The cloud has given businesses a major opportunity to automate their day-to-day operations but many are yet to realise that it can also improve the efficiency of administering their office and delivering services to their clients.

Our firm is a great example of not just the highest level of efficiency in accounting practices for our clients but of administration efficiency in general. A few examples that we use to cut down on administration internally include:

We use online proposal software that utilises our base list of service offerings for delivery of professional proposals in quick time. No more fiddling around with Word docs plus our clients can accept or decline and make comments electronically without having to print a single piece of paper;

Our website is linked to our cloud-based sales management system and client database so that all enquiries automatically filter through all channels and ensure no lead is ever lost;

We’ve developed a suite of online forms for anything from our systems and management audit to new employee information to invoice requests. All of which link through to our central support desk on submission;

We use project management software to keep a track of where each client’s engagement is at, and to assign tasks throughout the team accordingly;

We use screen-sharing software to meet with clients regularly without having to leave the office. Great for productivity and our clients benefit also by not having to pay for our travel;

We electronically file all source documents alongside the transaction in our Xero accounting file making the filing cabinet obsolete… the same 100% paperless accounting system we use for our clients;

We use the Receipt Bank app and our smart phones to snap photos of business receipts while on the run, ultimately ending up in our accounting file. Another system we train our clients to use in pursuit of the paperless office and maximum efficiency.

These are but a few, the point being that cloud programs generally offer huge time savings in the area of the business to which they specialise. But the key to automation is linking these programs to create an automated office platform that eliminates both unproductive time and the risk of human error.

The technology is already there, it can be a minefield with numerous providers offering different variations on similar programs but, with our experience and knowledge, we can help you towards automating your entire office…not just the internal accounting component.

When the office as a whole runs in a highly automated fashion you can make adjustments to the business as a result of the increased capacity to staff…and most importantly the end result is more money back on that all important bottom line.

The Finance Dept is a Brisbane-based accounts outsourcing firm utilising qualified accountants at a fraction of the cost of an in-house accounts team for your business. We are an offsite (not offshore) alternative to having an in-house accounts team or financial controller.

Call 1300 855 721 or click here to see if you should take your accounts offsite.