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888-686-3025What Are The Crucial Elements of Great IT Support For Accounting Firms in Wyoming?
More than any other time of year, accounting firms in Wyoming need effective and responsive IT support during tax season. But what does that quality of IT support look like?
We recently got a call from a local accounting firm in Wyoming – the guy on the other end was a little exasperated, to say the least. You see, now that they were completely done with their tax season for last year, they finally had time to tackle their next, top priority project – finding better IT support.
To put it lightly, this past tax season did not go very smoothly, and their IT support – or lack thereof – was a big reason why. They needed to find someone who could provide the support they were looking for, and the sooner they could get that before next tax season, the better.
Let me let you in on a little secret – we get calls like this every year once tax season is wrapped up, and accountants have a little downtime in which to take stock and strategize for the next season. That’s how crucial IT is during tax season.
Why Is IT Support So Important For Accounting Firms?
An accounting firm’s busiest time of year is tax season – hands down. From January 1st – April 15th, accountants across the country are dealing with their largest workload, most strict deadlines, and greatest potential to gain – or lose – business in the next season.
If an accounting firm can keep to their planned timeline, file taxes without delay, and meet their clients’ expectations, there’s no reason why those same clients won’t come back next season, and even promote the firm via word of mouth to their friends.
When you rely on IT as much as accounting firms do, especially during their busiest time of year – tax season – any sort of unnecessary small delay can have big effects on the productivity of the entire firm. The main IT obstacles for accounting firms include:
- Downtime
Downtime comes in many forms – it could be the time an accountant is waiting while their computer restarts for the umpteenth time that day, or it could be the pause while legacy bookkeeping software attempts to open up one of the dozens of spreadsheets that the firm needs access to the right that minute.
While the cause may vary, the effect is simple – wasted seconds and minutes quickly add up to hours over the course of the tax season. In the end, that’s countless billable hours – or in even worse cases, days – that accountants are sitting around, getting more and more frustrated waiting for their tech to keep up with how quickly they’re trying to work.
- Internet Connectivity
While nearly every accounting firm in the country likely relies on the Internet to file taxes these days, in some areas the need is direr than in others.
Why is the Internet a specific obstacle for accounting firms in Wyoming? As the accounting world transitions from conventional IT environments to the cloud, a strong Internet connection is more important than ever. But in Wyoming, a strong Internet connection isn’t always available.
When all client data is hosted in the cloud, that means each and every double check of a number, calculation, or other seemingly minor accounting task is dependent on the speed of the Internet connection.
- Unresponsive IT Support
Both of the above issues are bad enough on their own. Even worse? When those responsible for fixing those issues are difficult to get a hold of and slow to respond.
From January 1st to April 15th, accounting firms in Wyoming need to know that they are a priority for their IT support providers. While the rest of the year an accounting may be able to deal with a short wait, for three and a half months, the response has to be as fast as possible, and the solution has to be effective.
What’s The Key To Great IT Support For Accounting Firms In Wyoming?
The truth here is very simple; it’s not a ten-point list, or a comprehensive, complicated strategy. The one thing to look for in IT support for accounting firms in Wyoming is a team that understands the accounting industry and the technology involved in it.
Accounting firms need to be assured that they will be the priority for their IT support provider during the tax season, simple as that. No addendums or clauses or clarifications. When they call, their IT support needs to answer them and address the issue.
Similarly, and particularly for accounting firms in Wyoming, their IT support should account for the fact that the firm’s Internet connection needs to be strong enough to support a cloud environment. That means it can’t be a generic, one-size-fits-all cloud configuration, but rather, a robust set-up that will meet the firm’s needs throughout their busy season.
By partnering with an IT support provider that understands an accounting firm’s work, schedule, and priorities, you can ensure a smooth tax season that won’t be plagued by downtime and delays.
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