may2021 - 9

FROM THE TRENCHES
your firm for the future of collaborative
client interaction supporting the
client's use of mobile and running a
browser-enabled business. What do
you want your client experience to
be? Further, consider a future that
includes practice applications that
are available as a suite, or whether
you should choose the approach of
using multiple silos of applications.
The applications of the past ran
on our local computers. We extended
this model with hosting or private
cloud technologies like Citrix. The
next-generation tools are running
in browsers in the publisher's silo
of applications. Some silos will
become hard to avoid, like those of
the productivity suites of Microsoft
365, Google Workplace, or Zoho
One. Most of us couldn't imagine
switching from our productivity
tool of choice. Each of these three
productivity providers runs in
their own silo today. The vendors
have connected silos by writing
direct connections, using Application
Program Interfaces (APIs), or
using a digital plumbing tool like
Zapier, Boomi, OneSaas, CData,
Power Automate, or more. Practice
management systems will need to
connect to other systems directly or
through APIs and tools like Anduin
can extend the capabilities of most
Practice Management
systems
with Intelligence-Based Billing
capabilities.
The tipping point decision for you
and your firm is, do you remain in a
suite solution such as Wolters Kluwer
CCH Axcess, Thomson Reuters
ONVIO, or Drake Software, or do you
choose a best of breed approach? Has
integration been delivered, and value
received in the suite approach you are
using? Is there a good future vision
from the publisher? Does each application
provide a good client or team
member experience? If so, then a
suite is an excellent approach for your
firm. I'm happy for you because the
design work that I've done through
the years for major publishers is paying
off for you, and the integration
of Tax and Practice Management is
already working for you.
On the other hand, if you are
looking for a specific client and team
member experience, you probably
have more work ahead of you. You
will need to evaluate the leading
applications in each category and
pick the one that fits your firm
best. But that is only the start of
your work. You will need to work
through the details of integration
between silos, migrate your data,
and train your staff. The migration's
financial and productivity
benefits may take years to realize,
or they may be almost immediate.
For example, Intuit's ProConnect
Tax now integrates with their OEM
practice management product from
Karbon. These two silos are already
connected, and more are to come.
Some of these choices for your
firm may be easy. Since firms change
tax software as frequently as they
change major world religions or
physicians, the probability of you
changing from your current tax
software is slim. Plus, the cost of
switching is considerable. The
same is true for your existing audit
software, document management
software, workflow software, or
other major software. The cost of
switching may be high compared to
the benefits received. This inertia
has benefited software publishers
MAY 2021 ■ www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com
9
http://www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com
may2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of may2021
