The days of spending eight hours in the office are quickly fading away. CPAs and others in the realm of finance are now working at home, coffee shops, hotels, airports, and other remote locations. The transition to remote work has not come without its challenges. Creative CPAs with a strong work ethic and a narrowed focus are capable of overcoming these challenges with grace. As is often said, if there is a will, there is a way. Let’s take a look at the “way” of working efficiently from home and other remote locations.

Tech Eliminates Many Remote Work Challenges

The inability to meet with clients in-person along with logistical challenges such as the need to add a signature to a document are certainly significant hurdles. CPAs are overcoming these challenges with the use of technological innovations. It is now possible for clients, CPAs, and other professionals to digitally sign documents with electronic signatures from a bevy of service providers. All sorts of software are now available to facilitate legal compliance with contractual obligations including the signing of documents from afar.

Videoconferencing technology has proven particularly important during the pandemic, empowering CPAs and other professionals to meet with clients and fellow professionals face-to-face (albeit through webcams), make presentations and share their screens in real-time. Hosted desktop environments have also gone mainstream, empowering CPAs and other employees to access work-related information from all locations around the clock. Web portals have proven quite helpful for digitally exchanging information between employees and clients including those on the prowl for tips for choosing a tax preparer.

Auditing has Gone Virtual

It wasn’t long ago when CPAs and others in the accounting space performed in-person audits at businesses and other organizations. The pandemic has ushered in a new era of virtual audits in response to travel restrictions and social distancing. Accountants have responded with new methods of auditing that include remote audit procedures highlighted by internal controls testing, virtual inventory counts through real-time observations through cameras, electronic documentation transmission, and virtual meetings.

Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)

Accountants have ramped up their use of virtual private networks, also referred to with the acronym of VPNs, during the pandemic. Connecting to the office computers through a VPN is much safer as it requires the use of a password and multi-factor authentication.

Full-tunnel VPNs that conceal the connection from insecure computing devices, encrypt data, and use Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) have made it surprisingly easy to access and transmit sensitive data between CPAs, colleagues, and clients.

Cloud Technology

Cloud-hosted accounting solutions have popped up throughout the pandemic, providing CPAs and clients with access to essential information in real-time. The cloud empowers CPAs to store and retrieve data from a distant location in mere seconds, bolstering collaboration between colleagues and also helping these professionals serve clients much more efficiently. Ask anyone willing to provide guidance in regard to helpful tips for choosing a tax preparer and you will find they favor accountants who have sharp technical acumen including an understanding of the cloud.

Overcoming the Temptation to Deviate from Work

The lack of oversight when working from home has made it somewhat difficult for CPAs and other remote workers to remain focused on the task at hand. Though some employers are monitoring employees through webcams and keystroke-counting technology, most have entrusted their personnel to prove their merit through the quality of their work.

CPAs who eliminate distractions and invest in high-quality home office equipment including comfortable work furniture have found their newfound autonomy is a boon rather than a temptation that leads to a decline in productivity.

Embracing the Challenge of Transitioning from Tangible Paper to the Digital Realm

The shift to WFH ramped up the transition away from tangible paper documents to those of the digital variety. CPAs working from remote locations now transmit documents through screens. Electronic portals have facilitated the sharing of documents and other accounting-related information, meaning there is no longer a need to print tangible documents on paper and use a pen to sign them.

Real-time Collaboration

Microsoft Teams, Zoom webcam meetings, and other software are making it surprisingly easy for accountants to collaborate with one another in real-time. Accountants have also found these tools have proven invaluable for interacting with clients, ultimately proving mutually beneficial for both parties. Every CPA will agree to coordinate a traditional in-person meeting with a client or colleague and having it come to fruition is much more difficult than scheduling a virtual interaction.

It is quite possible the era of WFH will forever change the way in which CPAs and other professionals interact with fellow accounting professionals, clients, and others. Real-time collaboration through computers and webcams will likely be the norm moving forward, regardless of whether the pandemic ends in a couple of months, a couple of years, or a couple of decades. Every professional, including those in the accounting space and the financial sector as a whole, agrees on virtual collaboration through software and the internet heightens efficiency by eliminating logistical barriers, ultimately maximizing the bottom line.

Overcoming the Challenge of Anomie

Plenty of professionals have felt somewhat anomic amidst the shift away from office work to remote work. Social bonds have weakened as a result of working in isolation. Those who live alone have endured especially strong anomie throughout the pandemic.

It is no secret that CPAs tend to be number-oriented as opposed to people-oriented, yet these professionals also need social connections. Real-time videoconferencing with co-workers, clients, and others has helped reinforce social connections, quelling those dreaded feelings of anomie though not completely eliminating them. Some CPAs have even gone as far as establishing virtual coffee breaks and virtual water cooler chat sessions during the late morning and afternoon hours to interact with co-workers.

Summary:

CPAs face a litany of challenges while working from home and in other remote locations. Those who prepare for the challenges of remote work and pivot accordingly stand the best chance of retaining clients while simultaneously adding to the bottom line.

Lyle Solomon is principal attorney for the Oak View Law Group in California. He has considerable litigation experience as well as substantial hands-on knowledge and expertise in legal analysis and writing. He has contributed to publications such as Entrepreneur, All Business, US Chamber, Finance Magnates, Next Avenue, and many more. You can contact him via email.

These topics and more will be discussed at the WSCPA Spark Technology Conference, on December 8-9. Learn more and register here.