Ten Tools for Tax Document Automation

#10 – Web Conferencing

This is an initiative that is just beginning to emerge as an invaluable weapon in the tax document automation journey. Web conferencing allows you to review documents, as well as software applications, online and in real time with two or more participants from remote locations. If you think about the amount of time and effort that goes into sending or receiving information from a client for review, any opportunity to reduce that can pay big dividends. Web conferencing can be used to coach a client on how to enter data into an online organizer (#1) and to review a draft of a tax return quickly before it is finalized. If you haven't experimented with this easy-to-use and relatively inexpensive tool, I strongly recommend that you do so. The value proposition will become evident very quickly.

These 10 steps to automate your tax documents aren't listed in order of priority, although some of the initiatives are more easily accomplished if others are in place. The key to success with these is to identify your priorities and begin implementing those that will provide the highest return first. It's also not a bad idea to cherry pick a couple of the easier initiatives to give a feeling of success to gain some momentum in your quest for a digital practice model.