Practice Management - what exactly would you want from it?

Practice Management - what exactly would you...

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Practice Management always seems to be a hot topic on here but like so many I don't think anybody's quite got it right yet (perhaps there's a good reason for that).

Anyway, after chatting with a client yesterday we're going to have a go at putting the bare bones of something in place over the next few months.

I've got an idea of how I like to run things but of course that's not to say what I like to do is right.

So....what features would you guys/gals like to see within your PM software?  What's essential and what would be seen as an added nicety?

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By kjd
18th Feb 2016 12:16

Integrated communication

That's my main bug bear, having threads of emails that are in no way recorded with the jobs themselves.

 

I'd also want:

 

The main 'hub' holding all client data

The ability to create my own jobs/workflows without being restricted to anything pre-set

Integrated forms

Potential third party add-ons (Dropbox integration for example)

 

It all revolves around communication for me though.

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By Howard Marks
18th Feb 2016 14:42

Agree with comms

Must say, we've got a fairly stringent Outlook process in place but everything being more tightly integrated with PM would be my preference.

 

Above that, i'd say make sure it's highly configurable, it seems nobody wants to be told how to run their practice which is why PM software crops up so regularly on here.

 

I'm actually surprised nobody else has commented on this yet given there are constantly new thread asking what PM software we all use.

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By Akkountant
12th Oct 2016 11:44

I spend far too much time looking (so far unsuccessfully) for software that will do these things:

1. A simple Deadline List.
This might be by company dates, VAT returns, etc, or all together. Simple interface, with filters and sorters.

2. Store emails in client folders, automatically, based on sender's address.

3. Task management.
Emails or phone calls generate work to do. We want to create a task from this to include this in the deadline calendar if we want.

4. Task management for accounts or tax jobs (aka workflow?) showing basic stages, again with the option to show these in the Deadline List.

5. Manage all client files, with options for naming files automated as much as possible. (All files - eg emailed data backups, or recordings of phone conversations (think HMRC here)).

6. Client interaction record (aka CRM?) - showing recent events, including notes so, before phoning client, staff are aware that client's cat died yesterday.

Prompts to ensure we interact with A-list clients often.

7. Billing - this heads towards accounts, but it need not be integrated.

8. We don't keep timesheets, but I imagine most would want to link time incurred to client records.

9. Custom fields, so each accountancy practice can use it in the way that suits them. For example, where we can record AML and risk management issues on each client.

Desktop or Cloud?
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Then there's the question of whether it's desktop software where we have the data, or cloud software where we give all our data to someone else. Hmm. Most would prefer to have the data, but software providers increasingly want to sell us cloud-based software so they don't have to sort out the incompatibilities of Windows versions etc.

We're currently starting with a cloud accounts / tax / practice management system, and it's clear that the PM module isn't up to it.

The nearest we've come is an Access database we did ourselves, which only ticks some of these boxes.

This article was dated February 2016 and it's October 2016 now, so if there are no comments then I'll repost this in Any Questions.

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