We have over 20 years of technology experience within CPA firms.  One of the primary lessons we have learned is to always attempt to utilize the K.I.S.S. method of technology implementation.  We have had several hits and a whole lot of misses over the years.  Below are several of the hits that we would have been nice to have over the past 20 years.  Many would have saved us countless hours of sleep and loss of hair.

Many Microsoft products have been staples in accounting firms for many years. The Microsoft 365 product is no exception.  This latest offering should be a staple in your firm.  For one monthly fee you get all of the products listed below as part of Microsoft 365 Business Standard.

We realize many firms do not like the SaaS method of software and service usage.  However, practically every software we utilize have moved to this method.  The purchase of Microsoft 365 is a no brainer once you realize the all the potential uses within your firm.

We have used various processors over the years.  Everything from our local bank to PayPal, Stripe and even  Intuit Payment Services.  While each has their place, we feel the CPACharge product is best of the breed for firms.  It provides you with both in office processing, online processing, and ability to perform reoccurring payments all from a website targeted for firm users.

If you for a payment processor for credit cards and online ACH acceptance, we encourage you to contact them!

Encyro is one of those services we wish we'd found years ago!  They provide a service that allows for secure messaging and file transfer. While you have the ability to setup a client upload in OneDrive (see here), we have found Encyro's system to be superior in client adoption.  Our success rate in clients usage of this product is the highest of any product we use.  If you are looking for a way to securely communicate with clients, take them for a test drive.  I'm pretty sure you'll like their service.  BTW, best part is no storage, transfer, or guest user limits!

We have experimented with various third party online marketers over the years.  Even utilized the website "solution" for firms for several years.  The issue has always been the canned and weak articles provided those companies. Mostad has been providing content for many years before Teenz purchased them.  Their Mostad Cloud platform allows you to have engaging content on your website, social media platform and email marketing.  While it is not perfect, it is the best we have found to date.  To see an example of how we integrated their content into our website visit our firm www.cpa2web.com. This same functionality maybe created with every MyClientKey website.

FileCenter is another one of those, 'where the heck has this been' applications!  Like most firms we have been using the systems built by our tax software provider.  Only to find out many years later how featureless their solution was for price they charged.  FileCenter DMS allows you to create true document management system.  It includes file name templates, folder structure template, scan to PDF, print to PDF, built-in PDF editor, file preview, and works with any file format.  Think of it as windows explorer on steroids. They offer an extremely cost effective portal with unlimited guest users.  We are now spending less in one year than we did in one month with our tax software provider.  The best part is unlike out previous portal it works on any device without the need for installing a mobile app. BTW, you can even link to it from our mobile app to create a built-in portal experience for your clients.

This service is the newest addition to our firm.  We have tried numerous solutions over the years to provide appointment reminders to our clients.  The problem has always been cost and reduced duplication of efforts.  AppointmentReminder allows you to sync your Microsoft 365 calendar to their service and schedule automated reminders to your clients.  They further allow for keywords, which allows you to either omit a client from being reminded or send them a reminder to drop off information.  All that is needed is for you to enter the telephone number and/or email in the appointment.  The service will recognize those fields and send the client a text message, email and even a phone call reminder.

Licensing prohibits us from including many images within our solution. It is quit amazing the content available on the internet you just have to make sure you obtain the proper usage license. Below you will find content you may license and upload to your website.  We'll try to add additional links as we find more content.