contains sign-up forms, which makes it easy for folks who would rather make contact online.

And our Online Appointment Scheduling helps establish a client bond from the very first point of contact.

Do you need a website to help you make a great first impression with prospective clients? Our Complete Web Suites are reasonably priced and you get 60 days free with no obligation. Sign up here.

Have you ever experienced poor customer service? How did it make you feel? Share your story below.

Using Outlook for your email is like using carrier pigeons instead of a cell phone.

It’s 4:30 – and you want your husband to buy some wine for dinner. You write “Pick up wine” on a piece of paper, roll it up, attach it to one of your pigeons, and send him flying out the window toward home. There.

It sounds ridiculous – but if you use Microsoft Outlook to check your email, you might as well communicate with your spouse through carrier pigeon.

Yes – it’s that out of date.

Let me show you how to easily save 10 hours of productivity per month by simply switching from Outlook to the email that comes free with our CPA websites.

Problems with Outlook

In the computer timeline, Outlook is very old. The technology is outdated; the program simply wasn’t built to accommodate a high volume of messages and the size of today’s email attachments.

Here are some problems you might have with Outlook that drain your productivity:

• Your messages pile up - you try to spend time organizing them into folders but you’re always behind. (est. time lost – 1 hr/wk)

•  The search function is slow and cumbersome – and the results are often so bloated that you still waste time sifting through messages. (est. time lost – .5 hr/wk)

• Your Outlook calendar doesn’t sync with the calendar in our Workteam Collaboration Suite – leading to missed meetings and time-consuming meeting check-ins. (est. time lost – .5 hr/wk)

• You can’t view appointments on your calendar with your iPhone or other mobile device. (est. time lost – .5 hr/wk)

• You get “Cannot Connect to Server” and other error messages. These come from problems configuring Outlook and they hinder sending and receiving emails. (est. time lost – .5 hr/mo)

• You struggle with initial setup and reconfiguration challenges. If you’re not a techie, making sure your settings are correct and updated is frustrating and time-consuming. (est. time lost – 1 hr/mo)

Our Solution

CPA websites with CPA Site Solutions include – at no extra cost – a much more robust email service with our Workteam Collaboration Suite.

Here’s how our email solution saves you time, money, and frustration:

Less Expensive. If you use Outlook, you’re most likely paying for IT support, Exchange hosting, or email accounts through GoDaddy or another domain registrar.

In contrast, our email is absolutely free. It also comes with 50 email addresses, so everyone in your firm gets their own address. We support your email so you say good-bye to your IT guy (at least for email).

Easier. Your inbox looks the same no matter where you access it – and you can do so from any computer or mobile device with an Internet connection. Plus, the outstanding search feature allows you to quickly find any email in seconds. Much better than sorting in Outlook.

And because the software is all online – “in the cloud” – you don’t wrestle with installing software or keeping track of updates.

Saves Time. Our email solution saves time, too, with keyboard shortcuts. These allow you to compose, answer, and organize your email without ever having to take your hands off the keyboard.

Furthermore, our email groups emails into conversations. Instead of getting a new email each time someone replies to a message, all replies are displayed with the original thread. This cuts way down on the number of messages to wade through in your inbox.

Safer. Our email is backed up on fully redundant servers. If a virus infects your computer – if a hurricane strikes your office – if any disaster compromises your computer – your email remains perfectly secure.

More Efficient. Our email service is fully integrated with our Workteam Collaboration Suite – giving you the full functionality of these cutting-edge tools:

• shared calendars

• team wiki

• task manager

• shared documents

• shared spreadsheets

• instant messaging (IM)

Check out our videos on the benefits of our email and shared calendars and IM and shared documents.

If you haven’t yet taken advantage of all the features of our Workteam Collaboration Suite, I urge you to give them a try.

You have nothing to lose but wasted time!

Try a Better Way Today

Are you a CPA or accountant who needs a website? Sign up for a Complete Web Suite and get a free 60 days.

If you’re a CPA Site Solutions client who uses Outlook, consider switching over to our easier, faster, and safer email service. Give us a call at 1-800-896-4500 or email us at support@cpasitesolutions.com.

What do you think about Outlook? Does it frustrate you, or does it work for your firm? Share your experiences below.