COVID-19 has changed the accountant-client relationship forever. Brought to you by Sage Accountant Cloud.

For accountants, the coronavirus pandemic has presented a unique bind. On the one hand, clients have been asking for and needing more hands-on, personalised attention than ever before. Yet at the same time, remote work has put an end to the face-to-face meetings around which so much advisory and accounting work revolves.

Practices have had to adapt in real-time, digitising workflows, databases and everything in between, all while helping their clients face unprecedented challenges.

“Trends towards digitisation and cloud-based systems were already playing out, but COVID-19 has accelerated things profoundly,” says Chris Pattas, Sage Accountant sales director. “A five-to-10-year process has happened in six months.”

“Trends towards digitisation and cloud-based systems were already playing out, but COVID-19 has accelerated things profoundly.”Chris Pattas, Sage

Challenges in going digital

Pattas outlines three main challenges facing accountants as they transition to the digital era.

First, a piecemeal approach to digitisation may mean client information is often spread across multiple systems and locations. Next, accountants are finding it difficult to fine-tune and optimise their practices because of inflexible and incompatible applications. And finally, the promise of digital automation is being thwarted by code-heavy software packages that are difficult to use.

“Sage Accountant Cloud addresses all of these challenges head on by collecting all your client information and accounting applications in the one rich, extensible cloud platform,” says Pattas

Built with a no-code ethos

Rather than creating the system from scratch, Sage has built its platform on top of Salesforce, the world’s leading client relationship management technology.

“We’ve taken the best parts of the Salesforce system and tweaked it so that it responds specifically to the needs of Australian accountants,” Pattas says.

Key to Sage Accountant Cloud’s appeal is the platform’s scalability and flexibility.

“The platform has been designed so you’re getting the same level of functionality whether you’re a national firm or a single-person operation.”

Built with a no-code ethos, the system can be easily customised with thousands of single click plug-ins and apps. As a result, it becomes possible to automate processes that previously might have demanded hours of painstaking number crunching.

Face the new normal with confidence

“Rather than copying and pasting data from one system to the next, all those applications you already rely on are seamlessly integrated into the one platform,” explains Pattas. “It also means you can guarantee that client information is up-to-date and ready-to-go.”

“All those applications you already rely on are seamlessly integrated into the one platform.”Chris Pattas, Sage

But, for Pattas, this change to cloud platforms is more fundamental than simple operational efficiency.

“While working from home has come with its challenges, it’s also brought some positives, too: more flexibility, more time to spend with family. We are probably never going back to the way we used to work, but Sage Accountant Cloud means you can face this new normal with confidence.”

Find out more about Sage Accountant Cloud at Sage.com/en-au/cp/caanz