Introducing Accountant Go

IRIS accountant go | Introducing Accountant Go
By Alan Gregory | 28th January 2019 | 14 min read

With over 42.5m smartphones in use in the UK today its clear they have has become the leading communications platform. The 2017 eMarketer report  suggests:

"More than 80% of the population will go online regularly in 2017. Nearly two-thirds will watch digital video and use smartphones, and over half will use tablets, access social networks and listen to digital audio." 

The increased use of mobile devices and the preference for and proliferation of apps can be viewed as an opportunity for practitioners. Relying solely on email or post and expecting clients to respond in a similar manner fails to recognise the reality of modern working practices. 

Traditional communications tools such as email and post have their limitations. Emails can often get buried in someone’s inbox and post adds significant delays to processes. What is required is a broad communications strategy where mobiles play a significant role. One where accountants and their clients communicate via mobile where appropriate and use other tools when required. 

Accountant Go is designed for accountants, to engage and communicate with clients as well as providing them with a single portal to access information and digital tools to help them succeed. The app provides a central branded place to put all IRIS products  for the accountant and clients. Accountant Go connects with the IRIS product portfolio such as IRIS Snap, IRIS OpenSpace, IRIS Suite, IRIS Insight and Kashflow.

Enhanced client communications

Client communication is essential and a range of technologies is required to ensure clients receive the message, in a timely way which works for them. For example a letter   may not be the most appropriate channel for mobile clients. The in-app messaging channel in Accountant Go allows practices to push notifications to clients reminding them of key events e.g the tax return deadline or to approve a document.

App messaging can form the cornerstone of marketing campaigns promoting additional services automatically with targeted messages released at regular intervals.

Increased collaboration 

Work closely with clients to ensure they are fully aware of issues affecting their business but can also provide feedback on your practice. Accountant Go enables  practices to create and manage bespoke forms and surveys, host documents, share information and provide powerful calculators that work out the basic (e.g. Income Tax Individuals) to the highly complex (e.g. Pay-as-you-go withholding tax).

Connectivity to IRIS Portfolio

Accountant Go connects to a range of IRIS apps such as IRIS Snap, a powerful Receipt Management service that digitises receipts, IRIS OpenSpace delivering document sharing and e-approval, KashFlow cloud bookkeeping and IRIS Insight enabling you to provide advisory services like business planning, forecasting and ‘What-If’ preparation.

While the use of mobile devices reached record levels in 2017 it’s unlikely to fall back from here. Rather we will expect to see an increase in the number of business apps used. With an increasing number of millennials entering the workplace, mobile platforms for business communications will become the norm. Practices who chose to embrace this technological and demographic shift will find improved client engagement, greater efficiency with a faster turnaround of jobs and increased client satisfaction levels.