Applications for firms and their clients don't have to break the bank.
Mike Marolt, a high-altitude skier who climbs 8,000-meter peaks around the world every six to 12 months, sometimes leaves his small Aspen, Colo.-based firm for two months at a time.
He's not Superman, but he does have the ability to look at his clients' computers from places untouched by most regular men using GoToAssist Express from Citrix Online.
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"Commonly I'll be out on a mountain top and there are certain things that are time-sensitive. I can tap into the system, run a payroll and pay the taxes. It allows me to be away and not impede on the business," Marolt says. "To leave for any more than two weeks was a huge risk to your practice and it was stressful. With this product it's hardly an issue."
Marolt beta-tested GotoMyPC a few years ago, but recently started using GoToAssist Express, which eliminates the need to load the program on each of his client's computers as long as they grant him permission to remotely tap into their computer the first time he uses it with them.
It costs $69 per month, or $660 annually, but a 24-hour pass is available for $9.95 for accountants who only need to use it on occasion, according to the company.
He often uses it to check in with his junior staff, eliminating some of the anxiety they may experience otherwise if he were out of the office for that long, and letting them watch him fix things so they could take over next time around. For example, he could show them how to adjust an entry in a tax return or change a pay rate for an employee.
"If they're at a computer, they can follow me as I fix the problem. I'm also training them, which is an essential one of the principals we have to adhere to," he says.
It also let Marolt hang on to a staffer who moved to Steamboat, 300 miles away.
"With the product, she was able to keep working for me and in fact increased her hours," he says. "It didn't result in us losing a great employee and CPA."
Yes, even firms that remain financially sound despite the economy don't want to throw tons of cash into technology investments. They're watching their dollars just like every other industry and want to ensure that the money they spend yields a return to their bottom line.
Digging deep into hidden treasure chests to discover some of the low-cost (and free) tools accountants are using to save time or money for their firm or for their clients, the findings run the gamut - from GotoAssist to access client files online to basic Web sites and blogs for better marketing to tools for managing IT security and an array of free Google apps.
