Don’t get carried away with the bells and whistles

It’s easy to be seduced by new technology.

In the accountancy world, ‘Cloud’ is the thing. It’s been around for ages but recently it has come of age. It’s on the telly. It’s advertised as, Beautiful’. Your accounts and tax return are a breeze, completed seemingly in one click.

As enthusiastic adopters of Cloud software we’ve promoted it to our clients and in a relatively short period of time its become our preferred way of working. The benefits are clear to us - more automation, faster and easier processing, better accessibility for our clients.

Every now and then you get a reality check though. 

I met with a client this week and we were discussing her services for the coming year. I threw in, ‘Now we’re using this cloud software you can login any time and anywhere to view your financials’. 

She’s a busy, successful business owner and her response put me in my place, ‘The last thing I need is another login. I want you guys to send me a simple report, when I need it which gives me an overview of my results and actions needed’. 

She went on, ‘This is all about making it easier for you, not me’.

Bam! 

She’s right of course. Certainly about the first part. What is important is how she wants to receive her financial information. A login doesn’t work for her. She wants us to prepare management accounts at the frequency and timing she needs to manage the business, So that’s what we will do. The technology is the enabler, rather than the solution.

On the second point, the technology undoubtedly makes things easier for accountants. It does help us to a better job and do more of what matters - advising on financial performance and being proactive.

As a business owner I’m also a user of the new technology. 

We’ve adopted the cloud for our own accounts and yes, I have my own login. Do I use it regularly? I must confess its more of an occasional thing if I need to check a particular aspect of the accounts. Like my client, I’m a bit ‘old school’. I prefer a monthly discipline of a printed management accounts report which I can review in detail with another team member and take action accordingly.

Each to their own. 

My meeting with my client was a timely reminder and wake up call that new technology is great but in accountancy (and in business) it’s still ‘all about the numbers’.

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