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A Smartphone and a CPA Walk Into a Bar... and That Ain't No Joke!

Guest post by: Brian O'Connell

Article Overview: The smartphone is no toy, and it's no joke. It's a powerful marketing tool that can help you markedly improve your firm's productivity.

A Smartphone and a CPA Walk Into a Bar... and That Ain't No Joke!

You may or may not know that I build websites for accountants, so that's what I usually write about. Websites for accountants are an invaluable tool, so if you have a professional website your practice is already on the right track. The fight for improving efficiency is, for all practical purposes, unceasing. Your website is one of the most important instruments at your disposal in this conflict. But you really can't stop there.

To really succeed you need to look at a lot of other strategies. Most of these strategies are traditional and well known, but every now and then something new and exciting comes along. Something that I just have to write about because it represents an important new opportunity to change the way we do business, and the firms that spot and act on these new trends first will benefit from them the most. The "smartphone" is causing a change in the way services are being bought and sold, and CPA's need to start embracing it.

A lot of people think of smart phones as some kind of fad or toy. They're a status symbol for kids, and these young people often spend hours a day texting and playing video games on them. It's understandable that they are earning a reputation as "time sinks", but nothing could be further from the truth. In the hands of a responsible adult a smartphone becomes a powerful business tool.

Once you join the "smartphone revolution," you'll see why they're taking over. With this tool, your productivity soars - and you even strengthen your relationship with clients.

Smartphones Increase Efficiency

Work from Anywhere. It's especially true during the busy season - but this applies anytime of year: accountants are spending more time outside the office.

Whether they're visiting clients in their office, taking an afternoon to go to their daughter's ball game, or just working from home after hours, CPAs find plenty of reasons to leave the desk behind.

Smartphones make it much easier to do business away from your office. You have access to phone numbers, addresses, your calendar, and your email - all while getting your busy life done.

Not Ready to Start Hiring Again? When the recession hit, many accounting firms had to lay off staff - and they're not yet confident enough in the economic recovery to rehire.

Smartphones give partners a way to conduct the business of the office with fewer admins and assistants.

The smartphone's primary benefit is it's ability to radically improve your office's efficiency, but the marketing benefits of smartphones are becoming more pronounced every day. This brings us to my next important point...

Smartphones Strengthen Client Relationships

More and more, accountants are finding that their clients expect a return phone call right away. If a client calls in with a question, it's not acceptable to wait until you're back in the office to call them back.

A smartphone is critical for keeping that client relationship as healthy as you can. With a smartphone, the client's phone number and address are right at your fingertips, wherever you are.

And because you can sync a smartphone with your email, you're able to access lots of relevant information about your client, too.

50 Million Users Can't Be Wrong

There's no denying the popularity of smartphones. Here's a breakdown of the most popluar brands' market shares:

• Blackberry - 41.7%
• iPhone - 24.4%
• Microsoft - 13.2%
• Google - 13% (the Android operating system)

All told, nearly 50 million people in the United States use this technology, an 8.1% increase from earlier this year.

That's a lot of smartphones. And a year from now there's going to be a lot more.

Take Advantage of the Experts

There's only one catch: if you're not technically savvy, it can be a bit tricky to set up your phone to sync with your email.

But not to fear. Providers of websites for accountants do this all the time- and we can help. Let your Webmaster handle all the techie details.

Whether you choose a Blackberry, iPhone, or the up-and-coming Droid - join the smartphone revolution today. Your accounting or CPA practice will benefit.

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Article Tags: Accountants, Accounting, Android, Business Management, iPhone, Smartphones, Websites for Accountants



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