Do any of you use practice management software? If so, why? If not, why not? Have you looked into it at all? If you have what do you make of the whole suite vs add-on debate?
Sorry for the rapid fire q's. Would appreciate any and all answers.
Cheers.
Replies (21)
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The 'Holy Grail'
It doesn't exist. PM is so complex and everyone has different needs and requirements, so PM software can quickly become complicated and give so many options (to fit different requirements) that it then becomes unwieldy and inefficient. I have looked at loads of them in the hope of finding something that would keep me happy ... and couldn't find the 'holy grail' of PM software so I gave up and designed/programmed my own. My PM doesn't do 'everything' but it does the most frequently required tasks, and it does it very quickly and efficiently, therefore saving time and avoiding frustration.
I don't think so, FrancoisB
I have a software design background, so I taught myself VBA to take advantage of MS Access, and then designed & programmed my own bespoke PM, which suits me & my practice and our specific requirements.
Tried a few
I tried the following:
1) Practice Net's Rapport - Just did not get on with it. I did not find it user friendly. Having said that they were accountants who I spoke to at the time who found it a good solution. Rapport, at some stage, has also won software satisfaction award.
2) Logical Office - At the time I used it, I felt it was a beta version. It needed work. The bugs needed to be ironed out. Once again, I spoke to accountants at the time, who felt it was the right solution for them. F
3) Xero Practice Manager - It is cloud based and it is okayish. We do not have to pay extra for it. Being a Xero silver partner we get it free. One of the downsides is that it tries to be all things to all people. It is not only for accountants. We have learnt to work with it.
Giving praise where it is due, when we have raised queries, the speed of response from the Xero team is excellent.
We were lucky
We were/are Iris users and were one of several firms asked by Iris to help them design their PM module and so, when it was released 12ish years ago, it had lots of features that suited how we wanted to work, and we've been using it ever since.
I've said loads of times it's the glue that binds everything else together, both as regards client and staff management. As such it is far more valuable than the stuff that does the number crunching or tax calculations.
The Cloud however is where it should sit and so be prepared for a few years of development from the major cloud s/ware providers as they seek to nail this holy grail.
We can help
we have developed customise software for different practices. Send me an email and i will get you in touch with our software team to discuss further.
BTC
I agree with Paul, once you start using PM software then it becomes indispensable. I started using BTC practice management 2 years ago, primarily because I was buying their tax software and didn't have the time to research other PM products, however I can't fault it. I use it for monitoring every aspect of my workflow and deadlines.
I use IRIS PM, and wouldn't be without it. It has saved me from missing deadlines on several occasions!
As Paul says above, 'it's the glue that binds everything else together'. It works well for us, but that may be because we use most of the IRIS compliance modules and Automail.
Arrrrrrgggghhhhhh!!!
As Shirley quite rightly says, it's the Holy Grail.
Explain to me what you want from PM? Then i'll get the other 5 posters to answer and I put money on it we'll get many different answers.
I'd decided to design my own this week and started talking to a few Excel developers with a view to running that for 6 months before having it all coded into a proper site.
I've changed my mind already.....
I didn't see this thread through as much as i'd have liked but it's still worth a read https://www.accountingweb.co.uk/anyanswers/question/practice-management-...
I am looking for a system which deals with deadlines and do not need the added extra of timesheets or staff management.
Any ideas?
@Matrix
https://www.accountingweb.co.uk/anyanswers/question/practice-management-...
Click the hyperlinks, watch the vids, do some trials and get a feel for things.
It's honestly the only way i'm afraid...
IRIS PM again, even though there are only three of us. Costly I know, but I will not change as it is worthwhile.
Iris PM
Standalone or with the rest of their offering?IRIS PM again, even though there are only three of us. Costly I know, but I will not change as it is worthwhile.
Not all of their offerings, but most. Accounts prep, CT, IT, P11D, PM, Time & Fees, Company form, Fixed Assets, Automail, Openspace. Very useful with them all being linked.
We use BTC PM solution and it's absolutely integral to everything we do. All client standing data is in there. EVERY task that needs doing is set up (usually as a recurring task). All deadlines are in there. Expected and actual fee BY TASK is there, as is expected and actual time taken to complete that task.
As a tool for managing day to day tasks and worflow it's become indispensible. As a tool for monitoring and measuring performance and recovery rates it's become indispensible. And from that it's become indispensible for reviewing client fees.
In summary by using the available functionality we are more efficient and more profitable than before we had it.
Other packages may be as good, I wouldn't know as I haven't used them. What I do know is that if you speak to BTC about something the PM module doesn't do that you want it to do quite often you find that functionality is in the next release.
I'm a big fan of the software (and no, I am in no way personally involved with BTC).
Iris PM standalone
Hi - just to say that speaking to another accountant last week, Iris refused to sell just PM, ie you had to have taken on one of the "doing" modules.
I've said before I think that I might find Iris PM far less valuable without having it linked to all the other stuff, but talking to him and reading other comments above, it would still be worth having and if I was to pick the most valuable add-on, for purely PM, it would be Automail (I'd imagine Openspace would be part of the deal as it's free anyway).
Interesting to hear if anyone else has been turned down by Iris.
Cloud based
It's a shame there isn't a decent Cloud based Practice Management tool. The ones I've seen (including those listed) just seem to be a basic task list. Some don't even have the dates included for standard services!
I'm looking for something with email templates and possibly invoicing and document storage built in.
@Harrison88
Have you looked at Glide? It's cloud based. I saw it a couple of years ago at Accountex and I quite liked it. I always meant to get around to taking a closer look but never quite got around to it. I think it has been enhanced since then.
Cloud PM
I am looking at Capium and Glide. However I am a bit concerned about having all my client data in the cloud so am still thinking about it and whether I trust anyone.
BTC and email tracking (Cloud based)
We use BTC and it is great at what it does. We have been using it for 3 years or more.
I have a wish list though (these 4 are big wishes):
That it is cloud basedThat I cannot track e-mails (view all email correspondence with a client from all members of team in one place)Send documents for electronic signatureEasier document template management
The Holy Grail would start to appear.
In the meantime I am looking for a solution like BTC with the above.
At the moment, that I cannot see all the emails relating to a client all in one place is driving me bonkers.