Excel’s Biggest Strength Is Also Its Biggest Weakness

We’ve all done it. Spent hours at our laptops creating the ‘perfect’ master spreadsheet for your team, only to drag it into the recycle bin the next day. When you were first starting out, you probably created a spreadsheet for everything client details, deadlines, software updates, you name it. But as your firm grows, it can quickly become an admin nightmare. Between finding information, remembering formulas, and let’s not forget that the longer your client list, the longer your columns and rows.

It also means that anytime you need to pull data from Excel, you have to find the right spreadsheet, the right client, and then the right rows and columns. Unfortunately, Excel’s biggest strength is also its biggest weakness – it’s everything for everyone. In fact, spreadsheet mistakes are so renowned that there’s an organisation called the European Spreadsheet Risks Interest Group (and get this their annual conference is sponsored by the ICAEW).

You don’t want your team wasting hours that could’ve been better spent elsewhere. So, what’s your next move? Well, moving onto a system that’s a bit more tailored to the accounting industry is a great step in the right direction.

You could implement a system that pulls in your clients’ compliance deadlines from Companies House, rather than hopping between different platforms and doing it manually. To save your firm even more time, you could use a system that offers email templates specifically for the tasks your firm’s working on like professional clearance and record requests. That way, you can get a chunk of your admin work running in the background, slashing it off your to-do list.

Bright’s cloud practice management system, BrightManager, does all of this and more. It turns the idea of searching for information on its head. Instead of finding the right spreadsheet, then the right client, then the right rows and columns, just go straight to the client file. From here, you can see the client’s details, emails, deadlines, and more. And because it’s cloud-based, everyone can work in the system in real-time, and access the system from a tab on an internet browser.

We’ve got a comprehensive task management feature, where all of your team’s incomings and outgoings flow through. Tasks can be easily delegated and broken down step-by-step, and can be filtered to your liking, becoming the heartbeat of your firm.

Bright provides a suite of industry-leading software solutions for accountants and bookkeepers across the UK and Ireland. Our multi-award-winning, user-friendly and innovative products let users support clients while profitably running their practices, with the backing of exceptional support. To find out more about BrightManager, or any of our other products, please book a quick (and free) demo below.

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This content may have been developed with the assistance of AI tools. Content is reviewed by a member of the Bright team before publication. Guidance on legislation can be obtained from your industry body.