There’s never really a lull in accountancy practices, but we sympathise with jumping from audit and company accounts season in November and December, straight into tax season in December and January. Just as you thought you’d be able to have a less hectic February and, dare we say, even have a well-earned break, HMRC believed they’re being helpful with a last-minute deadline extension until the end of February. Cue all the late submissions which need to be filed ASAP. Stressful, we know.

Imagine adding even more stress because of technology issues. It sounds like madness, right? But so many accountancy practices continue to suffer year after year with providers, technology and applications that don’t perform as expected. It’s entirely unnecessary. The right provider, with the proper industry knowledge, would be able to squash these yearly IT struggles pretty quickly. That’s where we come in, but first, let’s look at the impacts of a stressful accounting season, especially when your technology is more of a hindrance.

The one thing we can’t make more of is time. You probably had your February mapped out, whether workwise or personal. But the deadline extension and the inevitable late submissions has blown that out of the window. Have you got the availability to complete both your planned work and meet the new tax deadline? Chances are you’ll respond with “well, we’ll just have to”,  which is, unfortunately, the way of the world sometimes. But saving you time elsewhere may be the blessing you need right now.

Your technology providers and applications should all be there to help aid you. When they’re ill-managed or unsuitable for your accountancy practice needs, they affect your ability to complete your work, from company accounts and audits to tax returns.

Focusing on just the last few months alone, think about the following:

The more time you spend dealing with any of the above, the less time you have for work. Is it just us that is thinking having technology issues, problematic IT providers and application issues eating away at your time is nonsensical? I assume not, so please get in touch with us. 

Arguably, clients and their experience should be your top priority. Within accountancy, client portals contribute considerably to the client experience. You might have few problems at any other time of the year, but these platforms may struggle under the increased use during these busy periods, negatively impacting the clients’ experience. More often than not, this will lead to increased communication from clients via phone and email, with complaints, asking what to do if the portal isn’t working, and if their returns will be submitted on time.

As a result, you’re spending an increasing amount of time trying to resolve these queries and complaints as fast as possible to ensure that your clients remain happy with the level of service they are receiving. Again, this impacts your available time for tax return submissions and your already planned February. Something can be done though, by having a provider who ensures you have the right portal in place for your needs and supporting your business by liaising with this third-party provider on your behalf, ensuring the quickest possible fix.

Your technology impacts your client experience, so to ensure that you have a managed service provider who cares about this, a provider just like us. Get in touch if you need any help with your client’s digital experience.

As mentioned earlier, we understand the pressure accountancy practices have been under over the past few months (and years if we consider the Covid burden), only for HMRC to handily extend this by another month. Initially may appear to be a blessing, but in reality, it means added stress as your February plans are subsequently disrupted.

Employee morale, for all those in accountancy practices, may be at an all-time low. But what can be done about it? You have deadlines to meet and clients to keep happy, annual leave is unlikely. Work-life balance is non-existent, and you certainly don’t have time to partake in the usual internal engagement activities. And let’s add in the constant frustrations and headaches caused by your IT systems. Does the thought of throwing your laptop out of the window sound familiar?

So what can actually be done? You can’t realistically change workloads or holidays. However, you can make your technology work better for you by partnering with the right IT managed service provider. Just imagine an audit or tax season with hardly any technology challenges. More time back and increased productivity will unquestionably boost employee morale, so what’s stopping you from getting in contact with us today?

We’re a managed service provider that works with many of Accountancy Ages Top 50+50 accountancy practices and many more. Our unparalleled industry knowledge, from understanding your high-pressure busy period to our experience and relationships with your third-party accountancy software providers, means that we know the ins and outs of your business, its needs and how you need it to function.

Don’t just take our word for it. Take a look at our accountancy case studies for Haines Watts, RfM and James Todd & Co. Additionally, you can read sincere experiences from our clients on Clutch, the leading verified B2B review and rating platform. It’s no wonder we’re in Cutch’s Top 3 Managed Services Providers in the UK.

It might seem drastic, but we know that we can enormously improve your technology and solve your biggest challenges. We can help make your next audit and tax season a little more bearable. Now is the time to switch to us. Get in touch with us on 0345 504 8989 or contact us here.