The secrets of SEO for accountants
Every time a prospective client searches for accountancy practices near them, they see the following types of results:
- Advertisements: These are placed by businesses using Google Ads. This is known as SEM (search engine marketing) and it is an easy way to promote your website so that it appears whenever someone searches for specific keywords.
- Map of the area: If Google knows where you’re searching from, a map will pinpoint some local accountancy businesses. Try a Google search for “accountant near me” and you’ll see an example.
- Organic results: These are the websites that Google considers to be more relevant. You’ll want your business to show up at the top of this list. Some of the first results might be directories of accountancy practices so it’s important that your practice is also listed in those sites.
In order to appear at the top of the list of organic search results, your SEO needs to be up to scratch. It enhances your probabilities of being among the first organic results and, although it takes time, it is highly effective when done right. Below is a summary of four steps to follow to start optimising your website:
1. Set up a high-quality Google My Business profile
If you haven’t already set up a ‘Google My Business’ profile, do it now. Every small business should have one these days.
2. Fill your website with highly relevant content
One of the most effective ways of optimising your page for search is to look at the keywords people are using in your area and including them in your website. If you start a Google Ads campaign you will gain access to their Keyword Planner. Find more tips on relevant content in my blog.
3. Ensure consistency across directories and social media
Search engines also refer to directory websites such as Yelp and Yellow Pages to confirm details about your business. Be sure to have the exact same business name, address, and phone number in listings on all the important sites of this type.
Finally, look up your business on ‘Moz’ and check that your listings are verified, identify any duplicates you might find and get recommendations.
4. Seek great links, ratings and reviews
Never underestimate the power of great reviews - Google loves reviews because searchers love reviews. Politely ask your clients to share their opinion about your accountancy practice on these pages, and even send them direct links to the review pages to make it even easier for them to leave their feedback. See my blog for ideas on how to encourage clients to give positive web reviews which will boost SEO.
Why smart staffing is central to your accounting firm's future
Practices are finding it increasingly challenging to recruit, manage, develop and retain their employees - and also to provide a good working environment with a positive and clear culture.
Smaller practices may struggle to manage the day-to-day ‘HR’ issues alongside the challenges of delivering value to their client base. Larger practices can forget to manage and invest in their talent, resulting in it walking out the door to a more appreciative competitor.
Frequently, the resulting recruitment activity is ‘cavalier’. With the war for talent so strong, the recruitment process is often informal, poorly planned and executed.
In many cases, no detailed role profile is evident, no resource partner carefully chosen (or fees negotiated upon), no inclusive recruitment process agreed, and in a few cases, individual references are not are not taken at all.
Why are practices happy to pay extortionate recruitment fees to replace employees, but not to invest that same money into the development and nurturing of those same employees – making it a much harder decision for them to leave? Nurture = loyalty.
The MTD effect on roles
Making Tax Digital (MTD) is bringing us increasingly to the assessment of individuals. We see MTD as a catalyst for reassessing individuals’ roles and indeed dictating future employment profiles for new employees.
Processes and staffing will have to be reviewed/redeployed and, in our view, this is not a situation that is going to sit naturally and easily with most practices.
Speak to us
HR is one of only a few key pillars which fundamentally support a progressive and growing practice. As is highlighted by the paragraphs above, being able to successfully manage talent, innovation, collaboration and engagement across your practice, is quite often directly linked to the leadership given by a small handful of people within the practice.
We focus much energy and resource on leadership, helping our clients to develop their leadership capacity and leadership capital, helping people define themselves as leaders and supplying some practical skills knowledge that will support them in their journey as a leader. Our offering includes:
- Bespoke senior management and partner development
- Ensuring aspiring partners and junior partners understand their role and responsibilities
- 360-degree appraisal and benchmarking
- Arranging feedback from your employees and teams, without this you aren't best equipped to devise strategy
- Coaching and mentoring
- Managing, introducing and implementing team appraisal systems
- Staff and practice skill-set analysis to prepare for MTD and an increasingly digital age
If talent management and leadership are issues for you and your practice, please do come and meet the Foulger Underwood team on stand 490 at Accountex, on 1-2 May. If you’d like to speak beforehand, please email Julia Whistler at [email protected].
Foulger Underwood are a team of M&A and strategy consultants focused on the accounting, legal, trust and corporate service and wealth management sectors.
Evolve into the digital practice event
Nomisma accounting software group is hosting a seminar event entitled Evolve into a Digital Practice.
A spokesman for the company says: "We will be looking to guide through the sense of overwhelm that you may be feeling, when it comes to developing a digital strategy.
"There is so much talk in the accountancy media, about what you should be doing to embrace the cloud, so this morning session, will enable you to see the haze and start understanding how you develop your business."
Speakers at the event on Thursday 21 March at the Jumeriah Hotel, Kensington, London: Sign up HERE
Sumit Agarwal: Founder and chairman of the DNS group .
Dermot Hamblin: 20 years' experience of the UK accountancy scene. From the introduction of software into the sector through the numerous changes since.
The morning event is for accountants in practice, firms of up to 20 employees, who are looking to grow.
Up for discussion:
- The digital world we live and work in.
- What does a modern accountancy practice look like.
- Using Nomisma in your growth plans.
- How to evolve into a smart digital practice.
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Opportunity knocks but most accountants aren’t at home….
As fees for compliance work become more commoditised and clients get fussier about what exactly you are doing to “earn” your fee because their best friend is paying half as much as they are for “the same” work, you can feel somewhat deflated and begin to wonder if there is a future for you in accountancy.
Opportunity abounds out there for those accountants willing to move out of their comfort zone and consider upskilling whereby they can earn higher fees with less client badgering over those size of those fees.
One area that has tremendous potential is advisory work, but what kind of advice should you consider to move into dispensing?
Merger & acquisition (M&A) is a field that most accountants only find out about because one of their biggest fees and largest clients is leaving them due to be being acquired. Unfortunately the accountant has been largely cut out of the process from an earnings standpoint because the client simply didn’t think that the accountant “cut the mustard” beyond compliance.
M & A is often related closely to “corporate finance” and is a busy and crowded field but a lucrative one for accountants who put in the time and energy to focus and grow their expertise locally, regionally or beyond.
It takes on many formats, from grooming firms for sale to acting for buyers, either performing due diligence, searching for acquisitions or assisting with raising finance for deals.
A skilled negotiator can make a name for themselves, especially if they build up expertise in a particular sector where it can be easier for one’s name to spread.
It’s not easy money and it can take time to get your feet under the table but it does generate large fees that clients don’t’ quibble over, because they have a feeling of gratitude to you for assisting them in their achievement as opposed to simply knocking out statutory accounts that adds little value to their lives.
A good starting point is online networking on a platform such as LinkedIn or approaching brokers and agents who may be looking work hand In hand with a firm of accountants to boost their offerings, whether it is number crunching or driving business their way.
Some accountants join a business-builder-cum mentoring type of network or franchise that will give them training as well as exposure to firms that are growing and/or seeking an exit route.
A word of caution. Income can be uncertain and lumpy especially in the early years so don’t give up your day job yet, but build it up as an adjunct to your current practice. Do it right and perhaps you’ll end up selling your own practice to concentrate on the lucrative advisory business you have built up.
The big questions on value pricing ... answered!
Gordon Gilchrist, speaker and writer at 2020 Innovation Training was presenting in Manchester recently and a number of delegates approached him on the subject of value pricing, questioning how best to value price coud based services with their clients...
If you review accountancy firms’ websites and see how cloud-based services are being priced, you will see a number of firms are fixing a Bronze, Silver and Gold tiered service level at varying prices.
What is interesting is that, from a clients’ perspective, the service range looks very similar although the price range is incredible! Prices go from as low as £42 per month up to £8,000 per month, for what appears to be the same service.
This suggests that the client will more likely accept the price that an accountant quotes because the client trusts accountants more than any other professional adviser.
Because accountants have always behaved with the utmost integrity and honesty, we know that clients do accept their analysis and estimate of the fee.
Monthly subscription
The smartest firms seem to be those that are not fixing a fee from the outset for their cloud-based services (whether Bronze, Silver or Gold) but are inviting clients to run the service for three or four months and after that period, there is a monthly subscription quote that is transparent and acceptable to all parties.
Once the process has been run with individual clients for three or four months, the price will vary depending on the clients’ ability to capture data, organise their bookkeeping etc.
More and more firms are now taking their pricing models for their cloud based services off their websites. This is because it is almost impossible to adopt a fixed fee “one price to suit all” pricing policy for this type of service.
2020 have written a Value Pricing Guide to help educate and train accountants on this important subject.
Find out what 2020 has to offer and the benefits of membership
2020 Innovation provides innovative training and marketing solutions for progressive accountants and tax professionals. Members receive support in Business Advisory, Practice Development, marketing, Making Tax Digital, and new technologies, plus comprehensive CPD training in audit, accounts and tax related subjects. 2020’s priority is to help firms grow their client base, expand their service offerings and prosper in the changing environment.
Small business minister focuses on MTD at QuickBooks
Intuit QuickBooks today hosted 100 small business owners and government minister for small business, Kelly Tolhurst MP, at its London HQ.
As part of its commitment to champion and back the UK’s small businesses, the event was arranged to connect small businesses to government and discuss upcoming changes in the small business sector.
The event, open to SMEs from across the UK, saw Tolhurst share her vision for UK small businesses and her role in helping them navigate this period of change. Topics included Brexit, the imminent introduction of Making Tax Digital (MTD) for VAT and pressures around cash flow and payment terms.
Kelly said : “Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and central to our modern Industrial Strategy, and events like today are invaluable to be able to speak to small business owners and hear directly from them on their priorities and challenges.
"We’re introducing changes that will better protect small businesses and improve efficiency, including our new making tax digital plan.
"We know this is a big change which is why we’ve phased the implementation in order to give businesses more time to prepare, and with the right support, the right training and the backing of companies like QuickBooks I’m confident that these changes will lead to huge benefits for each business.”
Following her opening remarks, Tolhurst participated in a ‘fireside’ chat with Chris Evans, VP and country manager at Intuit QuickBooks, where they discussed the big opportunities for small business and the part digital can play in achieving them, before taking questions direct from the audience.
As part of her preparation for the event today, the Minister last week joined the team operating the ‘MTD Hotline’ at QuickBooks, to help answer questions from small business owners calling in to the free phone helpline.
Chris Evans reflects on the day; “Today was a great way for us to help amplify the voice of small businesses across the UK and give them the platform to be heard by the decision makers at the heart of Government. Our mission at QuickBooks is to continuously back small businesses by championing the things that matter to them such as improved cash flow, greater control of their data and better work-life balance. We believe that we can do this by working in partnership with our customers to develop solutions that solve their problems through our award winning products, customer care, training and events like today.”
Intuit QuickBooks is the global leader in cloud accounting solutions and is dedicated to backing UK small business through the transition to digital bookkeeping with its award winning customer support, range of integrated readiness tools and a suite of MTD compatible products, more details available at www.quickbooks.co.uk.
David Oliver joins British Accounting Marketing Awards judging panel
David Oliver is joining the high calibre judging panel of this year’s British Accounting Marketing Awards.
David, who is a member of the Executive team at MyFirmsApp, an author of 14 books and an international keynote speaker, will join a panel of seven judges that includes experts and influencers from across the accounting, marketing and entrepreneurial world.
This is the second year of the awards, and the programme is designed to maximise the visibility of accounting practices that have found new and successful ways to address the perennial challenge of marketing.
This year’s winners will be announced at Accountex, the UK’s leading exhibition for the accounting profession on May 1-2 at ExCel in London.
The judges will be looking to celebrate the great marketing that is being done by accounting firms throughout the UK and will be looking for those that are excelling in categories that include Best Event Marketing Campaign, Best Content Marketing Campaign, Best brand Building Campaign, Best Rising Star and Best Personal Branding Campaign. Last year, the Wow Company, RandddUK, AC Cloud and Falcon Accountancy were all award winners. Entries are encouraged from both practices and also industry suppliers and the deadline is midnight on March 15.
David Oliver commented: “There is a natural synergy between MyFirmsApp and the Awards programme and I am delighted to have been asked to join the judging panel. Today’s successful practices recognise the value in building great connections with clients and their prospects and nurturing those relationships to make the value proposition the best it can possibly be. Achieving a ‘MDSA’ or measurable difference and specific advantage in every firm’s marketing and client experience is key to success in today’s highly competitive climate.”
“Winning an award can open doors in getting contracts, attracting staff and boosting morale,” says Amanda C Watts, Founder of TwentyTwo Agency and whose brainchild the Awards are.
“The effect that great marketing can have on an accounting firm is significant. It attracts high quality clients that you enjoy working with and value what you do. It attracts high quality staff who thrive on working together and delivering a great service to your clients. It attracts attention, for you, the partners and their team, and for the industry as a whole.”
www.BritishAccountingMarketingAwards.co.uk
100 years since women broke the accountancy mould
Following the centenary celebrations in 2018 of voting rights for women, 2019 marks 100 years since the next step towards female equality - the opening of the professions.
The 1919 Act
While some bodies had started to admit women in the months before 1919, it was not until the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 that all professional accountancy bodies were forced to admit women.
Before that, bodies such as the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (ICAEW) would not allow women to take articles (effectively enter a training contract).
The impact of World War One
The question of admitting women had been a recurring issue for the various professional accountancy bodies which had begun to establish themselves in the 1800s.
But it was not until towards the end of World War One after women had replaced men called to the front in offices and practices, that the profession finally started to take active steps towards admitting women.
One Scottish accountancy body began by allowing women entry to their bookkeeping classes in 1916, while the Society of Incorporated Accountants and Auditors (which merged with ICAEW in the 1950s), agreed to admit women in October 1918.
The first woman admitted to the ICAEW
After the 1919 Act, the first woman admitted to the ICAEW was Mary Harris Smith.
Aged 72, and having had her own practice for much of her adult life, she was finally admitted as a fellow some 30 years after the rejection of her first application on the grounds of her gender.
The first woman admitted on equal terms
After 1919 and Mary Harris Smith, there was a delay of a few years as newly articled women started the process of sitting exams and completing their minimum three or five-year period of training. (The training depended on their previous level of education.)
The first to complete all these requirements was Ethel Watts, who was admitted to the ICAEW in February 1924.
Who was Ethel Watts?
Ethel was the eldest daughter of a Metropolitan police officer. She attended Bedford college and then Royal Holloway before signing up for her articles in August 1920.
In later life she recorded that it was Sir Harry Peat (whose father Sir William Peat is the P in KMPG) who suggested that she should try accountancy as a career.
A practice of her own
After qualifying, Ethel worked for Sir Harry for a year before setting up in practice on her own account. After a short period in partnership with another lady accountant, she ran her own practice until she retired in July 1961.
Contributing to the ICAEW
Having established her practice, Ethel began to get increasingly involved with the ICAEW.
Her papers held at the Women’s library at the London School of Economics show her writing in 1934 to inquire why female students were still being seated separately from the men in examination halls.
By the 1940s it was Ethel that the ICAEW turned to when they needed a female perspective on equal pay.
In the 1950s she was the first woman elected to the committee of the London and District Society of the ICAEW as well as becoming involved in the Chartered Accountants' Benevolent Association (CABA).
In 1962 Ethel represented the ICAEW at the Eighth International Congress of Accountants in New York.
Female networks
Ethel understood the importance of networking and was instrumental in setting up the Women’s Chartered Accountants Dining society in 1945.
This enabled women in the profession to meet and network at a time when, as one member put it: "Women accountants feel rather isolated, like mermaids sitting on a rock."
The world beyond accounting
Ethel didn’t restrict herself to accountancy. She was active in the Labour movement, and also campaigned for equal pay and the separate taxation of men and women. For many years she was chair of the Fawcett Society.
The march of the women
In the decades following the Act, the number of women in the profession increased slowly. By 1949, the ICAEW had only 125 female members compared to around 15,000 men.
By the time Ethel died in 1963, a total of 433 women had been admitted to the ICAEW, with a further 120 women articled as clerks - representing around 4 per cent of the total student body.
Where are we now?
One hundred years later, there are tens of thousands of female professional accountants in the UK. Representation does though vary between the professional bodies.
Figures published annually by the Financial Reporting Council show that, as at 31 December 2017, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) has the highest percentage of female members at 46 per cent. The ICAEW reported the lowest percentage of female members at 28 per cent.
On average, over all seven major UK accountancy bodies included in the report, 36% of members were female.
The position for tax
The future
How the gender balance in accountancy will evolve in the future can best be predicted from the student body.
Over the past 20 years the percentage of female students has gradually increased for all seven bodies, ranging from 43 per cent for ICAEW up to 57 per cent for ACCA.
Overall, by 2017 the seven bodies combined reported that 49 per cent of their combined student body were female.
It therefore seems not inconceivable that in 2019, 100 years after the way into the professions was opened, the student body of future accountants could finally represent both genders equally.
Intuit QuickBooks expands its MTD universe
It's today. It's exactly one month until every UK business with an £85k-plus annual turnover needs to be signed up for HMRC's making tax digital for VAT. Anything is possible!
Unsurprising then that one of the world's leading accounting software groups, Intuit QuickBooks, has been polishing its MTD narrative to near-perfection.
The story goes like this: Intuit has got the backs of the UK's biggest driver of economic success, small business. And, yes, you guessed it: Anything is possible!
QuickBooks provides entrepreneurs with all the technology necessary to do their books accurately, easily and digitally. From capturing receipts and tracking mileage to complying with the government's digital tax policy. Intuit can even make Excel spreadsheets digital-friendly.
Small business dynamos
Plus, it links the UK's legion of small business dynamos via an online network to the best business advisers in town, the accountants.
It's a win win... the business owner can get on with being entrepreneurial and the accountant no longer gets bogged down in number crunching.
But that's not all.
QuickBooks has partnered with a group of economists to prepare a report laying out the knock-on benefits of MTD. And they are not insignificant.
Physics genius
All this came to light this week at QuickBooks Connect, Intuit's coolly impressive annual London expo, which this year (at Old Billingsgate) had the group's latest product innovations sharing the stage with physics genius/presenter/author Brian Cox.
It proved a compelling mix and, alongside some weirdly warm February weather, had scores of small business folk and accountants scratching their heads, looking forward to the future and removing their winter coats in equal measure.
Brian is very Twitter-vocal on Brexit but he chose to stick with the simpler subject of explaining the universe at QB Connect...
Anyway, back to the report. The Productivity Payout: UK Small Businesses and the Digital Economy basically charts a digital roadmap that could "catalyse up to a £57bn productivity payout for UK SMEs over five years".
Net gains in turnover
According to the authors: "Making Tax Digital, the digitisation of VAT in April 2019 will immediately yield an annual benefit of £6.9bn, or £46bn over five years in net gains in turnover and growth for the UK economy."
The report by Volterra, an independent economic consultancy in association with Intuit QuickBooks, is basd on an economic model – based on predicted behaviours of small business owners as a result of social and financial drivers.
It demonstrates that once businesses integrate technology to become MTD compliant, a "digital snowball"effect is likely to occur as they experience so-called spill-over benefits.
Digital-led approach
Chris Evans, UK chief at QuickBooks, says: “Now is the time for small businesses to embrace digital with unabated optimism. Today’s report highlights that a digital-led approach will be transformational for small businesses, who are the backbone of the UK economy.
“For those businesses, the transition to digital will not be without stumbling blocks. However, it presents a huge opportunity to streamline operations, drive efficiencies and simplify tax. It will enhance cashflow management and allow them to get paid faster and access capital to grow, powering prosperity across the UK.”
The model predicts the largest productivity benefit of digital adoption will be felt by London and the south-east.
Review and experiment
Peter Jarman, of PJCO Accountants, Sussex, adds: “Using new technology and software was in the first place new to us, but we hired a new graduate workforce who were able to review and experiment with the software before coming back to us with a suite of software that served our needs. I then felt confident in our ability to use it to help our clients.
“The benefits of getting stuck in and using online software has been almost endless. No longer do I need to contact clients for their records and can review their books at any time from anywhere. I can even integrate other business apps seamlessly to save time and money.
“I can see how that one small nudge from something like MTD will be a pivotal moment in the digital revolution for businesses in the south-east. I’d encourage all small businesses to take on all the support offered and tackle the hurdles – the benefits are more than worth it.”
QuickBooks ups the ante on MTD
Intuit QuickBooks has announced that its full Making Tax Digital (MTD) product suite is now live.
In a product demonstration on stage at QuickBooks Connect London, VP and UK country manager, Chris Evans, and head of product Europe, Shaun Shirazian, showed how both accounting professionals and small businesses can use QuickBooks, now, to file in compliance with the biggest tax compliance change in a generation - HMRC’s Making Tax Digital for VAT.
Included in the MTD product suite is QuickBooks’ Bridging Software. Bridging Software enables small businesses and accounting professionals to use spreadsheets to file their VAT through QuickBooks in compliance with MTD filing requirements. For small business customers using spreadsheets, the process remains easy and familiar, while adhering to HMRC’s MTD filing rules. Bridging Software is ready to use, now, for small businesses and accounting professionals.
Shaun Shirazian, Head of Product Europe, said: “Accounting professionals and small businesses are looking to the software industry to make MTD easy. After conducting numerous pilots, through listening to the feedback of our customers and by working closely with HMRC, we have optimized and iterated QuickBooks and built a best-in-class solution ready for the MTD generation that is available to QuickBooks users. As digital tax is embraced, our next challenge is to help small businesses and accounting professionals put digital at the heart of their business to help them supercharge productivity, run and grow their business.”
Both the MTD for VAT and Bridging features are included for free in all QuickBooks Online subscriptions*. QBOA users have access to reduced QBO subscription pricing as part of QuickBooks’ ProAdvisor loyalty programme.
In solving for MTD, QuickBooks developed tools to help accounting professionals and small businesses save time in the VAT work flow.
Firstly, unique to QuickBooks and launched as a pilot on Tuesday, SmartCheck helps accounting professionals and small businesses save time by identifying common mistakes as small businesses submit their VAT return. Secondly, Smart Notifications which launches soon, is a system that notifies accounting professionals when their clients need to file for VAT, pulling in due dates and automatically creating tasks in Practice Management. Both tools are included in the QuickBooks Online subscription.
QuickBooks research shows small businesses and accountants need support as they transition to MTD. As a result, QuickBooks has launched and MTD hotline, which can be reached at 0808 168 4238, 9-5 Monday to Friday.
Flat Rate Scheme is currently not live in the MTD product but will be available soon. Accountants currently can’t file for themselves, but this will also be available soon.
- SmartLook: QuickBooks adds to its award-winning customer service with the addition of SmartLook, virtual customer service now available for accounting professionals. With the click of a button, accounting professionals can speak, live, to a customer service agent who can use video technology to help with troubleshooting, tech support and questions around getting data into QuickBooks. SmartLook will give accounting professionals additional confidence that they can get fast, accurate answers when facing technical problems managing a clients’ books.
- QuickBooks Online Advanced Payroll: QuickBooks announces an advanced, feature rich payroll product, QuickBooks Online Advanced Payroll. QBO Advanced Payroll solves for accountants and payroll bureaus that manage multiple businesses with complex payroll needs. Available now in QuickBooks Labs, QBO Advanced Payroll provides a route to payroll automation, a streamlined pension experience and a self-service portal for employees, including a mobile app. QBO Advanced Payroll is a different product, but complements the existing QuickBooks Online Standard Payroll, a simpler payroll solution.
- Client Overview: Now available in QBOA, Client Overview is designed to help accounting professionals win new client business. Accounting professionals often review a new prospect’s digital accounting records to understand how much work will be required to perform a one-time clean up and how much work there will be to maintain the books on an ongoing basis. This work can take hours, but using Client Overview within QuickBooks takes that down to minutes by showing accountants everything they need on one screen. From additional services that might be required, to the volume of transactions on a monthly basis, to how recently the books were reconciled, accountants can now use Client Overview to more confidently price their services and help their clients understand what is behind that pricing.
- Statement Auto-Import: QuickBooks research shows 35 percent of an accounting professional’s time is spent chasing clients for the assets they need, such as bank statements, to get work done. Available now in beta, when a client connects a financial institution to QuickBooks to download transactions, QuickBooks automatically imports bank statements, too.
- Client Benchmarking: Going live soon, this feature will help accounting professionals deliver more value to their clients by leveraging data on the QuickBooks platform to instantly provide deep insight into how a business is performing relative to peers¥. Client Benchmarking will recommend actions for accounting professionals and their clients to consider in order to make them more profitable and increase their cash flow.
QuickBooks Product Innovations for Small Businesses and Self-Employed:
Also announced today are a number of innovations that will be coming soon to help Small Businesses and the Self-Employed put digital at the heart of their finances.
- Receipt Capture: QuickBooks announces Receipt Capture will launch soon across its entire line up. An accountant, small business or self-employed can use mobile to snap a photo of a receipt, and QuickBooks will automatically import and match it to a transaction. This helps users track receipts on the move, attach receipts to invoices, eliminate lost or damaged receipts, and store them for easy reference. By taking on the burden of managing receipts, QuickBooks gives users time back to focus on running and growing their business.
- Mileage Tracker: Keeping a log and manually tracking mileage can be a major pain point for small businesses and the self-employed. QuickBooks first launched Mileage Tracker to Self Employed customers in QBSE as an easy and automatic way track their work miles. QuickBooks has since tracked over 1.4 Billion miles in business travel around the world, finding customers more than 560 Million Pounds in deduction savings. Today, QuickBooks announces Mileage Tracker will be available soon across its entire product line up.
- Open Banking: Open Banking in QBO is coming. The opening of bank APIs enables QuickBooks to give customers unprecedented levels of control in the automation of their finances. It also opens up significant time savings, innovation and partnership opportunities that will revolutionise how technology shoulders the burden of financial management. QuickBooks today announces Open Banking connectivity will soon be live with the five top small business banking account providers – Lloyds, HSBC, Barclays, Santander and RBS / NatWest. Functionality is currently being tested with a group of QuickBooks customers and will be generally available soon.