What's Next For Accounting? - Issue #142

Author

Jason Staats
July 05, 2024

🤖 The ChatGPT Desktop App is About To Make Your Team More Productive

The desktop app is now available to everyone on Mac (Windows later this year 😩).

And it makes accessing the power of GPT-4o easier than ever. Check this out:

You’re a junior accountant, entering retirement income into the tax software from an organizer but unsure if you’re entering it on the right screen.

Using the shortcut option + space bar you summon ChatGPT, have it pull a screenshot of UltraTax, and…

In less than 5 seconds you have a second pair of eyes to keep you from spinning your proverbial wheels.

To be clear no additional context was provided to ChatGPT. I didn’t teach it how to use UltraTax, or even tell it what program I was using.

Could you do those things? Absolutely. You could build a custom GPT with help documentation for Ultratax, QBO, whatever apps your team uses.

While the desktop app doesn’t do anything new, it makes access easier than ever. It’s just a keyboard shortcut away, and will fetch an image of what’s on your screen.

Related reading:

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📅 This Week

  • How to make use of AI when it isn’t as smart as you are

  • Guidde may be my new favorite SOP builder - it creates both a video AND text document for a process, solving for the problem of Loom only creating a video, and Scribe only creating text documentation

  • These are the unlocks that had the greatest impact on my firm Video Audio

  • A free audio background noise remover was just released by the leading AI voice generator

  • This chrome extension let’s you block certain sites during certain periods of the day, because you’re too distracted and don’t need a boat

  • I shared some advice for a firm that’s set to double in size this year Video Audio

  • Claude Artifacts may be the best new AI development of the year - next week I’ll run through an accounting app I built from scratch, and how it’ll enable your team to build custom software

  • Going Concern very kindly wrote an article about my IRS hold music album

🔮 Q&A

Last week we developed a template to explicitly define the services your firm offers. It’s the same approach I used to bring my 2k client firm a step closer to standardization. A few questions that arose:

Developing a service library seems like a lot of work. Is it worthwhile? Link
For my firm, the answer was a resounding yes. The process captures work you're already doing and defines the path to greater standardization. Absent any system, projects naturally wander in different directions over time. With a clearly defined service library, projects instead trend toward the standard.

I’m doing a lot of different things. How could this capture every little detail? Link
The goal is to document the most common aspects of your services, covering 90-95% of how work is typically done. For unique client situations, use a text field to note specific differences. This approach allows for standardization while still accommodating exceptions.

Now that I have this structure, should I build a menu for clients to choose from? Link
Self-selection usually isn’t the answer. You likely understand what the client needs better than they do. Instead, use your knowledge of services to guide clients towards appropriate options. Offer a few curated choices that would suit their needs, giving them a sense of control without overwhelming them with too many options.

Should I use this to present packages on my website? Link
Consider showcasing packages as examples of how you work, rather than fixed offerings with set pricing. This gives potential clients an idea of your services without anchoring them to specific price points or scopes. In my opinion most firms shouldn’t offer rigid service packages.

😍 From The Community

My private peer networking community Realize for firm leaders, and it’s now reached its cap of 500 members 🎉

▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▮ 500/500 members