Furthermore, when we take the time to think through how to implement cloud technology and automation into our businesses, it not only enhances our clients\u2019 experience, but that of our teams. Cloud technology helps our employees connect and communicate with clients and colleagues, and focus on strategic, meaningful interactions \u2014 rather than being stuck behind the computer. As a result, a whole new world opens up for us to deliver our services in innovative ways that are bound to delight our clients and empower our teams to do their best work.<\/p>\n
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As an example of delivering meaningful services, I remember a client I had years ago when the construction industry was hit hard in South Florida. When everything began to foreclose and construction stopped, their business took a hard hit. One day, my client called me and said, \u201cI only have $200 to pay you this month \u2014 will you still meet with me so I can review the numbers with you?\u201d That struck me hard. With the last $200 that they had that month, they still wanted to spend it with their accountant.<\/p>\n
This experience was the biggest compliment I could have ever received. It showed that I was a valued part of their business. How many of your clients would want to spend their money meeting with you because what you deliver is critical to them making the decisions they need to stay healthy as a business?<\/p>\n
Technology is now giving us the opportunity to step out from the computer, and have these real conversations to make an impact and create more fulfillment in the work we do. We have all been trained in this. We have thousands of hours of expertise that we have built up over our careers. However, we can\u2019t assume that communication is easy. Communication is as much of a skill as our technical expertise, but we don\u2019t dedicate as much time to working on our interpersonal relationship skills as we do on keeping up on regulatory and technical training.<\/p>\n
Training is Key<\/b><\/p>\n
According to the World Economic Forum jobs report, workers will need an average of\u00a0101 days of learning<\/a>\u00a0over the five-year period ending in 2022 \u2014 about 20 days per year \u2014 to keep pace with technological advancements. The top skills in demand include analytical thinking and innovation, active learning and learning strategies, creativity, originality, initiative, technology design, programming, and critical thinking.<\/p>\n This is a wake-up call to review how we\u2019re currently training our teams so that we\u2019re ready for this shift in technology and can take advantage of what it offers. What has always been true, and will continue to be true, is that technology can never replicate our human advice and connection. The accounting profession remains highly trusted, and we can\u2019t risk losing sight of that valuable personal connection that people crave.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to enhance your soft skills, such as collaboration and active listening, along with your analytical skills. Plus, adding in non-traditional training, such as painting or even music, can start building the creativity muscle to help with innovative thinking and deliver new service lines.<\/p>\n I encourage you to rethink your learning this year to include interpersonal and analytical skills, as well as time for outside activities that your teams can participate in together and build their creative sides to unlock innovation.<\/p>\n As we put more attention into these important skills, we can start creating new service lines in our practices that deliver more proactive, real-time analysis of our client\u2019s business, and allow the technology to do the heavy lifting of the compliance work. We can smooth our revenue cycles so that we are billing our clients on a recurring basis, meeting with them on their current issues and opportunities, and delivering an advisory relationship in which you earn a lifelong client because they can\u2019t imagine not having you and your practice as a part of their business.<\/p>\n Editor’s note:<\/strong> This article was originally published in Accounting Today<\/a><\/em>. You can hear more from Amy on this topic in the below video.<\/p>\n