Skip to main content

CCH Small Firm Services — Total Kleinrock Office

877-728-9776www.CCHGroup.com/kleinrock

From the Jan. 2009 Review
of Tax Research Systems

Total Kleinrock Office (TKO) provides strong research and guidance functionality
for smaller and mid-sized tax-focused practices. The system was initially independent,
and then offered as a bundle with the ATX line of compliance software, which
was acquired by CCH a couple of years ago. TKO is also available as a stand-alone
system, providing users with a broad collection of resources, including all
primary government tax-related publications, state and international materials,
CCH handbooks, expert analysis, employment law guidance and more than 10,000
state and federal forms. Total Kleinrock Office costs $699 and is available
both online and on CD.

EASE-OF-USE/SEARCH ROUTINE – 4.5 Stars
After logging in through the Kleinrock website, TKO opens to a home page that
offers sections for the Federal Daily Tax Bulletin, Quick Links to research
assistance and client letters, and a navigation menu that houses direct links
to all of the research libraries. The screen also provides text-based hover
menus with links across the top for the TaxExpert Research, Kleinrock Bulletins,
Compliance, Reference and CPE. These same options are located in the My Online
Products menu, which lists more than 20 libraries and reference sources, including
Federal, State and Employment Tax Experts, Daily Tax Bulletins, and primary
source materials.

Primary search functions are accessed by choosing a resource area, such as
the Federal TaxExpert, which then provides the user with a screen that houses
the search features and news from the Daily Tax Bulletin, which seemed a little
cluttered in its presentation. Search functions follow a three-step process
of selecting a library, entering search words or citation, or using advanced
search functions that allow searching for phrases, proximity queries and multi-library
searches. Search result lists are displayed organized by the reference source’s
section. No additional filtering or sorting options are offered. Within a specific
document, TKO highlights the searched for terms, making it simple to see the
pertinent areas, and provides links to other sections related to the topic.
Likewise, when viewing items in the Bulletin, links are provided to code sections,
analysis and source documents.

In addition to the search functions, TKO offers a simple Browse feature that
gives users a linked table of contents for a portfolio or reference book, allowing
them to find information by section, which may be useful to users accustomed
to traditional lookup processes. In general, the TKO interface is very easy
to use and provides good organization of resource materials and search utilities,
although with occasional lack of browser back button usage between some sections.

CONTENT – 4.5 Stars
TKO is one of the most affordable full research systems on the market, but it
is pleasantly comprehensive, providing extensive libraries of primary source
documents, the IRC, Treasury regulations, rulings & procedures, cases, legislation,
analysis, news and Kleinrock’s primary resources, the Federal TaxExpert
(with 25 volumes of analysis and more than 100,000 cases and rulings), the All
States TaxExpert and the Employment Tax-Expert (a resource that helps assess
and minimize risk, calculate payroll taxes, determine taxable income and uses
third-party payroll providers). Other valuable content includes Kleinrock’s
Analysis, Federal Daily Tax Bulletins, Planning & Practice, ZillionForms,
Unlimited W-2/ 1099, the CCH U.S. Master Tax Guide: Kleinrock Edition, and CCH
1040 Express Answers.

CUSTOMIZATION – 3 Stars
TKO offers few customization options through its web-based version, but its
CD version allows saved searches and viewing of search histories. The online
version has the benefit of automatic updates managed by CCH’s Kleinrock
staff.

INTEGRATION/OUTPUT – 3.5 Stars
TKO links directly to the ATX tax system, allowing users to access the CCH Master
Tax Guide and TaxExpert research from specific lines within the tax program.
The research system also offers easy copy-and-paste functions. Unfortunately,
there is no built-in print or ‘save as’ utility, so users rely on
their browser print functions for these processes.

SUPPORT – 4.5 Stars
TKO provides a Research Assistance function with links to support contacts,
research guidance and CD installation processes. The company’s support
website offers mostly contact information and forms. Also available is the Kleinrock
TaxTalk Community, an online message board sys-tem that lets users share best
practices, tips and other information with other professionals. Live and web-based
tech support is included in program pricing.

2009 OVERALL RATING: