It’s Saturday morning, and you’re on the sidelines of your kid’s soccer game when a client calls with an emergency.
You’re visiting a client in the field and need to access their return from last year.
Or, surprise, you suddenly need to work from home because of a global pandemic.
In each of these situations, a cloud-based document management system can prove to be an essential part of your firm’s tech stack. The anywhere, anytime access such a system provides doesn’t just allow your staff more flexibility; it creates a more accurate, consistent product and facilitates a better client experience.
The rise of affordable tools make data available to everyone
Whether your goal is to grow by adding new services, retaining 100% of your current clients, or simply finding ways to help yourself and your staff practice better work-life balance, the right document management system is a valuable tool to help you get there.
Most small tax and accounting firms have already made the investment in a tech stack that includes a document management solution. The ideal solution for maximum accessibility is a fully cloud-based storage system. If that isn’t an option for your firm, consider a hybrid approach, where you host files on-premise or on remote, third-party servers that support VPN access.
You can’t beat the benefits
Document management systems offer many benefits, including:
- Fewer errors. Systems that include version control and audit trails mean no confusion about who’s worked on what and where the latest documents live. That helps reduce mistakes made when people aren’t working in the most up-to-date version. In addition, systems with automated retention rules help maintain compliance without extra work.
- Fewer headaches. When your document management system is fully integrated with the rest of your digital tax workflow tech stack and has add-on APIs, your workflow will be more seamless. Staff won’t have to use cumbersome workarounds to get your solutions to play nicely together.
- Fewer file folders. The right system can manage whatever documents come through your door—or online client collaboration tool—and integrate them into a paperless workflow process.
- More productivity and profitability. When every document is in one central, well-organized, and easily accessible system, your staff has to spend less time looking for the correct document. The result? Efficiency and billable hours go up, and frustration levels go down.
- More satisfied clients. Integrate your customer service tools with your document management system to answer client questions and fulfill requests faster and easier.
- More satisfied staff. When employees aren’t tied to a physical address to access firm and client files, they have the flexibility to give their all at work and home.
