Are tedious manual tasks slowing you down and hindering your progress? We understand the challenges of running a practice, and those mundane tasks floating around only make it that bit more difficult. Thankfully, there’s a solution to this – automation.  

Automation has revolutionised the way we approach running payroll, receipt collection, and producing year-end accounts for clients. Thanks to automation, these once frustrating tasks have become easier to manage and complete. But with so many solutions out there, it can be difficult to pinpoint where to introduce automation – and that’s what we’re here to help with today. Take a look at the 6 manual tasks we advocate every accountant should streamline to discover benefits like improved accuracy and time-saving: 

6 tasks every accountant should automate from the get-go  

1. Invoicing  

Creating and sending invoices – does it get much more repetitive? Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be this way. By using an accounting software, you can quickly create, edit, and customise invoices that can be emailed straight from your accounting package. By using Bright’s bookkeeping software as an example, the software also allows you to check if invoices have been paid or not and gives you the option to set up recurring invoices. 

2. Payroll services 

Say goodbye to the time-consuming task of running payroll with an automated system. Using BrightPay payroll software as an example, you can calculate employee wages and manage deductions like pensions and work schemes with ease. Plus, employees can securely access their payslips online through a convenient smartphone app. 

3. Receipt collection  

Say goodbye to the long evenings and stress of sorting through countless boxes of receipts during tax season. With data extraction tools, you can simplify the process by capturing and storing all your clients' paperwork online. Dext Prepare offers an easy solution - your clients can submit their receipts through the app at the point of sale. As an accountant, you can simply log in, approve the expenses, and send them directly to your bookkeeping package. 

4. Cash flow forecasting  

With increased automation you can gain a greater insight into financial performance and offer value-added reporting services to your clients. Reporting and analysis tools help to assess key performance indicators including cash flow, profitability, and growth. Using a bookkeeping software, your clients can access user-friendly reports through the software itself and view the key figures through professionally displayed dashboards.  

5. Payments  

Say goodbye to late payments with the power of automation. An online payment services makes collecting recurring direct debit payments a breeze, freeing up your staff to focus on more pressing matters. With less time spent on debt collection and cash flow improvement, your firm can thrive like never before. 

6. Practice management  

With the daily tasks of running your practice, it's easy to get bogged down in administrative tasks, client onboarding, and recurring emails. Fortunately, there's a solution! Practice management software, such as BrightManager, can help you automate these tasks and streamline your practice. With BrightManager, you can assign tasks to your team, track project timelines, set deadlines, automate emails, enhance client onboarding, and more.  

Just know, we know how difficult it can be to choose the right tools...let alone how daunting it is to shake things up with new processes. But trust us, it's a step you'll wish you took sooner. Our advice? Take advantage of free demos and trials to gain a sneak peek and make sure it's the right fit for your practice - before making the financial commitment. 

To start (and hopefully conclude) your search for the automation-leveraging tools we’ve covered in this blog, why not look at Bright’s solutions?