What’s slowing your firm’s growth?
For many smaller accounting firms, growth isn’t about ambition; it’s about capacity. You know where you want to go, but the day-to-day work keeps you stuck in the weeds.
According to the latest Future Ready Accountant Report, 55% of firms say their top goal is to increase profitability and revenue. But small firms are 11% more likely than average to struggle with retaining staff, and 43% say attracting talent is their top challenge. That’s a big signal: growth isn’t just about getting more clients; it’s about doing more with the team you already have.
If your firm is spending too much time on manual tasks, chasing documents, or managing disconnected systems, it’s time to rethink your tech stack.
Start with strategy
Before you invest in new tools, get clear on what you’re trying to achieve. Set SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely) and align your tech decisions to those goals.
For example, if your goal is to expand advisory services, your tech stack should support deeper client insights, not just faster tax prep. If your goal is to improve client experience, you’ll need tools that make communication seamless and secure. And if your goal is to increase capacity, automation and AI should be front and center.
Six tech stack essentials for small firm growth
Your tech stack has to support all facets of the firm, not just tax prep or bookkeeping. For future-facing firms planning for growth, here’s where to focus your attention, and how AI is reshaping each category.
1. Modern professional tax preparation software with built-in intelligence
Small firms need tech that can handle complex returns without the complex price. Tax preparation solutions that are designed for small accounting firms, like CCH Axcess™ Tax Essentials, use AI to auto-populate returns, flag anomalies, and reduce review time. That means fewer hours on compliance and more time for advisory.
Firms using fully integrated solutions were 55% more likely to report 10%+ revenue growth last year. That’s not a coincidence; it’s the result of smarter workflows and fewer bottlenecks.
Does your current tax software provide the level of automation you need and enable you to take on more complex returns to grow your business?
2. Document management that works like your team does
Clients expect a digital experience, and that extends to how they share documents with their accounting firm. Document management solutions provide secure, cloud-based storage with version control, audit trails, and AI-powered data extraction. These features not only support compliance but also improve collaboration and reduce turnaround times.
3. Trial balance software that streamlines engagements
Is your team still managing trial balances manually or across disconnected spreadsheets? If so, you’re losing time and accuracy. Trial balance and PCR software – like CCH Axcess™ Engagement Essentials – can streamline the entire trial balance process, from data import to final reports.
With built-in automation, real-time collaboration, and cloud access, these tools reduce review cycles and help ensure consistency across engagements. For small firms, this means additional capacity, without hiring more staff.
