Today's Technology for Tomorrow's Firm.
Issue link: https://cpapracticeadvisor.epubxp.com/i/80319
What are some ways your firm has gone "paperless" and/or "green" in the last few years? Liz Alexander CPA — 38 Owner, Elizabeth Alexander CPA Arlington, Texas In the past couple of years, my firm has managed to use less and less paper for tax preparation. We have not printed a single page to keep in files for the past tax year. All tax returns are stored electroni- cally with scanned copies of the client's original paperwork. Programs like Tic, Tie, and Calculate allow us to annotate docu- ments electronically before saving. How is cloud computing changing the accounting profession, and how con- cerned are you with the security issues related to cloud computing? Cloud computing is changing the profes- sion by allowing us to collaborate and exchange documents more freely with clients and other professionals. The effi- ciencies in those activities save quite a bit of time and money. I am concerned some about security is- sues but stay current with the best secu- rity procedures available. How mobile are you regarding your work? How have mobile devices and apps impacted your productivity and work-life balance? I am VERY mobile. I spend much less time in the office than a tradi- tional CPA. Technology and being able to work remotely allow me to do things with my family that I wouldn't ordinarily be able to do if I were tethered to a desk at the office. What ONE piece of technol- ogy could you absolutely not live without? a profit even during turbulent economic climates in the airlines industry. What sports team/championship event do you absolutely refuse to miss? Hobbies: Board games and My ONE piece of technology is my Android phone. It is the one piece of equipment that keeps me connected with home, play/friends, and work at the same time. In addition, it lets me "turn off" work while I'm at home or with friends. card games, but no real hobbies because I'm too busy playing chauffer to my teenage sons I'm a sports-junkie. I absolutely refuse to miss any of the UFC events (mixed martial arts). Locally, I'm an avid fan of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Dallas Mavericks (basketball), and Dallas Cowboys (football). What cell phone do you carry/use? T-Mobile MyTouch 4G by HTC (Android). Do you have a tablet? iPad. What is your favorite pro- fessional mobile app, and why? NOT including your current employer, what company do you most admire and why? Website: www.LizAlexanderCPA.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/LIZ_CPA Education: BBA in Accounting, University of Texas at Arlington Professional Associations/Memberships: Texas Society of CPAs, Arlington Association of CPAs, National Association of Tax Profes- sionals (NATP), National Society of Accountants (NSA), National Advisor Network, Sleeter Group Southwest Airlines. SWA is admirable because they have one of the most loyal customer and employee bases. Southwest Airlines is one of the hardest companies for whom to work. The employees are having too much fun to leave. (In 2011, they received 193,636 resumes and hired 4,349 new employees.) That same loyalty is expressed by SWA's customers who are some of the most devoted in the industry. SWA is the only airline that maintained My favorite app is QuickBooks Mobile. I spend about half of my billable time at cli- ents' offices, and following up with billing is one of the things I tend to push to the side to do later. With QuickBooks Mobile, I can email the client's invoice from my phone before I leave their parking lot, and the Invoice is waiting for me at my office after syncing with QuickBooks on my local machine. The big plus is that I get paid faster because the invoices go out faster. Pretty slick. 35 | 2012 CPA Practice Advisor 40 Under 40 BACK TO PAGE 3