Today's Technology for Tomorrow's Firm.
Issue link: https://cpapracticeadvisor.epubxp.com/i/36891
PRACTICE MANAGEMENT Reviews For Your Firm CaseWare International Inc — CaseWare Time 2011 2011 OVERALL RATING BEST FIRM FIT Firms currently using CaseWare Working Papers. STRENGTHS • Integration with CaseWare Working Papers • Scalable & works well for multi- partner and multi-location fi rms • Layout & Windows Explorer-like Document Manager will be familiar to CaseWare Working Papers users 800-267-1317 Thomson Reuters — Practice CS 2011 OVERALL RATING BEST FIRM FIT Firms wanting strong dashboards and Outlook integration, particu- larly those using other T omson Reuters CS Professional Suite applications. STRENGTHS • SaaS version available • Powerful integration with the rest of the CS Professional Suite • Useful dashboards with drill- down capability • Can internally process credit card payments & ACH transactions 800-968-8900 TaskTracker Keeps an Eye on Due Dates ACI TaskTracker is a simple due-date tracking program developed for accounting and tax fi rms, off ering tools for monitoring federal and state compli- ance due dates. While the system is primarily focused on income and franchise tax returns, and includes more than 150 predefi ned reports for those items, it also has features for tracking payroll and other annual information returns, including 940, 941, W-2, W-3 and 1099. TaskTracker also off ers customization options that enable users to track deadlines for accounting purposes, such as write-up, bookkeeping, fi nancial statement 800-749-3554 10 August 2011 • www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com POTENTIAL LIMITATIONS • Users accustomed to a workfl ow- based interface may experience a learning curve to the dashboard- based interface of Practice CS SUMMARY & PRICING Practice CS is a powerful time- keeping, billing and fi rm manage- ment tool that multiplies its eff ectiveness when integrated with the other accounting, tax and POTENTIAL LIMITATIONS • Does not t rack accruable employee benefi ts • No SaaS product available • Limited resources on the prod- uct’s support website SUMMARY & PRICING CaseWare Time is a comprehen- sive practice management system able to handle multi-departmental and multi-location firms. The system is best suited to large professional practices, particularly those using other CaseWare products such as Working Papers because of the similar interface and integration. T e cost is $1,000 for a five timekeeper license, which is annually renewable at 50% of the license value. PRODUCT DELIVERY METHODS: ■ ✔ On-Premises ■ SaaS ■ Hosted by Vendor BASIC SYSTEM FUNCTIONS TIME MANAGEMENT CAPABILITIES INVOICING FUNCTIONS MANAGEMENT FEATURES INTEGRATION & DATA MANAGEMENT HELP/SUPPORT Read the full review of this product exclusively online at www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com/10293687 www.caseware.com • Strongest web support & resources of products reviewed client service programs in the CS Professional Suite. Because of its dashboards, user-friendly inter- face, and integration with Out- look, it also merits consideration as a standalone product. Pricing starts at $1,800 for a five-user license, with the project, client and staff management modules avail- able as add-on features. PRODUCT DELIVERY METHODS: ■ ✔ On-Premises ■ ✔ SaaS ■ ✔ Hosted by Vendor BASIC SYSTEM FUNCTIONS TIME MANAGEMENT CAPABILITIES INVOICING FUNCTIONS MANAGEMENT FEATURES INTEGRATION & DATA MANAGEMENT HELP/SUPPORT Read the full review of this product exclusively online at www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com/10294049 CS.ThomsonReuters.com generation, year-end planning functions and keeping up with IRS notices. Installation is simple, with the ability to import client data from spreadsheet and CSV formats, and smart- entry fi elds that can automatically enter due dates and extension dates. TaskTracker’s interface opens into a traditional workscreen centered on the client selection and overview screen, which uses a spreadsheet view to display summary information and dates, with the ability to fi lter by client, task, workfl ow functions, staff or other criteria. System features are accessed via an intuitive icon toolbar across the top of the screen. Job tracking options allow automatic roll-forward of projects, and simplifi ed job status updates, while additional features enable management of workfl ow, budgets, staff assignments, WIPs, job notes, engage- ment let ers and other tasks, and an audit trail logs all client job history. Data and reports can be exported to Excel. Overall, TaskTracker is an easy-to-use tax- focused due-date monitoring system, with pre-set deadlines for most common federal and state dates. It is available in U.S. and Canadian versions and can be used as a standalone system or networked for multiple users. http://acisystems.net