Practice Management Software Offers Varied Options
By Scott H. Cytron, ABC
Covering the subject of practice management software in today’s CPA and accounting firm is similar to covering the topic of multiplicity … there is no one software program devoted to just practice management like there is for other software. Previously covered markets for accounting software in AS411.com’s The Insider include nonprofit, manufacturing and property management.
Practice management is the process of improving the way an accounting firm is run. Taking the practice management topic generically, it also applies to the operations of a law firm, medical practice and any other professional services’ endeavor. Within practice management in the accounting industry, topics touch on time and billing, human resources, sales and marketing, and many other areas.
When practitioners talk about practice management, they are, in many cases, more often concerned with how to further develop their practice. This requires a solid infrastructure, including a contact database.
“Most practice development programs within the CPA firm environment can be categorized in one of two ways,” says Jeffrey S. Pawlow, CEO and managing shareholder of The Growth Partnership. You have 1) Ready – Fire – Aim. In other words, just throw something up against the wall and hope it sticks; and 2) Ready – Aim – Aim – Aim, never actually pulling the trigger to commit to the activity that warrants success. Both of these scenarios are driven by the underlying fact that PD has not been professionalized within the industry.”
What about other types of practice management? In his 2004 Practice Management Solutions Overview in The CPA Technology Advisor, Michael Mango says, “While important and essential to the management of a practice, tracking time and expense, billing, managing payments and receivables, and analyzing data, is only the beginning.”
He says firms need to manage the client relationship. “Some firms need only notes about clients, projects and contacts with follow-up dates. Other firms want to track birthdays, newsletter inclusion, hobbies, marketing efforts and more. At the same time, firms increasingly recognize the time savings resulting from keeping as much client information as possible in one place – on their computer. More and more firms are going paperless, using document management technology for savings beyond time.”
Based on Pawlow’s and Mango’s thoughts, it’s clear that practice management can take many forms and provide various outcomes. However, technology is still at the core of many of these processes. According to AICPA’s PCPS Firm Practice Center, the PCPS’ Top 5 Issues Survey consistently shows that firms, especially sole practitioners and small offices, are very concerned with keeping up with technology.
In researching this article’s list of practice management software, it became very clear that programs spanned the gamut from vendors who offer smaller contact database applications all the way up to robust components within larger accounting-household-name providers. Anyone working in the business typically thinks of several Best Software or Sage titles, with ACCPAC (Best) and CPASoftware (Sage). Both of these programs have various components for practice management within their larger suite of accounting software. Another fairly robust program is Caseware.
There are also other larger vendors that aren’t well-known accounting names have stand-alone programs as well, such as LexisNexis who now owns Time Matters, a fully functioning stand-alone time and billing software program.
That leaves the market open for smaller vendors – and there are plenty of them. Still, most of the smaller applications delve either into time and billing, or contact management, such as setting appointments or managing a database.
Years ago, a CPA offered some very valuable advice that still makes sense. He said the best practice management effort a firm of any size could do was to exchange information with, and learn from, other firms, a.k.a., networking. Best practices in practice management were better learned from firms that were experiencing growth and prosperity. Today – some 15 years later and with a multitude of software titles to help with the practice management function – this still serves as sound advice.
Practice Management Software
AccountMate 6.0 for SQL - AccountMate Software
A1 Integrated Business Software – Computer Support Experts
Abak, Abak Enterprise and Abak Pro – Groupe AGI
ACCPAC Advantage Series, Corporate, Enterprise and Small Business Editions – ACCPAC (Best Software)
AccTrak21 – AccTrak21 USA
Advance 2000 - Advanced Professional Solutions Limited
Adversaria Financials - One Net Avenue Systems Inc.
AXS-One Financials Encumbrance Accounting - AXS-One Inc.
BillQuick 2004 – BQE Software, Inc.
Bizwiz Consulting Products – Bizwiz Consulting Group Ltd.
CaseWare Time – CaseWare International Inc.
CheckMark Payroll – CheckMark Software, Inc.
Complete Commercial General Contractor Management System – SurfN Development Corporation
CPA-Imaging – Cogency Solutions, LLC
CS Professional Suite – Creative Solutions (Thomson)
Deltek Vision – Deltek Systems, Inc.
Data Magic – Corporate Logic Software
ENCORE2002 Clinic Software – Encore eServices
Envision Accounting And Services Management – EmeraldKey Technologies, Inc.
enVisual SQL – enSynergy
Epicor Enterprise – Epicor Software Corporation
ERP-GOV – T&E Software
Exact e-Synergy – Exact Software North America
E-Z Schedule Appointment Manager – E-Z Schedule.com
FACT Accounting For Windows – FACT Software International Pte Ltd
Imaginetime – Both Worlds Software, Inc.
L.A.W.S./L.A.W.S. Pro – DeskTop Business Solutions
MasKey – Reliable Group
Numera Profit Express – Numera Software Corporation
Office Tools Pro – Office Tools Pro
Office Manager – Muscinc.com
Online Appointment Manager - AppointmentQuest
Orion – ICICI Infotech Inc.
Patrick ERP – Mae Systems
PowerPitch – Synoptim Technologies Inc.
PracticeMaster – Software Technology, Inc.
Professional Services Automation (PSA) – OpenAir
ProSystem fx – tax.CCHgroup.com
Refueling sales automation – Novosoft
ScheduleView – ScheduleView.com
Staff Trak – Netcom North, Inc.
Task Manager – Orbisoft.com
Time and Work Tracking – Clockware
Time2Money – AccountantsOffice (AccountantsWorld)
Time Matters Software – LexisNexis
TradePac Software – TradePac Software Pty Ltd
Visual Practice Management – CPASoftware (Sage)
About Author:
Scott H. Cytron, ABC, is an accredited communications and public relations consultant working in the accounting, healthcare, high-tech and finance industries. Co-author of AICPA’s 2004 Top Technologies, he can be reached at scott@cytronandcompany.com or through his Web site, http://www.cytronandcompany.com .
Note: Bryan Cytron contributed to this article.
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