October 2011

800-507-1992 www.realtaxtools.com W2 Mate, which is offered by Real Business Solutions, is a multi-employer year-end form preparation and filing system with support for forms W-2s, and most common forms 1099 and 1098, as well as transmittal forms W-3 and 1096. The program, which can be installed on workstations or networked servers, can be used either […]

www.cpasitesolutions.com Although CPA Site Solutions’ Complete Web Site service may not have the same name recognition as some software providers who offer web building solutions, it is certainly a worthy option for accountants who want just what the name implies — a complete solution. Since premiering in January 1999, Complete Web Site is now in […]

800-375-9542 www.ATXinc.com  www.TaxWise.com    2011 Overall Rating 4.5 Best Fit Small and mid-sized tax and accounting practices seeking to broaden their client services by offering year-end compliance, particularly those using solutions from CCH Small Firm Services for tax preparation and write-up. Strengths Integration with professional tax package. Strong federal & state support, including e-filing. Library […]

CS.ThomsonReuters.com   Best Fit The system can be used by any firm, but it’s optimized for use by professional practices using the CS Professional Suite of accounting and practice management programs.   Strengths Client portals enable secure collaboration and document sharing Integration with CS Professional Suite Professional layouts, images and background colors Support for unique […]

websites.intuit.com    Best Fit Virtually any small business, including tax and accounting practices, wanting a simple and automated website creation system.   Strengths Easy to add Intuit Web Payment service for ecommerce activities Good search engine optimization tools Includes email marketing features and an online small business marketing toolkit Broad collection of template designs Customized […]

www.emochila.com Best Fit Tax and accounting firms who want a truly customized website backed by a vendor who has heavily invested in updating its products over the past nine months. Strengths Not limited to template-based or out-of-the-box header, button, content field designs and layouts. Unlimited pages. SEO optimized with embedded search engine submission system and […]

www.1040.com   Best Fit Drake’s 1040.com preparer websites are exclusively for Drake Software users. and have gone through a full modification in layout, look, color scheme, enhanced ease of use and full edit capabilities. Strengths Free for Drake Software users. Unlimited pages. Built-in counter for measuring site traffic. Reporting tools allow users to monitor visits, […]

CCHGroup.com/SiteBuilder Best Fit CCH Site Builder originated in 1997, making it one of the longer-established players in the website builders market. Site Builder is part of the ProSystem fx suite of applications and is an ideal fit for firms who use other components of the ProSystem fx product suite. Strengths Recent updates include redesigns, additional […]

www.afsb.net   Best Fit AFSB has a strong retention rate with tax and accounting firms looking to establish a professional web presence at a low cost. Strengths Unlimited site pages. Integration with Google Analytics. Unique domain names included. Includes up to 20 free email accounts. Firms may add services, including payroll and online tax prep. […]

Many tax and accounting professionals struggle to find the best way to leverage limited marketing resources to effectively position their firm in the marketplace. And the advent of social media, online networking and other digital strategies has expanded the field of marketing activities for firms even further. For many firms, this adds to the confusion […]

Sage Business Intelligence, powered by Alchemex, is a solution that provides drag-and-drop reporting for Sage Peachtree, Sage Simply Accounting, Sage ERP MAS 90, Sage ERP MAS 200, Sage ERP MAS 500, and Sage ERP ACCPAC (This tool was first discussed in the April/May 2011 issue). In the months since its launch, Sage’s strategy for supporting […]

www.accountantsworld.com/wr   Best Fit Tax and accounting firms who want tight integration with the vendor’s web-based product suite.   Strengths Expanded and improved library of customizable templates provides unlimited combinations. Users have direct access with tight integration to all AccountantsWorld cloud applications Syndicated news content, including stock and custom RSS feeds, and AW-supplied newsletters are […]

www.cpasites.com   Best Fit If you want a custom website, then CPAsites.com could be your go-to solution. Founded in 1997, CPAsites.com prides itself on being owned and managed by CPAs. The primary differential is its focus on designing custom sites for client firms. Strengths All sites are custom sites with no minimum/maximum page counts. Clients […]

http://websites.buildyourfirm.com   Best Fit  Build Your Firm intentionally focuses on the small firm as its primary customer. Strengths Over 95 modifiable templates available. Customization services offered. Variety of free add-ons such as file transfer, logo integration, credit card processing, e-commerce, spam filtering, portals, etc.) Provides statistics for site tracking; also integrates with Google Analytics and […]

10 Tools for Building a Better Website

361-884-1500 www.wagefiling.com Small businesses are often the ones least prepared for the challenges of tax season, especially when they find out that it actually starts in January with preparation of last year’s W-2s and 1099s. With good financial management and advice from a great accountant, they can be better prepared. But if they only have […]

7 Things to Consider for Year-End Reporting

800-264-3155 www.W21099.com    2011 Overall Rating 4.75 Best Fit Professional practices with large client rosters for whom they provide year-end reporting. Strengths Excellent multi-client management functionality. Comprehensive state, federal & local form support. Multiple batch filing & printing options. Good integration capabilities. Barcoding of W-2s & SSN masking. Automated, free web-based data backup. Potential Limitations […]

800-888-5803 www.tenenz   2011 Overall Rating 4.25 Best Fit Small practices managing year-end compliance processes for multiple small businesses. Strengths Easy interface & data entry. Free e-filing. Good forms support. Inexpensive. Potential Limitations Limited import options & does not export. No built-in invoicing functionality. Minimal online support, but live support is free.   Summary & […]

800-536-1099 www.1099-etc.com    2011 Overall Rating 4.5 Best Fit Accounting practices performing after-the-fact payroll, quarterly and year-end information reporting for multiple clients. Strengths Excellent interface, client management screens. Extensive federal, state & local forms library along with e-filing. Option for outsourcing printing & mailing of all recipient copies. Imports from outside accounting & other programs […]

888-IDMS-inc (436-7462) www.IDMSinc.com    2011 Overall Rating 4.5 Best Fit Professionals with multiple mid- to large-sized clients managing year-end compliance and ATF payroll for multiple entities. Strengths Multiple data-entry views, management dashboards. Good managerial reporting options, output formats. Print & mail outsourced service. Strong Help utility & assistive features. Built-in document management with secure emailing. […]

866-440-5471 www.SpokaneComputer.com    2011 Overall Rating 4.25 Best Fit Practices seeking a simple system for managing multiple clients, with support for all federal and state year-end compliance requirements. Strengths Intuitive interface, client management screens. Import from Microsoft Excel, QuickBooks, Sage Peachtree & text files. Multiple file output options. Print/mail service bureau option. Potential Limitations No […]

866-999-1366 www.AccountantsWorld.com    2011 Overall Rating 4.75 Best Fit Firms managing year-end compliance and ATF payroll for multiple entities. Strengths Strong multi-client views, dashboards. Web-based system provides remote access. Integration with larger web-based suite. Comprehensive forms support. Electronic filing of federal and state quarterly forms, W-2 and 1099   Potential Limitations No built-in invoicing functionality, […]

805-504-1366 www.magtax.com   2011 Overall Rating 4.75 Best Fit Firms managing year-end compliance for multiple businesses, with built-in electronic filing for federal and supported states. Strengths Comprehensive forms, reporting capabilities. Output to various file formats. Excellent QuickBooks integration. Strong Help utility/assistive features. Potential Limitations No built-in invoicing functionality. Does not provide 940-series forms.   Summary […]

480-460-9311 www.1099fire.com   2011 Overall Rating 4 Best Fit Small and mid-sized businesses; for in-house use, although it does support multiple EINs. Strengths Multiple options for print, e-filing, various forms. Good multi-staff access capabilities. Outsourced print/mail service option. Potential Limitations Basic multi-client management utilities. Limited built-in help functionality.   Summary & Pricing The 1099 Fire […]

Over the last several months, I’ve had the opportunity to get out on the road and attend several tradeshows and conferences for the tax and accounting profession. This has allowed me to talk to a lot of practitioners, and I’ve been hearing the same thing from many of you: The role of tax and accounting professionals is changing. And as with most things in this life, as the landscape changes you must be ready to adapt to the changes if you want to survive and thrive.

888-746-0440 www.FormMagic.com    2011 Overall Rating 4.5 Best Fit Accounting firms with large client bases, with varied import/integration needs. Strengths Strong multi-client management tools. Multi-user level security. Multiple data entry options. Built-in diagnostics. Potential Limitations Limited local forms. Lacks client billing/invoicing center. Summary & Pricing Tax-Mate provides a comprehensive 1099 and W-2 solution, with strong […]

Time is Money: 9 Products to Help Improve Your Revenue Stream

877-4-TENROX www.tenrox.com   2011 Overall Rating 5 Best Firm Fit Medium-sized and large firms. Strengths Interface & many aspects of the program are very customizable. Great user & project management capabilities. Best management dashboards among products reviewed. Tracks accrued vacation & sick days. Integration with many accounting & payroll products, the most comprehensive among products […]

888-877-2231 www.tpssoftware.com   2011 Overall Rating 4.5 Best Firm Fit Small and mid-size firms using Microsoft Office. Strengths Most complete integration with Microsoft Office among products reviewed, allowing for maximum customization of invoices & reports. Unique to the other products reviewed, the time entry screen includes a graphical timeline showing how a day’s time was […]

800-285-0999 www.sagetimeslips.com   2011 Overall Rating 4.75 Best Firm Fit Small and mid-sized firms. Strengths Timeslips eCenter allows users to enter time & expenses remotely. Timeslips Today dashboard view provides helpful information & is customizable. Integration with accounting software, including Sage Peachtree and QuickBooks. Potential Limitations Does not support HR tracking, such as personal time […]

888-999-1366 www.accountantsworld.com    2011 Overall Rating 4.25 Best Firm Fit Small firms using the AccountantsWorld Power Practice System. Strengths Intuitive, easy to set up & begin using. Integration with other products in the AccountantsWorld suite. E-mail broadcast for client communications, with tools to group clients for e-mails & track which e-mails were sent to clients. […]

877-245-5484 www.Bill4Time.com   2011 Overall Rating 4.5 Best Firm Fit Small and mid-sized firms wanting to do all time and billing in the cloud. Strengths Many options for capturing time, including a desktop widget & mobile apps. Easy integration with PayPal for collecting online payments. Scheduling integration with Outlook, Google Calendar & iCal. Billing rate […]

855-687-1024 www.BillQuick.com   2011 Overall Rating 5 Best Firm Fit Small and mid-sized firms. Strengths Feature-rich SaaS version available, which can synchronize automatically with the desktop product. Native iPhone & Android apps. Free Lite version available. Tracks personal time off hours & approvals. The most extensive integration options with accounting software among products reviewed. Strong […]

877-520-1525 www.imaginetime.com   2011 Overall Rating 4.25 Best Firm Fit Small firms, especially those taking advantage of the tax software integration available. Strengths Ribbon interface similar to Microsoft Office. Integration with tax software & QuickBooks. Synchronization with Outlook, including viewing staff calendars side-by-side. Potential Limitations No SaaS version. Summary & Pricing ImagineTime is a time […]

888-340-6425 www.Chrometa.com   2011 Overall Rating 4.5   Best Firm Fit Small firms with simple billing needs, or firms of any size for timekeeping. Strengths Innovative system for automatically tracking time. Integration with several accounting programs and other billing programs. SaaS software that can aggregate time from multiple PCs. Potential Limitations Limited invoicing capabilities. Works […]

888-849-8059 www.abaksoftware.com   2011 Overall Rating 4   Best Firm Fit Small and mid-sized accounting firms, especially those integrating with certain accounting software (Sage Simply Accounting, Sage Accpac ERP, Avantage and Acomba). Strengths Three-level approval system for time & expenses. Web-based interface for a few of the program’s functions. Potential Limitations Help file is difficult […]

Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is a collection of tactics that are applied to your website to help it rank better in the results when people use searches to find people and businesses they need. SEO, as an industry, literally changes every day. Search engines, like Google, constantly tweak how they rank and present search findings. These very sophisticated algorithms (mathematical formulas that rank websites) are revised about 500 times per year.

Accountants and accounting firms have long suffered from the false stereotype of being stodgy, even predictable and boring. Even more so, the auditor: that truly numbers-focused researcher of data whose sole purpose is to determine the propriety of an organization’s financial reporting and their internal controls over financial reporting. Perhaps only actuaries are more maligned in their public perception.

As the regular readers of this column know, I like to reference rock’n’roll from the 70s. This time, as I sit down to write my column about listening to your customers, one of my favorite songs from the Wings comes to mind.

Most of us have built our businesses based on relationships. Some have built a reputation around a specific expertise. Others have built a business based on service levels. All of these strategies are still extremely important, but an increasingly important factor in the last 15 years is being found on the web. Many of us are not trying to build a national business, but as new, younger clients look for services, they are often turning online. Potential clients with more specific needs are also using Internet search to find new sources of expertise.

For firms new to marketing, it’s best to take it one day (and project) at a time Marketing is starting to get its due attention in the profession. Firm leaders understand the importance of consistent, frequent communications with prospects and clients in order to grow a successful, profitable business. However, while many are stoked about […]

In Daniel Pink’s popular book, “A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future,” he discusses the seismic shift in thinking and service from the left-brained logical thinkers to the right-brained non-linear holistic thinkers. The first group thinks in order, the latter thinks outside of the box. This book is really an eye-opener and […]

Abandoning old biases, Manning transformed payroll from a hassle into a hellavalota opportunity and future profit. For years, Sean Manning, CPA and president of Manning & Company, PC, held fast to the notion that payroll was more of a pain than a profit-surging service. And he wasn’t alone — most practitioners felt the same way … and still do.

With all the talk surrounding portals these days, sometimes we can forget about the importance of real-life, one-on-one face time with our clients. Portals and digital processes have certainly propelled firms in terms of efficiency — there’s no denying the necessity of technology. But in the same breath, I ask you, “Are we losing touch […]

When we first started writing about web-based programs about 10 years ago, the focus frequently centered on how the concept could benefit modern practices. Key among the benefits was anywhere/anytime access to client and firm data and the enhanced security of data stored in online systems.