CPA Practice Advisor

OCT 2014

Today's Technology for Tomorrow's Firm.

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18 October 2014 • www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com FEATURE Somet i mes, however, I t h i n k I upgraded a litle too quick ly. Time and time again, I found myself on the short-end of a new program, frus- trated because something didn't work quite right. Of course, I want to ask Microsof and Apple why in the heck they would even consider releasing new sofware that wasn't really ready, but that's a rhetorical question. If they waited to work out all the bugs, nothing would ever get released. Recently, on a still-warm evening in Dallas, I watched … and waited … with keen anticipation for the release of Apple's new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Earlier in the week, I had seen the news reports on the new phones, as well as the new Apple watch. How- ever, while I was waiting for the new release, I also knew one thing with 100% certainty: I would not order the new phone. In fact, I know I won't order it for at least another 6 months. I used to t h i n k it was a good thing to be an early adopter – and I usually admire accountants who tell me they, too, were early adopters. Yet, I also know the kinds of questions to ask them about technology, systems and processes, so I ofen assess their levels of risk; afer all, if they were early adopters, it correlates that they were able to face a certain level of risk to feel con f ident that any system changes wouldn't keep them from doing their work. A lmost always, frms who consid- ered themselves on the cuting e d g e o f t e c h n o l o g y r e a l l y weren't as sav v y as they thought they were. Sure, a frm would be very proud of the fact that it had an o p t i c a l s c a n n e r, b u t t he n I a s k something like, "so you've been able to do away with your fle cabinets, right?" Wrong. I'm not knocking those who say they were early adopters; what I'd rather have happen, instead, is for firms to admit to embracing tech- nology, but doing so as a means to an end. In other words, what is the end goal to buying a scanner, fnding an app for electronic signatures or even storing information in the cloud? Firms aren't all to blame; I say some of the fault is with the sofware companies who want to become frst to market with anything they think will outperform the competition. Just recently, I engaged an accountant to write a review of several point of sale apps. She was very excited about the assignment and I had no doubt she could probably write it in her sleep. A fer a week or so, she called me to a sk me my opi n ion about t he article. Turns out the primar y app she wa nted to w r ite about d id n't have t he cor rect f unct iona l it y in place to per for m a prett y cr ucia l task. W hen she talked to the sof- ware prov ider about the problem, their response was that they knew about the issue and should have an update available in a few months. Now, i f I were a n ac c ou nt a nt shopping for POS apps and bought this one or any of the others only to fnd out my choice made big prom- ises it couldn't deliver, I'd be ver y mad. A fer all, if I integrated the app into my sofware and it wasn't able to perform a much-needed function, I would feel as if I wasted my money. I t h i n k t hey key i s to do you r homework prior to purchasing a new OS, sofware upgrade or something brand new for your frm. I'm just as g u i lt y of not doi ng t h i s a s most ever yone else i n on ly hav i ng my focus on the shiny new object rather t ha n ta k i ng a step back to t h i n k through the situation. Instead, tr y this 3-step process: • Create a measureable end goal for whatever you're trying to accom- plish. For example, if you're inter- ested in sav ing time and possibly shifing one person's time from data entry to something more strategic, then write something like, "Te new program saved us x x hours of time per month." By having a measurable goal, you'll be able to measure your decision. • Perform due diligence with all providers in the space you're looking at. You can do this several ways: visit t hei r webpages, a sk for produc t demos or ask your colleag ues for referrals. Te very best way, however, to vet your choices is at trade shows. Instead of avoiding the exhibit foor and diving into the cheese tray, walk the foor and visit with the providers who are present. I guarantee you will walk away beter educated and more informed. • Take advantage of any training ofered by the sof ware provider you choose. W hile you may have some staf or contractors who claim they don't need the training, stand by your decision to have ever yone properly trained. W hen you're fn- ished with training, you won't have anyone claim he or she doesn't know how to operate the new sof ware. You'll also feel more confdent that your clients will beneft from the new system. I still think it's better to be an ea rly adopter t ha n be late to t he game, but adopt wisely. Your frm and clients will be much beter of in the long term. Now as to that new A p p l e w a t c h … w e l l , I a l w a y s imagined myself as an amateur Dick Tracy. Why I Wasn't First in Line for the New iPhone By Scott H. Cytron, ABC I used to consider myself an early adopter of all-things technology. Back when I was PC-based, I would upgrade to the newest operating system (OS) r ight away and buy the latest version of Microsof Ofce. Almost 6 years ago when I moved to a Mac, whenever a new OS came out, I upgraded very quickly.

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