The Perfect Gifts For The Accountant

Isn’t technology a wonderful thing?

Today, we need never be out of touch with the office just because we’re not there, especially with the popularity of a certain Canadian product, the Blackberry, or ‘Crack-berry’ as it is affectionately known by users.

I certainly would not be without mine at any price.

In recent times, I have been to the UK, where, thanks to my Blackberry, I was able to field an email inquiry from New York about a possible speaking engagement that otherwise I would have not seen for over two weeks.

More recently, when traveling across Canada on my recent book tour to promote my new book, ‘The Succession Planning Toolkit’ to practitioners across this vast nation of ours, I was able to receive an email inquiry about leading a Partner retreat in Nassau, respond to it, and get the dates secured for the client. (Yes, I know – it’s dirty work, but somebody has to do it!)

A truly valuable tool indeed.

Even when I next go to Bangladesh to speak to CAs over there, I can go safe in the knowledge that my little blue device will be going with me and that I will still be able to send and receive emails (and phone calls for that matter).

It leads me to thinking how practitioners might use this device to improve client service.

For some, the thought of being constantly available by telephone or email to clients, might not sound too appealing, but it does have an ‘off’ button, and when used sensibly it need not interfere with our family lives.

Indeed, being more readily available for our clients is a huge advantage that practitioners should work towards, as one of the most often quoted reasons why clients change accounting firm is if their existing accountant is not sufficiently available to them.

What better way to demonstrate that we really do want to be accessible by our clients than investing in one of these hand-held devices?

In my own case, I can link the Blackberry to my laptop and update my calendar in Outlook for any appointments I might have booked when on the road, and my hand-held is also updated for any appointments my assistant might have booked into my hard drive while I was away.

I can download all 7,000 plus names, addresses and telephone numbers onto my hand-held and never be without an important phone number, email address or web site address. And these get updated too when linked to the laptop or desktop – wherever you keep your main files.

With a blackberry (provided you subscribe to this optional part of the service) one can sit outside a prospective client’s office, review their database record, then hop onto the web and look at their web site before going into a meeting. Marvelous!

When I first started in public accounting, the latest piece of technology in the office was a photocopier.

How times have changed.

The next most significant change I have seen is the huge surge in popularity in the might iPod.

I have to confess I have had one for quite some time. I do listen to a lot of music on it, but that is not why I value it so much. I have downloaded many of my business audio books onto it so that I can listen to them when I am driving around the Province to meet clients, candidates and so on Yes, I could (and still do, in fact) keep the CDs in my car, but when I am flying across the country or around the world, it’s great to have my business audio books on my iPod so that wherever I go, they go too.

I also discovered ‘Podcasts’ this year, and use several sources of great new business ideas this way – downloading free Podcasts to my iPod and listening to them on the road and on the plane too.

Today, the modern practitioner has a vast array of techie-toys designed to make our business lives so much easier, efficient and, as a direct result, more profitable too.

So what would I recommend for today’s practitioner? It is a question I often get asked at my seminars, by practitioners who really want to leverage their time.

With the holiday season just a few short weeks away, if your ‘significant other’ is wondering what to get you for a gift, you might want to leave The Bottom Line around open at this page in the hope that they get the hint!

So, here is my ‘Christmas Wish List’ for you all:

· Blackberry 7290 (with world phone and web browser) – for the reasons mentioned above
· Bluetooth earpiece – to use the Blackberry phone feature hands-free in the car
· ‘Act!’ Or ‘Gold Mine’ database software
· Laptop computer – to take your presentations anywhere in the world
· Wireless slide advancer – to work your PowerPoint presentation without using the mouse
· iPod & iTravel – to download business audio books and listen to them in the car

I doubt that you will get all of these, but just one of them can help to make your work life that much more efficient and profitable to boot!

To all Bottom Line readers who have been kind enough to take the time and trouble to write me, call me or email me, thank you. Getting your feedback and encouragement, disagreements and opinions is very valuable to me.

Season’s Greetings to you all. See you next year.