Comments on: Accounts in real-time http://sme-blog.com/winweb/accounts-in-real-time?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=accounts-in-real-time Let's talk business, ....MICRO & SMALL BUSINESS! Sat, 12 Nov 2011 07:46:05 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: THE SMALL BUSINESS BLOG » Blog Archive » WinWeb, SaaS and the Environment. http://sme-blog.com/winweb/accounts-in-real-time#comment-8596 THE SMALL BUSINESS BLOG » Blog Archive » WinWeb, SaaS and the Environment. Thu, 28 Sep 2006 11:15:54 +0000 http://www.sme-blog.com/?p=175#comment-8596 [...] Reading Jason’s post on accounting in real time and Phil’s ( BTW, thanks for mentioning us ) post on SaaS and some CIOs comments, it struck (!) me, that nobody is talking about the environmental impact of SaaS. [...] [...] Reading Jason’s post on accounting in real time and Phil’s ( BTW, thanks for mentioning us ) post on SaaS and some CIOs comments, it struck (!) me, that nobody is talking about the environmental impact of SaaS. [...]

]]> By: Jason Holden http://sme-blog.com/winweb/accounts-in-real-time#comment-8595 Jason Holden Wed, 27 Sep 2006 14:36:03 +0000 http://www.sme-blog.com/?p=175#comment-8595 Hi Den, Yes I know he was talking about audit, the premise is still the same whether it is for audit or accounts, the work can be managed online up to a point, a visit for pure audit purposes is still required, however, a lot of ‘grunt’ work can be carried out from the auditors offices before descending with a more focused approach for a quicker and less time consuming audit. The point Warren was getting at, is that the auditors turn up to do a lot of work that could be managed from their offices in the first place with an online solution, thus saving traveling time and all the other costs associated with ‘going out on audit’ that the client ultimately picks up the tab for, and I agree with him totally. He then went on to complain that the fees they have been charged have increased three fold with no real explanation, again another thing accountants/auditors are good at doing. However Den, the profession will not render itself irrelevant, I have heard this for many years starting with products like Sage that ‘can do away with the accountant’, then the introduction of self assessment in 1996, this banging the drum about becoming irrelevant is total nonsense. Furthermore, the average man in the street does not have any idea about the larger firms, no does he care, he has a good local accountant who offers him services he wants, that’s how it has always been and will always be. There has always been a market place for the smaller practice and always will, and many will innovate because they are smaller and as such can move quicker. The firms in my opinion that will struggle to find a market place in the future are they larger independents, the larger firms will always exist for the bigger business, the smaller firm with judicious use of technology can now act for larger businesses of say up to £5million turnover with ease, this then leaves those trapped between the little guy and the big guy, they are faced with grow or become a dinosaur, and their problem is no one can make a decision quick enough, and there in lies the problem, oh that and recruitment issues, but we all face them anyway! Only a person view, but in the last 20 years I have seen the smaller business now needs a good accountant/business advisor more than ever! Hi Den, Yes I know he was talking about audit, the premise is still the same whether it is for audit or accounts, the work can be managed online up to a point, a visit for pure audit purposes is still required, however, a lot of ‘grunt’ work can be carried out from the auditors offices before descending with a more focused approach for a quicker and less time consuming audit.

The point Warren was getting at, is that the auditors turn up to do a lot of work that could be managed from their offices in the first place with an online solution, thus saving traveling time and all the other costs associated with ‘going out on audit’ that the client ultimately picks up the tab for, and I agree with him totally.

He then went on to complain that the fees they have been charged have increased three fold with no real explanation, again another thing accountants/auditors are good at doing.

However Den, the profession will not render itself irrelevant, I have heard this for many years starting with products like Sage that ‘can do away with the accountant’, then the introduction of self assessment in 1996, this banging the drum about becoming irrelevant is total nonsense.

Furthermore, the average man in the street does not have any idea about the larger firms, no does he care, he has a good local accountant who offers him services he wants, that’s how it has always been and will always be.

There has always been a market place for the smaller practice and always will, and many will innovate because they are smaller and as such can move quicker.

The firms in my opinion that will struggle to find a market place in the future are they larger independents, the larger firms will always exist for the bigger business, the smaller firm with judicious use of technology can now act for larger businesses of say up to £5million turnover with ease, this then leaves those trapped between the little guy and the big guy, they are faced with grow or become a dinosaur, and their problem is no one can make a decision quick enough, and there in lies the problem, oh that and recruitment issues, but we all face them anyway!

Only a person view, but in the last 20 years I have seen the smaller business now needs a good accountant/business advisor more than ever!

]]> By: Dennis Howlett http://sme-blog.com/winweb/accounts-in-real-time#comment-8594 Dennis Howlett Wed, 27 Sep 2006 12:34:50 +0000 http://www.sme-blog.com/?p=175#comment-8594 Warren was talking audit not accounts production. Even there the tools exist to do things remotely. The more important point is the way the profession (or rather the Big 4 + next 50) are going is smearing the profession. If it's not careful, the profession will be rendered irrelevant. Sole practitioners might disagree but they'd better have an incredibly well differentiated value proposition. Little signs of that I'm afraid Jason apart from the few handful of folk I've found - maybe 35 in total so far? Warren was talking audit not accounts production. Even there the tools exist to do things remotely. The more important point is the way the profession (or rather the Big 4 + next 50) are going is smearing the profession. If it’s not careful, the profession will be rendered irrelevant. Sole practitioners might disagree but they’d better have an incredibly well differentiated value proposition. Little signs of that I’m afraid Jason apart from the few handful of folk I’ve found – maybe 35 in total so far?

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