If more business owners were aware of how productive their remote workers are, they might be more willing to truly accept this new work reality. Employees who work remotely won’t for sure consume time from commuting, have fewer social encounters, and have more time to balance their job and personal interests. That will surely result in productivity.
If you were thinking to start a virtual accounting firm or already have a virtual accounting firm. Let’s explore some productivity tools that will help the remote accounting employees do their job productively. Aside from work-balance, first let us know the main remote challenges:
Challenges of Remote Accounting
The future of working will feature more remote work, but as we all know that working from home has challenges as well. If you could identify those challenges, you will surely be ahead of those remote accounting firms. Aside from work-balance, the following are the main challenges that employees might face when working from home:
Communication
Effective communication is essential for any accounting team, but it can be challenging when working remotely. According to a survey by Accounting Today, 64% of accounting professionals cited communication as a significant challenge when working remotely. Remote teams may struggle to communicate effectively due to time differences, technical issues, and lack of face-to-face interaction.
Collaboration
Collaboration is another main challenge for remote accounting teams. According to a survey by Sage, 35% of accounting professionals cited collaboration as a significant challenge when working remotely. Remote teams may struggle to collaborate effectively due to the lack of face-to-face interaction, limited access to information, and difficulties with sharing files.
Technology
Technology is a component of remote work, and accounting professionals need access to reliable technology to perform their job properly. However, according to a survey by Robert Half, 40% of accounting professionals cited technology issues as a significant challenge when working remotely. Technical issues such as outdated software, and difficulty accessing files can lead to delays and frustrations for remote accounting teams.
Now that we know that remote worker mainly struggles into communication, collaboration and technologies so let’s talk about types of productivity tools should a remote accounting employee should have to overcome these main remote challenges.
Types of Productivity Tools Should Remote Accounting Team Should Have
Remote work can present unique challenges to team productivity, which can impact a company. To overcome these challenges, remote accounting teams must have the right productivity tools in place.
Communication Tools
Communication is important for remote teams, and accounting teams are no exception. According to a report by Buffer, communication issues are the biggest challenge for remote teams. Remote accounting teams need to communicate regularly to ensure everyone is on the same page and can collaborate effectively. Communication tools allow team members to share information, ask questions, and provide feedback in real-time.
Project Management Tools
Remote accounting teams must manage multiple projects, and without a clear overview of each project, it can be challenging to meet deadlines and achieve objectives. Project management tools can help accounting teams track progress, set priorities, and collaborate effectively.
Time Tracking Tools
Time tracking tools are essential for remote accounting teams. According to a survey by TSheets, 77% of employees who use a time tracking tool report higher productivity levels. Time tracking tools allow team members to track their time spent on each project, and managers can use this data to make informed decisions about resource allocation and project timelines.
Cloud-Based Accounting Tools
Cloud-based accounting software is important for remote accounting teams. These tools allow team members to access financial information from anywhere, at any time. Cloud-based accounting software can streamline accounting processes and enable remote teams to collaborate effectively.
Your accounting team will surely struggle to satisfy client needs if you don’t have the proper accounting workflow software for your firm. Here are the productivity tools that will improve your remote accounting firm:
Financial Cents
It is an accounting practice management software where it enables accounting firm owners and accounting project managers to assign tasks, inform assignees, manage clients, and monitor and track employee’s tasks.
Due to the fact that this project management software was made specifically for accountants, it is simpler for the managers of accounting firms to plan the several moving operation of their accounting system so their team can concentrate on offering top-notch client service.
Basecamp
You may track progress and manage the work schedule for your distributed team with Basecamp. You can establish projects for your team, assign tasks to your employees, and monitor who is and is not working on its home page. You may also create a list of tasks in Basecamp To-do lists and assign them to your associates for fast completion.
Wrike
Wrike supports teams in achieving their project management objectives by giving them access to everything they require in their dashboard to plan, carry out, and track work. It also offers access to real-time, reports of the project progress, and workflows, and tracks employees’ time.
Conclusion
Accounting professionals and their organizations need to address these main remote challenges to ensure remote work remains productive and efficient. By implementing a right productivity tools, your remote accounting teams can surely overcome these challenges and succeed in the new era of remote work.
