Last Updated November 25, 2022
It’s time to get real now. The year 2020 felt more unreal than ever with the pandemic. Undoubtedly we learned a lot i.e. how to tackle businesses online. Thankfully the CPA secure file share for remote work was one of the major reasons why the businesses were able to survive. Ever since the pandemic, 62% of Americans reported doing remote work, but now the unprecedented shift also posed a great risk to data protection.
To avoid the conflict between data management and uploading or downloading the documents, thinking you are going to mislead it all, businesses need to use secure file sharing for CPAs that allows them safe passage for uploading and downloading the document online.
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Best Remote Practice Begins With CPA Secure File Share
To keep things organized, the accountant needs to maintain and extend the team management beyond the paper transitions. Manual work is overrated in current times hence, shifting the manual power to the online CPA portals is one way to ensure all files are safely transmitted and shared with the desired client.
With everyone working remotely now, it’s easier to stay on track with the tasks and remove the confusion about the project’s status.
Put a document management system in place
A document management system (DMS) is a programme that keeps track of and stores digital copies of documents as well as paper copies. Additionally, it frequently has tools for allowing access, creating and updating documents, and auditing document usage.
A DMS frequently offers the following functions: storage, versioning, check-in/check-out, annotation, indexing, and full-text search. A DMS will set up a system for accounting businesses by customer, followed by year. Prior to deploying a DMS for your business, you should do some study. If you switch between numerous different systems, the initial time required for the transfer to a DMS will be prohibitive. My CPA Dashboard can help you efficiently go paperless.
Empower Your Staff
Your staff must share the same goals for document organisation and storage if you want a paperless office to succeed. You’ll waste a lot of time looking for missing files if your workforce isn’t fully on board.
Initial training should cover naming standards, best practises, and how files will be organised in the paperless system. You should periodically check in with your team at the start of the paperless system installation to detect any problems with the new system. All staff members should be informed at once of any updates.
Transform Client Communications into Digital
Despite the fact that some clients still want to get mail from their accountants, the number of clients who do so has dramatically decreased in recent years. Emailing clients reduces paperwork for both sides while giving you a record of all client communications and eliminating the possibility of letters going missing in the mail.
The majority, if not all, client interactions can be carried out digitally. You can send electronic invoices, financial statements, and requests for clarification. Zoom, Teams, and other virtual meeting tools can be used for clients who prefer in-person meetings.
Utilize e-signatures
Service agreements, engagement letters, and tax returns can all be digitally signed by clients thanks to e-signature technology, eliminating the need to print out physical copies of these documents.
Digital signatures are provided by a number of businesses, including My CPA Dashboard, Docusign and PandaDoc. E-signatures are integrated into some accounting and tax software. Customers will have to provide identification and consent to signing documents electronically. Compared to shipping your clients’ documents, having them sign them, and then having to wait for the documents to be returned via mail, the procedure is significantly faster.
Employ digital backups
Even the most effective filing system will occasionally have issues. Make sure your data is securely backed up so that it can still be accessed in the case of a server failure. Data backups can be stored locally or on the cloud. Your company’s storage requirements and financial constraints will determine the best backup strategy.
You will need to invest in an external hard drive or a specialised storage device if you choose to backup your data locally. Do your homework to choose the backup service that offers the functionality and price point that your business requires for cloud backups.
Ditch the printer
For accounting businesses that are accustomed to using paper, the step of the ditching the printer process can be the scariest. One of the most crucial steps in breaking completely from your former paper-based surroundings is giving up your printer.
Even though it could be tempting, you should still have one printer. There are still times when it’s necessary to communicate with clients on paper, print checks, or attach a wet signature to a document.”
Folder Structure
When you use My CPA Dashboard, the best thing about using this portal is that you can create customized folders for the types of documents you want to upload and share.
Creating separate folders for each project, the department will let you manage the information in a regular way. It means it will not be a new concept. The data will not be misplaced if you reopen the file again and again.
In the long run, once you share the files with your clients, it will prove to be beneficial. The file structure will optimize the workflow for the accountants.
Name The Files
Secure document sharing also means that you can name each file individually. Once you have organized the folders, you will be saving a lot of time. It will be easy to find the files under the categorized folders.
You can either choose a dating system or chronological order to arrange the files. Once the tasks are completed files can be uploaded and named under the desired folders accordingly. Another advantage of using the CPA secure file sharing is that it prevents outdated work from the very beginning.
Create Tags
My CPA Dashboard is an easy-to-use file-sharing system for all accountants and bookkeepers.
As a general remote practice, creating the tags for different folders is recommended too. This is for accountant use only. Once the tasks are completed, invoices are generated and final reports are shared with the clients, then it makes the accountant’s job all easier.
The purpose of tags is clear – it helps to keep the tasks and files organized. Even the remotely added team members can find the files easily.
Granular Permissions
Remote work can easily become tedious. To avoid this scenario and to stay organized and secure, file sharing with CPAs is a common practice. Using advanced easy to navigate software is compulsory at this point. Thus, My CPA Dashboard acts as the file-sharing platform allowing granular user permissions.
This means the accountant can only choose to select the customized viewing of the selective files to the clients or other team members on board. You can also customize the editing power of the file to the “viewership” only.
Scan important documents in
To go paperless you must convert all of your documents to digital format in order to reduce your paper waste significantly. This will take some time initially but with the help of My CPA Dashboard’s secure file sharing, your life will become a lot easier. Therefore, you must spend money on a scanner that suits your requirements.
Go Green
Although your team’s increased productivity may be driving your decision to go paperless, this is also an excellent time to reduce your environmental impact.
A paperless office uses a lot less paper than a business that still uses paper (obviously). But if you need to finish work offline, you may choose select ecologically friendly pens and ink.
Promote paperless transactions
Business owners may electronically submit and track invoices thanks to paperless invoicing. To prepare and transmit paperless bills, a variety of software tools are available.
Choosing a program and setting up paperless invoicing are both simple processes. Simply enter the details of your customer and the outstanding balance, and the application will create an invoice that can be printed or sent by email. For clients who pay you on a regular basis, you can also set up recurring invoices.
Benefits of Secure File Sharing
Save Money
According to recent studies, the average US worker uses 10,000 sheets of paper annually, and paper accounts for up to 70% of all trash generated by businesses. In the US, businesses spend about $120 million a year on printed documents, making paper one of their biggest expenses. Even so, you still have to purchase a variety of other office-related supplies to keep your business operating, such as toner, ink, envelopes, staplers and staples, copiers, fax machines, and more. All of those costs vanish if you go to a paperless workplace like My CPA Dashboard. Additionally, filing cabinets and storage boxes won’t be necessary once you aren’t dealing with any paper.
Save Time
With the help of My CPA Dashboard, you and your staff will spend less time each day on time-consuming operations like printing, faxing, mailing, and copying, freeing you up to focus on more crucial work and finish projects more quickly. Additionally, a paperless system will give you instant access to the documents you require rather than requiring you to search through file cabinets.
Improve Workflow
Workflow and team cooperation become easier when you go paperless in your business. With My CPA Dashboard, all of your information is available to you wherever you are, and you may collaborate on spreadsheets and shared documents at the same time. Utilize a computer or a mobile device to access client data while working from home or the office. To advance a client’s case, you don’t necessarily need to have the physical documents in front of you. Clients will notice the difference in the caliber and speed of service you can offer when you are able to work more effectively.”
How Does My CPA Dashboard Improves The Remote Work Quality?
To make the CPA’s lives easier, My CPA Dashboard adds the quality of work-life balance even if you continue to do remote work.
All files are safe and sound on the cloud storage, while the team stays organized. Whether you want one type of document or all financial documents by the end of the year, all uploaded information will be recorded and safe in cloud storage.
Additionally, using the latest CPA secure file-sharing software reduces the risk of breaches or accidental leaks of important and valuable financial information.
Organized Secure File Sharing For CPAs
Remote work is a lot easier now since the files are organized and easily searchable with My CPA Dashboard. The file structure (as mentioned above) is one of the basic and best features provided by the CPA Portal for Accountants.
The authentic crucial functions let the CPA access unlimited features and are able to share with the employees and the clients as well. So if you are looking for a paperless way of sharing files, then online cloud storage is available with just one click.
