{"id":14175,"date":"2018-11-07T08:00:08","date_gmt":"2018-11-07T14:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/taxprocenter.proconnect.intuit.com\/?p=14175"},"modified":"2018-10-31T10:37:17","modified_gmt":"2018-10-31T15:37:17","slug":"tune-up-your-practice-prior-to-tax-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/accountants.intuit.com\/taxprocenter\/practice-management\/tune-up-your-practice-prior-to-tax-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Tune Up Your Practice Prior to Tax Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

When is the last time you really took stock of your workflow for tax season? Now that you have a little more free time and fewer clients breathing down your neck, it’s a good opportunity to review your current processes and tools before the season gets started again.<\/p>\n

I highly recommend you start your evaluation process by writing out a detailed step-by-step workflow on how you prepare a tax return. This can look slightly different for new vs. existing clients, so I recommend you write out a separate workflow for each. And when I say step-by-step, I mean every touchpoint from the initial contact to data collection to delivering the finished return and getting paid.<\/p>\n

Once you have this process all written out, go through each step and rate how your firm gets through each step using a scoring scale of one to five:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Needs a lot of improvement<\/li>\n
  2. Could use some work<\/li>\n
  3. Okay<\/li>\n
  4. Good<\/li>\n
  5. Smooth sailing<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Rating your performance helps you see which part(s) of your process could\/need to be more efficient for the upcoming tax season. Ask yourself: Can anything be automated? Is there a step in the process that always causes delays?<\/p>\n

    If your office has staff, take this time to identify who is responsible for each step and evaluate whether they are the right person for the job. Get the staff involved by having them rate each step as well to help you get different perspectives on what could be improved in your firm\u2019s process.<\/p>\n

    Going through this step every year has been the biggest enabler of growth for my firm; it has allowed me to see exactly where my strengths and weaknesses lie, and what technology or staffing I need to put into place to be more efficient for the next tax season.<\/p>\n

    Now that your workflow is all mapped out and you know who\u2019s responsible for each step, it\u2019s time to explore the technology that will make the process run like a well-oiled machine.<\/p>\n

    Which tax software will you use for this upcoming filing season? Take the time now to evaluate your tax program to make sure it will not only fit your budget, but also your current client needs and the needs required for your expected growth. Intuit\u00ae ProConnect\u2122 has cloud-based software \u2013 ProConnect Tax Online<\/a> \u2013 that can make running your tax practice a snap from any computer that has an internet connection.<\/p>\n

    As you test out different options, prepare a few practice returns using your most complicated tax returns from the prior tax season, comparing how the new software you are evaluating stands up to your existing software. Ask the following questions:<\/p>\n