Sometimes we need to go back and reinforce time tested policies and procedures. You know, remembering the things we learned early in our careers or in college.  Some of the best things I have learned were handed down by mentors and colleagues.  Handed down by people that got my attention early in life, before I thought I knew it all.  This was at a time when my mind was still a sponge.  Here are a few of those things that I am reintroducing into my firm.

The two minute rule:  You know, if it can be done in two  minutes or less, do it now.  Don't wait, don't procrastinate, get it done. Otherwise, put it on a list for future reference.  This holds true when I delegate tasks.  If I have asked a staff member to pitch in on something, then I expect the same approach.  I do have to be careful not to assume they have nothing to do!  Just the same, they have the autonomy to do it now or place it on a list, but it better follow the two minute rule. 

Another rule is to set aside time on the calendar for concentrated work time on specific tasks and responsibilities.  Nothing is worse than putting off important things for the urgent and not calendaring time for important work.  If we think its going to get done on its own, we are greatly mistaken. Ultimately, we will be the one working late at night finishing something for a deadline, if we don't schedule it. Some software will let you schedule reminders so you don't miss these scheduled work times.

Scheduling periodic employee reviews is very important.  Nothing is worse than employees not knowing where they stand or left without personal and company goals.  Reviews are a great way to put into action new responsibilities, correct behaviors and even set new goals. Giving staff something to reach for is instrumental in how well your firm serves its clients and how we feel about ourselves.  If staff isn't at their best, customer service will suffer. Look into organizing your reviews so you can look back periodically at performance and goal attainment.  You may also want to look into software that can help you with stay on track and remind you when they  are due and what they are about.

Have brief staff meetings: Be sure to schedule, at minimum, monthly staff meetings to encourage a team attitude.  Keep these short and well focused.  No one likes long office meetings.  Add to that, a yearly staff meeting or outing to introduce new policy and procedures and bring cohesiveness to the group.  We are all different but we need to learn about each other so we can better work together.

Don't get involved in every part of your business.  The biggest mistake I have made as a business owner is to be too involved in every aspect of the business.  Actually, that's' probably too nicely put.  Too "controlling" is more like it.

The problem lies in that, those who are willing to take the risk of business ownership end up too close and personally invested. It comes with the territory though, since we as owners have spent so much time developing the skills of running a business. We then coddle it, nurture it and then end up slaving over it.  It's kind of like parenting a young child.  You do every thing for that child and therefore it's hard to let it go when it grows up.  Well, if you struggle with this then I encourage you to work on loosening the reigns because this is the number one killer to business growth. 

You can avoid this pitfall by empowering employees through responsibility, authority and autonomy.  Be sure to assign responsibility and build a process to accurately review progress.  Through delegation you will find freedom, but without process and review, you will find  problems like inaccurate or overdue work.  Give staff the right kind of authority to make day to day decisions.  Be clear on what areas are theirs and what is not.  This must reflect delegation and not control from the staffs point of view.  Ask, they will tell you what they think.  Make sure you don't look over their shoulder too often.  If they don't feel the autonomy it will affect office efficiency and productivity and then you will end up taking control of everything again.

Probably the most successful way to overcome the pitfalls of taking too much control is reinventing ourselves in our staff.  Be sure to spend one on one time at the office sharing your business knowledge, vision and pitfalls.  If your firm is small enough spend time with all staff.  Remember... let go of control.

Redefine your business model and process.  What is your brand? When ever I hear this my mind does back flips on the costs to branding and then I usually become stifled and do nothing.  Yet, I know that this is important because I have visited successful businesses and felt a sense of rightness that I cannot deny.  You know, walking through a really nice shopping mall, business office or restaurant.  Someone spent time making this work just right.  That's called branding.  Does your signage, workplace and service attitude reflect this?  If it doesn't, then its time to educate your selves and consider how you are going to get from where you are to where you ought to be.

Begin by defining what your firm's best skills or services or area of expertise are.  Make a list.  A long list is ok.  Weed out things that are important to you, that don't bring in a lot of revenue.  Now, everything including your firms name, sign, lobby, processes and they way you serve clients should line up with the list.

Review processes to align them with your vision.  Improve by automating where possible.  If you don't have workflow and paperless software systems, start looking.  Get green, add a client web portal, improve the look and feel that your staff and clients get in your work place.

Review efficiencies.  Where is wasted time spent?  Review your work area. Is it clean and efficient? How do we overcome this?  Re-evaluate how new technologies can get you there. Take advantage of other resources and training for making changes in your office. Hire an outside source to review you business model and branding.  These are all ways to infuse change and reach the goals for your firm.

Be sure your A/R policies work.  We as small firm owners love to do the work, but hate to have to collect for it.  Why is that?  Don't we deserve to be paid for what we do?  Of course the answer is yes, but why to most owners struggle with this part of the business?  I believe because it is more stressful to collect, especially on bad clients, than it is to do the work.  We don't like the personal interaction, the pressure of negotiations, the fear of offending a client or even losing them. We had better get this right because cash flow is the life blood of our business.

By keeping good enforceable policies, utilizing staff and technology and maintaining a good attitude we can alleviate most of the stress about the collection process.  One policy, especially on annual projects or one time projects is; money up front or upon completion.  You don't know how many times I have seen a placard that reads "Payment is due when services are rendered".  Yet so many clients tell me "My oldest clients are used to paying net 30 or 60, they would never pay when they pick up their work." Well, that's just not true!  Set this policy for all clients as a start point and foundation.  You will have exceptions, but avoid making them the rule. Another policy I encourage is to give opportunity to keep good clients by extending a grace period to them.  Your best clients are your best client's, period.  They may require a little different treatment on occasion. Be careful and fair but don't make this the rule as it can cause a failure in the collection process.  Any inconsistency will be seen as a weakness and the worst clients will find a way to exploit this.  Good collection policies can actually help you rid yourself of bad clients.  Enforce new stiffer policy, raise your rates and get rid of the 5% of bad clients taking up 25% of your time, usually for free.

Have your staff provide the bill and collect the money.  This takes you out of the equation and makes it less personal.  Choose a trustworthy staff to handle client negotiations.  If necessary, find an outside collections source or use software that will send out reminders and letters when customers are overdue. Be careful not to get financially extended, even with your best clients.  So many firms keep doing the work well beyond the time they should and find themselves with completed work that doesn't get paid for.  This is a big hole to avoid.  Find technology that helps you manage this.  Billing and workflow systems should work hand in hand on this. Make sure you have an alert in your software if a client is overdue, thus advising staff to stop working on that client to circumvent the real possibility of never collecting.

Be aware that you carry the burden, not your staff when it comes to finances. When things aren't going well you may feel and act poorly.  Don't let these worries be displayed publicly. Nothing is worse for productivity when staff worry about company finances or where their next check is coming from. So maintain a healthy attitude about money and collections.

So, if you've been in business for any time at all, you know what you can do to get back to the basics.  Reinforce what works, delegate, redefine yourself and watch cash flow.  Doing so will nurture a great attitude in your office relationships which will have a good effect your clients and ultimately help you run your business more effectively.

If you don't have software that manages your business, Office Tools Professional, our parent company, makes software called "Practice Management" that can help you with many of the things addressed in this article.

Project Part 1:  Problem Identification

Robert Jones, CPA is a small accounting firm in Orlando, Florida.  At this time, all the files are paper files.  There is an off-site storage space and a file room in the office, both of which are filled to capacity.  A previous employee is now contracted by the firm and works from her home in Houghton, MI.  In order to complete the work, most of the data has to be mailed and/or faxed back and forth.  Only some of the information is transferred electronically.  "Going paperless" could possibly solve both of these problems.  Obviously, if the data were electronic, they would require a lot less space.  Also, if all data coming in and going out were electronic, it would save time and money in the transfer between Orlando and Houghton.  In addition to saving time and money transferring files, there is also the time it takes to manually file papers, organize the files, and look for files that are in the wrong place.  Would it be worthwhile for Robert Jones, CPA, P.A. to become a paperless office?  If so, how would the firm go about converting?

Project Part 2:  Fact Finding

In a telephone interview with Robert Jones President of Robert Jones, CPA, P.A., on September 28, 2007, we were able to find out exactly what the filing situation is at his firm and what resources he has available to make it more efficient.  Mr. Jones was able to explain his only concern with converting to a paperless office.  He also gave us his timing and budget constraints.  We were also able to determine what hardware he already has in place.  This primary source is extremely relevant; it is needed to define the parameters of the entire project.

An article written by Amir Morani (2006) presents a real experience of a CPA who used the paperless technology to improve the performance and efficiency of his business. One of the benefits mentioned by the author includes using a client-server network with a T1 internet connection on his office system from over 10,000 miles away without any problems.  In addition to talking about the benefits of having a paperless office, he also discusses that is isn't a painful experience getting there.  This source is a primary source since the author is talking about his personal experience and his opinions on the subject.  This source is relevant to the project because it gave a very good example of a paperless CPA office being a success. 

Another CPA who talks about his paperless conversion experience is Tom Davis.  He gives some facts, but mostly opinions regarding the process.  The useful information provided is primarily the steps to take along with some of the problems that may be encountered.  This primary source is relevant because he not only talks about the benefits, but also is very realistic in warning about the problems that may arise, reducing the number of surprises once implementation begins.

The CPA Technology Advisor is the online version of a technology magazine for CPA firms and offices. They give reviews and other tips and tricks for CPA professionals on a variety of topics.  Useful information gathered includes a review of different software used for document management and other aspects of the software needed to go to a paperless office.  This source is a combination of opinions and facts.  Some of the information is primary and some is secondary.  This source is relevant to our problem because it gives a basis to judge the software options we have for CPAs.

References

CPA Technology Advisor Retrieved September 29, 2007 from http://www.cpatechnologyadvisor.com/

Davis, Tom C. (June 20, 2005) Going "Paperless" - The First Decision Retrieved September 20, 2007 from http://www.knowledge.org/articles/June%202005%20-%20Going%20paperless%20-%20the%20first%20decision.pdf

Morani, Amir, (2006) Paperless CPA Office - Myth or Reality?  Retrieved September 20, 2007 from http://ezinearticles.com/?Paperless-CPA-Offce---Myth-or-Reality?&id=121625

Project Part 3:  Solution Criteria and Limitations, Solution Suggestions

In a telephone interview with Robert Jones on September 28, 2007, we were able to determine exactly what resources the firm has available to use to improve the filing situation.  Some information is the personal knowledge of team member Anita Brill, since she worked in the firm for six years.  Currently, paper files are located in several different locations.  There are current files in a file room consisting of thirty-six file drawers, stacks of general ledgers in an extra office, and an offsite storage unit housing older files that are not accessed frequently.  All of these locations are filled to capacity.  In order to continue using the paper filing method, the space of four to six lateral file drawers is needed for the next year.  Since public accounting is seasonal, the best time of year to undertake a major project, such as converting to a paperless office, is between October 15^th and January 15^th.  So, the solution must take less than three months to fully implement.  Mr. Jones has two employees that would be able to spend some time on the project.  His current computer hardware set up is a computer with three hard drives with a RAID backup system in place.  This computer is Mr. Jones's computer as well as the firm's server.  Each of the employees has a computer that is networked to the server.  He is also currently leasing a high-end copier that is network ready.  This copier can be connected to the network using an existing, unused, ethernet connection.  The copier has high speed scanning capabilities.  Mr. Jones's budget for this project is $3,000.  He sounds like he is willing and ready to make the leap into a new age of technology.

The first option, but definitely not the best, would be to do nothing.  The firm would still have the problem of where to go with all of the new files.  This option would solve nothing.

Along those same lines, there is the idea that Mr. Jones could just retire.  If he stops working, he stops creating files which he has no room to store.

A step above doing nothing would be for the firm to rent another storage unit.  Enough files could be shifted out of the file room into a new storage unit to make room for the files coming in for the next tax year.

One of the solutions is to do a full scan of all the documents in the office, along with all the documents in the off-site storage, as well as all new incoming documents.  This solution would free up a lot of space.  If all the present documents were scanned into the computer, the original documents could be shredded or taken off-site.

Since a full scan of all the documents may take longer than his two employees have the time for, Mr. Jones could outsource the scanning of all the existing records.  Although costing more, he would still have a completely digital filing system.

Another solution proposed involves only scanning new documents.  This solution leaves all of the current documents being stored on and off-site the way they are, while scanning all those that are incoming.  This solution would alleviate the problem of the high cost of scanning all the existing documents; while still implementing the efficiency of digital filing.

A different option would be to scan all the off-site documents, as they cause more inefficiency and cost than the current on-site storage.  Also, all the new incoming documents are filed efficiently through digital scans and computer filing.

A "hybrid" solution was suggested.  The need for a hard copy may still be desired and stored in the current system, but scanned digitally for ease of retrieval.  This would be applied to all incoming documents in order to cut down time tracking down papers while still having the hard copies.

Yet another solution is to scan all of the "miscellaneous" papers in addition to the new incoming documents.  This solution was based on Anita's personal knowledge of random papers stacked and floating around the office.  If all these documents were scanned, there would be no worries as to where the documents were; they could easily be accessed on the computer.

The firm could manually manage documents and organization electronically.  The CPA office staff does all the software management by themselves, using folders and sub folders on a computer. The person would scan a document into a computer and then place it within a designated folder on the server machine.  How the folders would be organized, would be to fit the company's needs.

The firm could implement the software package, ArkWorks (2007).  ArkWorks is purely a document management package.  It is made by the same company that makes the tax program he uses (TaxWorks).  ArkWorks fully integrates with TaxWorks, but also works easily with other programs. 

Another package the firm could use is Office Tools Pro (CPA Technology Advisor, 2007).  This is a software package provided by North 40 Systems, and designed for small CPA firms of 40 employees or less.  The software package would have all the document management software needed, plus all the software for running and maintaining the office.  Also included is training and upgrades for the first year, with all other years at a set rate.

CaseWare International Inc. offers CaseWare Time and Today 2007 (CPA Technology Advisor, 2007), a software package for midsize to smaller firms.  This is actually two different software tools packaged together to provide a complete solution.  Like Office Tools Pro they offer all the software and tools needed to manage documents and run the CPA office.

To come up with these solution suggestions, The Paperless Pros used a combination of "the borrow file," brainstorming, and also expanding current alternatives using subdivision.  One creative thinking technique we used was the borrow file. We borrowed ideas from the CPA Technology Advisor website.  We got ideas on which software packages to use from their reviews and personal experience. This gave us the ideas of using Office Tools Pro and CaseWare Time and Today 2007.  We also brainstormed, which produced ideas such as retiring and outsourcing the document scanning.  Ideas produced by expanding the current alternatives using subdivision were the different approaches to scanning the documents.  We first came up with scanning all documents, which led us to all the partial document strategies. 

Although we did not seem to have much trouble, there were a few minor conceptual blocks.  One of the problems we encountered was vertical thinking, or looking at the problem in a specific format.  Initially, it was thought that the problem is a need or demand for digital or paperless records and filing.  After discussing the problem and getting access to more information, however, it was noted that the problem is much more general and can be described simply as filing inefficiency.  Once this was determined, a lot more feasible solutions and assumptions could be made in order to better approach the problem.  We were able to get past this by storytelling.  With Anita's personal knowledge, she was able to talk about different situations in the firm so that everyone else could understand the problems and come up with more ideas. 

            Another conceptual block that our team has experienced thus far is an artificial constraint.  We overcame this constraint by trying to "think outside the box."  We also tried to think of some ideas that were "out there", because we knew that that would widen our thoughts to make us think of some ideas outside of the different versions of one idea we had been coming up with.  We put our own boundaries on the solutions that we were coming up with outside of the boundaries that the client had given us.  We had been expecting cost constraints and personnel constraints different than what was specified, and we were, at times, using our self imposed boundaries instead of the clients given boundaries.  We also tried to think about some different ideas we could use, which seemed kind of wild at the time, but eventually helped us to condense our ideas into a reasonable one that really did work.

Another instance where we had some difficulties was populating the solution list.  We encountered this when we noticed a large amount of similar solutions and had trouble deviating from them.  This was largely due to the fact that our team relied on more rational and linear brainstorming for a majority of the solutions.  This actually hindered the variety of possible solutions that were at our disposal and even if a solution that is more right brained isn't used it can help to develop other options.  Eventually we noted this and came up with some more solutions that had a much larger variance.

Project Part 4: Solution Evaluation and Selection

No additional requirements were added to Mr. Jones's requirements.  We felt that his were thorough enough.  The absolute requirements are as follows:

·         Does it save space?

·         Can it be completed prior to January 15, 2008?

·         Will it take more than two employees to complete it?

·         Is the total cost less than $3,000?

These requirements ruled out doing nothing, retiring, renting another storage unit, scanning all the documents, outsourcing the scanning of all the existing records, and the hybrid method, which was scanning and keeping hardcopies.  You can see a breakdown of the absolute requirement selection process on appendix A.

There are two major decisions that need to be made with regards to approaching a paperless office.  The first decision is which documents to scan and which to keep in the current filing system.  Scanning all the documents was ruled out due to time and money.  That left us with two options: scan the new incoming files and along with the off-site storage; and only scanning the income files.

Scanning only the new incoming files would solve the space issue, without taking a lot of time and energy up front.  All the current files would remain as they are, and the new files would be electronic.  We determined that scanning the thousands of files would be way too time consuming.  The downside to this is that employees would still have to access these files the old fashioned way.  They still may run into the problem of not being able to locate documents. 

The other option is to scan all the offsite storage files along with the new incoming files.  This would give them the benefit of having their least accessible files on the server.  This would save the time it takes to drive to storage, find the file, and hope it has what they are looking for.  All the current files would still be in the file room in the office, since those are easier to access.  This option would take a quite a bit more time initially.  The question that needs to be asked is this:  which will take more time in the long run, scanning all the documents now, or driving to storage to get a file once a month at the most?  The answer to this is probably scanning all the documents will take more time.  This means that this may not be the most cost efficient option.

The second major decision to be made is how to organize the data once it is scanned.  We narrowed this down to four options, including manually organizing the data using the file system built into Windows; or using one of the following three software packages:  Office Tools Pro, CaseWare, or ArkWorks. 

The basis of the incoming paper manual scan is that the inflexibility of automated systems can be undesirable and a bit more than is needed for the small firm environment.  The first concept behind the manual scan is that a protocol should be set up so that once paper or digital information is received it can be processed, stored, and be readily accessible to workers.  This involves accessibility to current and possibly additional hardware as well as setting up a yearly, quarterly, and client based file system structure.  Also, proper direction or instruction may be needed in order to allow for the proper use of the methods to be laid out in order to maintain consistent digital information as well as file system structure.  The benefits of this type of solution implementation are minimized monetary startup costs, flexibility, relative ease of use, minimalist requirements (KISS), very high level of data accessibility, very easy data transfer, and low change in current working operations.  The downside of this solution would be that it may require extra user input time, no outside support system, future turnover due to lack of updating, and it doesn't improve upon existing storage inefficiencies.

One solution that we have selected is a type of software called Office Tools Pro. Office Tools Pro (OTP) is accounting specific software that is easy to use and has the ability to replace multiple programs with just one program that does everything.  OTP is software designed and built for the small business, which is what our client is.  OTP is also one of the fastest growing providers in the accounting field with regards to accountancy.  The reason we select Office Tools Pro is because it is truly designed for the small business and it is easy to use for people who have not been working with software for a long time.  OTP is also designed to use with minimum hardware requirements and minimum operating systems.  OTP can run on only 128mb of ram and only takes up 60mb of disk space; however, the printer that is being used with the software will have to have at least 4mb or ram.  OTP can function on a general operating system; it can work on Windows 2000, XP or Vista.  The cost of OTP varies depending on the type of software you get for the business, and how many users will be accessing the data. For a one user package the price varies from $250 to $550, and each additional user is an additional $175.  Office Tools Pro also offers many other services of which can be accessed by paying the yearly renewal fee.  In the end, we selected OTP for the final group because it has a variety of user options, and it is not very complicated to use.

CaseWare International Inc. provides CaseWare Time and Today 2007 as an option for paperless offices; this software package is designed for midsize to smaller firms.  This is actually two different software tools, Time 2007 and Today 2007, packaged together to provide a complete solution. With this bundle they offer all the necessary tools required to run a paperless office.  The software focuses on positive firm and end-user experiences.  One way it does this is that it has a system built in that allows for a worker to edit a file while away form the office. With support for Microsoft Outlook, it makes it easy to import all your business contacts into the database.  There is a built in PDF generator that helps to provide easy document management, so that you can easily email them to clients.  CaseWare is focused to provide a stable product, to help ensure product longevity and quality support through user guides and online tips. Downsides to this solution is that it require training to get all the workers familiar with the software, which could translate into extensive downtime. Also the software does not fully support the current software system used by the office, so integration of the new software will be harder. Another potential bad spot is that the software is not a new edition, rather only an upgrade of the 2006 edition, this could provide for longer down time to get the system up to one hundred percent.

ArkWorks is a program designed by the same company that makes TaxWorks, the software that the firm uses to prepare tax returns.  This software is purely a document management system, costing $995.  This price is a one time fee, no annual renewal costs.  There is the option to buy an upgrade from year to year, but it is not required to continue using the product.  The firm already has firm management software, so there would not be redundancy like there would with the other software suggestions.  ArkWorks integrates seamlessly with TaxWorks as well as most other common software packages (Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat, etc.).  The only drawback would be the time involved to train the employees to use the software.

Our weighting table (Appendix B) consists of seven solution suggestions and five secondary requirements.  We separated the seven solution suggestions into two portions.  The first portion included only scan the new documents, scan the off-site and new documents, and scan all misc documents.  The second portion included manually scan and organize, ArkWorks, Office Tools Pro, and CaseWare.  

We used five secondary requirements to rate each of the solution suggestions.  The lowest rated requirement is recurring annual expense. We felt that of all the requirements, this was the least important.  The next is minimum upkeep; we didn't feel that this was much more important than the recurring annual expense, and ranked it as a two.   The third is minimum time, as it is much more important than the first two.  They only have two employees during the normal office hours available to work on the conversion.  All team members agreed the most important requirements are minimum startup cost and ease of use, and we rated them equally with a six.  Even though there is a budget of $3,000, we want to find a solution that does not eat up his entire budget.  Also, the solution must easy for everyone to use, so they do not need a lot of time to be trained.

The outcome of the weighting table was that scanning only new documents and using ArkWorks to organize these documents are the best selections.  Final results are as follows:

                        Only scan new documents                  79

                        Scan all miscellaneous papers             63

Scan off-site and new documents      56

Office Tools Pro                                 91

ArkWorks                                           87

                        CaseWare                                            71

Manually scan and organize                57

The second selection technique we used was the nominal group technique.  We broke down our selection process into two groups.  The first group was how to handle scanning of the paperwork and the second group was how to organize the information scanned digitally.  We went with the highest score winning, so for the first group with three options a person's first choice gets three points, second gets two and third gets one. During the voting process we all took turns ranking the options and then we had Anita mark in a table each persons picks.  Once everyone had voted we tallied the votes and determined the winners.  The option that won in the first group was to scan only new documents coming into the office. 

Ultimately, our team felt that the weighting table was the best technique for solution evaluation for several reasons.  Firstly, it seemed to allow for a much better representation of all the elements needed to have a truly successful solution whereas the Nominal Group Technique didn't address all of these elements on an individual basis.  Also, the weighting and evaluation of each of the needed elements were sought out through a consensus rather than individual bias, thus giving a better representation of the actual impact upon the desired outcome.  Also, the weighting table method eliminates the weight on individual preference by examining all aspects of a proposed solution instead of what a member would rather implement.  This is extremely useful as often determining a software package for implementation can be based a lot upon simple personal preference rather than the whole impact that each software package has upon the desired outcome.  Overall, because of the allowance for group discussion upon weighting and evaluating the different solutions we felt that the weighting table technique presented a far more accurate representation of each of the solutions effects upon the desired outcomes.

The winning suggestion seems to be (unanimously) scanning only new documents and organizing them.  This will solve the firm's problem of not having any additional space for files.  Eventually, all the old documents will be able to be shredded and he can stop utilizing the off-site storage.  In the mean time, he will have a more efficient filing system for the files he is currently working on (beginning in January of 2008).  This is also the most cost effective solution.  Since none of the existing files are being scanned, there is virtually no time involved in beginning the process.   Overall, these suggestions make up the best option for Robert Jones, CPA to go paperless.

For one thing, it's a modular application, and depending on which modules you purchase, the software can be a time and billing application, a practice management application, a contact management application, a document/content management application, or a combination of some or all of these.

    This year's offering is pretty similar to the application that we tested last year. The user interface has been tweaked, and there are a few updates here and there, but the software still is comprised of one or more of six core modules-Contact Management, Scheduling, Time and Billing, Project/Case Management, Records Management and Document File Cabinet. These Modules can interface with Microsoft Office applications such as Word, Excel, and Outlook, but you don't have to have Office installed to make good use of the software. You get to choose any three of these modules for the Standard Suite and all six in the Professional Suite. Pricing varies depending on the number of users.

    The big news with the 2009 version is that the underlying database of Office Tools Professional has moved to Microsoft SQL Server. That's good news, and bad news all rolled into one. The software comes with a copy of Microsoft SQL Server Express 2005, which is the free version, and should you have a large number of transactions, upgrading to a paid version of MS SQL Server is a simple task.

    Unfortunately, getting MS SQL Server Express 2005 working proved to be problematic, and we finally resorted to Office Tool's support, which got us up and running quickly. Our support rep told us that the SQL software sometimes doesn't install correctly on a single workstation install, but that they haven't encountered this problem client/server installations.

     Once the install actually completed, it was smooth running. We like the Office Tools Professional's time and billing capabilities. They aren't overly fancy, but the screens are easy to navigate through and with a small but workable selection of invoices and other reports, get the job done efficiently.

     Adding the other modules really ramps up the application's capabilities, especially with SQL Server underlying the entire collection. Since the difference in cost between the three-module "Standard Suite" and the complete six-module "Professional Suite" is only $100 at the single-user level, we would recommend going for the Professional Suite from the get-go.

User Interface

    The nature of the OTP interface is a comprehensive dashboard that provides direct access to all of the integrated applications. The toolbar displayed along the top provides one-button access to the desired application, i.e., contacts, time entry, etc. A contact/client list is displayed along the left side of the screen to pick the account with which you want to work. The bottom of the screen displays your task list. The center window displays the application view: calendar, timesheet, document storage, etc. for all of the functionality that is bundled into this application, the designers have done a very effective job of keeping the system easy to navigate.

Document/File Organization

     The document storage interface is pretty simple and straightforward. As mentioned above, the client/contact list is displayed along the left side of the screen. Once you select the designated client, then the document management window displays a list of all of the files associated with that client. Each file is tagged with the file name, year, project, category and staff. Therefore, these are the parameters that you can use to find a particular file by sorting and/or filtering on the appropriate column.

Integration

    The core strength of OTP's integration is within the applications that are bundled with the system. Beyond that, there is an MS Office add-in that lets you save files from MS Office applications directly into OTP. You'll also find a feature to create Office documents using Office templates directly from within OTP. Outlook messages are stored in the program as *.msg files, which allow you to interact with them as dynamic e-mail messages from within OTP. You can drag and drop files from Windows Explorer into OTP, and a profile window will open to populate the index tags.

     Any document can be routed to another user along with a notification using OTP's review process. On the outbound side, you can send documents as e-mail attachments or as links to a portal site from within the program. The portal service is an additional cost and starts at $20 per month for 5GB of storage and no limits on the number of users or clients. There is no direct integration with tax software.

Overall Value

   For firms that position themselves to take advantage of all or at least a majority of the integrated OTP functionality, the value proposition is compelling. If your intent is to use only the document storage feature, then you're forgoing a lot of the benefits. OTP continues to grow in its capabilities as a small enterprise solution. It is currently built on a SQL platform with an MS Access front-end interface. The vendor has announced its plans for a new release during the last half of 2009 that will be built on the .NET platform. The bottom line is that at a price point of $1,500 for a five-user license and $250 for each additional user, this is as good value if you take advantage of what it has to offer.

Even with all of these capabilities, Office Tools Professional is fairly simple to navigate. Choosing the desired overall function from a ribbon bar on the top of the screen brings up most of the screens pertaining to that function. This results in a rather busy screen, with different tasks for a particular function shown in separate panes. In many screens, you will need to select a particular subtask, and possibly scroll down a pane to find the data that you need or a place to enter new data. This sounds more complex than it actually is.

Installation is simple, and while the software uses MS SQL 2005 Express as the underlying database, the install routine handled the entire install with no input from us other than hitting the "Next" button. Reports are attractive and well laid out. While you can't create custom reports, you can apply filters to many of the numerous reports supplied.

One thing to keep in mind is that while Office Tools Professional provides a lot of functions, most of them aren't as full-featured as stand-alone applications. For example, the document and records management is pretty much an electronic filing cabinet, rather than a full-blown document management system such as Microsoft SharePoint.

   Office Tools Professional 2009 is the latest version of this vendor's practice management system, which is offered in industry-specific versions for CPAs, tax practices and other types of professional service providers. The program provides a wealth of features, including full contact management with Outlook and Quick-Books integration, call and email tracking, scheduling, time tracking, billing, document and project management, notes and to-do lists. Office Tools Professional now also offers client web portals that enable secure document sharing between firm staff and clients. Pricing for the base program starts at about $300 for a single user, plus $250 for additional timekeepers. It is more then worthwhile to add all available modules for an additional $100, plus the client portals for $20 per month for unlimited clients.

Ease of Use/Flexibility

   The recently redesigned interface for Office Tools Pro was developed using .NET technology, enabling it to offer great customization options and features, in particular the dashboards, which give quick access to information often in one click. The home screen opens within an attractive screen that houses traditional pull-down menus across the top, as well as main feature icons across the top that make it easy to jump to contacts, notes, to-do items, the scheduling system, prospect tracking options, time and billing functions, and document management.

    A client/contact selection menu with search functions is located on the left of the screen pretty much at all times when within the program, with contact detail information provided on intuitive screens that include selection lists and smart entry features, and even a built-in MapQuest function for the contact's address. For time and expense data, Office Tools Professional offers an at-a-glance spreadsheet view that can show all time logged toward a client or project, or by a specific staff member, over a selected time period.

    During entry of the time information, the system offers graphically appealing calendars, summary data and selection lists for client, projects, activity, expenses, mileage and other data, along with the ability to add notes or quickly generate a timesheet report, output the data to QuickBooks, or use the included Microsoft Office add-in, which allows the creation of timecards using Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. A timer tool is also available.

    The system's billing management console provides similarly intuitive functionality, enabling management or AR staff a convenient overview of all timecards, with multiple search and filter options, and the ability to mark up or down, change billing codes, cite as un-billable or otherwise edit, with the resulting balances automatically updated and displayed.

Productivity Tools/Features

   The program's key features of contact management and time and billing are exceptionally easy to use, with intuitive and intelligent data-entry screens. Office Tools Professional 2009 also includes several great tools for the small practice, including built-in scheduling, notes, to-do lists and records management. The call tracking system is also noteworthy, allowing users to easily track what contact/client called in, the amount of time spent on the call, the subject and whether it was billable time, and then quickly makes a timesheet for the event. Also, the program's recent additions of integration with QuickBooks, Microsoft Office and one-click printing of mailing labels using the DYMO button will be valuable to many users.

    Office Tools Professional's project management feature enables firms to track projects and engagements and monitor due dates. It also provides detailed summaries and overviews of estimated versus actual costs, along with other key information. The system includes functions for paperless document management, as well as paper-based records management. The option to use secure client portals was recently added to Office Tools Professional. The DropFolder.net add-on, developed by parent company North 40 Systems, provides a portal that lets firms securely share documents with their clients, allowing the client anytime access to selected files.

Reporting

   The program's reporting options are located within key areas, allowing users to quickly generate more than 80 standard reports, including client lists, AR, expenses, WIPs, budgets, schedules, and time and billing summaries by client, staff or project. All reports can be customized and saved for future use, as can the program's collection of pre-written client communication form letters. Reports can also be output to PDF, Excel and Word.

Integration

   Office Tools Pro recently announce the addition of its client portal options via DropFolder.net and its Microsoft Office toolbar that allows any Word, Excel or Outlook file to be quickly stored within the program's document management system. Additionally, it enables the creation of time cards in these Microsoft programs. Other integration options allow two-way data flow with QuickBooks, contact data and calendaring integration with Outlook, and the inclusion of the MapQuest link on client contact sheets.

Support/Help/Updates

    The new design of Office Tools Professional has enhanced its usability, with client, billing and time data always easily available, while assistance functions like Help bubbles, right-click menus and links to online support give a little more help to those who may need it. The vendor's online support center offers a knowledgebase, tips, user guides and phone-based, web-based and live training options. Office Tools Professional also hosts an annual conference.

Relative Value

The Virtual Trade Show from WebCPA will be used to reach those who use the web to research software, those who are in geographical regions that are not close to traditional conferences. A booth will be available in the exhibit hall where guests can ask questions, review information and link to the Office Tools Professional site. We will post links to video demos, customer testimonials and the download for our trial versions of the software. In addition give a ways will be announced at the booth to entice guests.

"Reaching new customers is what we are about. With the VTS site we are strengthening our internet presence. We are always exploring new ways to broaden our reach. We want to reach people who do not normally attend conferences due to distance and costs. These shoppers now have a new way to look at products organized in an online trade show. We are very excited about what WebCPA has done with their VTS offering and are glad to have joined their site," said Michael Giardina, President of Office Tools Professional

About Office Tools Professional

Office Tools Professional 2009 is a comprehensive practice management program that combines the best of client management and scheduling, project management, document imaging, conflict checking and time and billing in one easy-to-use package. Pricing starting at $300. Office Tools Professional is available free of charge for the first 30 days. For more information, visit www.OfficeToolsPro.com. 

With this new offering integration with Gmail, Gdocs including calendars will be available to all new and existing users. Office Tools Professional 2009 will continue to sell its windows based application while taking core features like time tracking and workflow and integrate them with the existing Gmail app. Users will be required to sign up with Gmail and purchase our app to take advantage of this new offering. Plans for data migrations are under discussion and should be announce late this year.

"Many want the ability to work anywhere, anytime. This application will not only provide this through web access but will integrate with the many features Gmail offers. We see a whole new market out there of existing Gmail users who haven't experience Office Tools Professional before," said Michael Giardina, President of North 40 Systems.

About Office Tools Professional

This release will end the current version which has been available for nearly 9 years Office Tools Professional will no longer being updating its Access versions offering only the .net version as early as November 2009. When using .net programmers can code for both windows based operating systems and web based programs.

"With our new version, firms will be given many new and exciting features which we plan on announcing later this year. Most importantly we can provide state of the art integrations, web versions and move into the future. We will be completely Window 7 compliant too. While the software will take on new features the sleek interface users have come accustom to will not be redesigned," said Michael Giardina, President of North 40 Systems.

About Office Tools Professional

Office Tools Professional 2009 is a comprehensive practice management program that combines the best of client management and scheduling, project management, workflow and document imaging and time and billing in one easy-to-use package. Pricing starting at $300. Office Tools Professional is available free of charge for the first 30 days. For more information, visit www.OfficeToolsPro.com.