Tips for Selecting the Right Tech Vendor for Your CPA Firm

As an accounting manager at a CPA firm, one of the most important tasks before you is to find the right tech vendor to manage the processes at your firm.

​The question is how do you do that? How do you know which tech vendor is right for your CPA firm? Here’s how to do it…

Determine your exact requirements

Before deciding whether a particular tech vendor is right for you or not, identify your specific needs. Examine your workflow first, and identify bottlenecks in them. Talk to your clients; ask them about the slowdowns in the process that bother them. Are there any manual tasks that you can automate? Does the tech vendor have an automated solution for such tasks that can improve the efficiency at your firm? Investigate!

Are you comfortable about working with the tech vendor? ​

Do you trust the tech vendor? Do you feel you can get into a long-term business relationship with them? Do they really have solutions that improve your efficiency and your processes? Does their technology help you solve the critical issues faced by your clients?
Find out more about the tech vendor. Talk to other accountants and bookkeepers who have used their technologies. Check the user reviews and testimonials about the vendor. Learn as much as you can about the vendor and find out how they can solve your problems.

Can the vendor’s solution be integrated with your current accounting solution?

Your accounting solution is critical to how you work. The question is does the solution provided by the vendor integrate well with your system. Does your main accounting system endorse your vendor? For example, if you use QuickBooks at work, and are interested in QuickBooks on the Cloud, choose a hosting service that is certified by QuickBooks.

Does the vendor offer a long-term solution for your problems? ​

You will want to know whether the vendor’s solution is scalable. What you don’t want is to switch vendors a couple of years from now, because their technology becomes outdated or cannot be scaled up as your business grows in strength. That’s why you should choose a vendor whose technology can be scaled up easily.

What about the upgrades?

The question is does the vendor provide software upgrades free cost, that is inclusive of the monthly fee that is charged? You should select a vendor who can grow with your business over the next 5 to 10 years. It is important that they should update their software or services regularly.

Does the vendor offer a free test drive?

Finally, the vendor should allow you to try out their solution for free. Test drive their service to evaluate the usability, features and benefits. Find out if their solutions are as good as advertised. 

Do they provide cloud solution?

​Switching to cloud accounting is one of the most important decisions you will make. This means choosing the right tech vendor to provide cloud-based solutions such as ProSeries Tax software Hosting, QuickBooks Hosting, Drake Tax Hosting, Quicken Hosting, Lacerte Tax Software Hosting and ATX Tax Software Hosting.