Managing an accounting firm requires keeping everyone on the same page. You need practice management software that will empower you, your team, and your clients to work together easily at every step. Canopy offers the tools for you to communicate effectively, track how your time is being spent, and provide an ideal client experience.
The best accounting firms have many things in common but one of the most important characteristics they share is organization. Managing tasks, time, documents, and vital client information is no easy feat but can be done with the right practice management solution.
When you and your team are working hard on important casework, the last thing you need is disorganization. Imagine having a cloud-based workflow system so intuitive you and your team hit the ground running every morning with minimal disruption.
Delegate tasks to team members and follow up easily by using Canopy’s workflow tools. Assign a task to yourself or any of your team members. Along with adding assignees, you can add notes and reminders to each task.
Task templates save plenty of time when you have recurring projects. Save and implement task templates within Canopy and customize them at any time.
Along with delegating tasks, you can track time spent on each specific project with helpful dashboards that list billed and unbilled hours. Whenever an assignee saves a time entry or runs the timer, the hours spent on the project will display automatically. Budget hours to a specific project and then manage the amount of time your team bills to it.
Keeping your team organized involves assigning work and keeping track of vital documents. When working on an assigned task, you want your team to have access to all the files they may need.
Canopy’s cloud-based practice management tools include a downloadable desktop assistant that enables you to print and scan files directly to Canopy from your computer. Connect your preferred scanner to scan paper documents directly to a client’s folder in Canopy, otherwise, you can designate Canopy as a printing location for files found on your computer.
Set up folder templates in Canopy to make sure each client’s file storage is uniform and easily navigable for you and your team. Canopy’s drag and drop file upload process makes it easy to keep all client files organized.
Your client is also an integral part of maintaining good file organization. With the client portal, your client can upload their own documents and send them to you without having to schedule any in-person appointments.
Display what matters most to you on the contact list with custom fields and saved group filters. Custom fields allow you to add any customized information about contacts with ease. Using these tools together can keep your contact list filtered to the most relevant contacts groups at any given time.
With Canopy’s variety of bulk actions, selecting contacts and completing an action for several at a time has never been easier. Send an email to a group of your contacts or create a task that applies to several clients at once.
It’s not often you can get both a deep dive and a comprehensive overview of all your client’s vital information. With Canopy’s contact profile, you can not only view your client’s information but also any dependents they have listed. From one screen, you can:
Staying in touch with your clients is as easy as a click. Keep track of all the communication between your team and your client from the contact profile. Sync your email account with Canopy to view all emails sent to your client from your firm. Most requests, client portal invites, and other updates from Canopy are received by your client via email.
When sending a client request, you can add comments and answer any questions your client sends on the same thread. These comments are available both on your computer and within the Canopy mobile apps so you never miss a question.
Constantly calling and emailing your clients may not be a sustainable system when you need to keep casework progressing. Automating your follow-up process certainly helps. When sending client requests, set up reminders at a frequency that works for you and your client. Those reminders will keep sending automatically until your client either completes the request or the time duration you designated expires.
Client relationships should be collaborative. When sharing information and forms with your client, a “black box” in the cloud is not helpful. What helps you connect with your clients is practice management software that not only stores information but also keeps two-way channels of communication open.
With Canopy’s practice management software, your client has access to their own secure client portal account, customized to your brand. From the client portal your client can:
The client portal cuts down the amount of emails and phone calls you have to field from your client as you work on their case. Not only will you be able to gather information from them more easily than ever, but they’ll feel like they’re always in the loop.
Custom branding capabilities for the client portal include the option to add your logo and select a color palette. You’ll also be able to customize the layout of the portal, the background image, and add a personalized welcome message. By customizing the client portal, your firm will look sleek and professional.
Enhance your client’s experience by inviting them to download the Client Portal mobile app where they’ll enjoy all the functionality of the client portal from the convenience of their phone.
Perhaps the most important Practice Management feature Canopy offers is secure file exchange. In a recent survey we commissioned, data privacy was the top concern among taxpayers whether they filed taxes with the help of an accountant or not. With Canopy, you and your clients will have peace of mind.
All files are encrypted with bank-level security so you and your clients can securely share files back and forth—a much more secure option than having your client email their sensitive documents to you. Plus, you’re in control of which documents clients and staff have access to—adding or removing permissions at any time.
Collect electronic signatures, authenticated with KBA, from your clients without trying to match schedules for an in-person meeting.
Files that are eligible for e-signature include:
KBA (Knowledge-Based Authentication) is an add-on that will require your client to further authorize their electronic signature. This type of authentication is required by the IRS for electronic signatures on key forms such as Form 8878 and Form 8879. KBA credits are available for purchase for $1.25 within Canopy.
Enroll in Canopy Payments to seamlessly process payments. You benefit from simple, flat rates for credit and ACH transactions, and your client enjoys an easy way to pay their fees. All major credit cards including Visa, MasterCard, and American Express are accepted. Clients have the option to pay in person or through their client portal.
We know how important it is to keep your payment history synchronized with your bookkeeping tools. Such functionality is vital for the operations of your business. Within Canopy Payments, you can easily export transaction records to a CSV file for easy import and reconciliation.
Additionally, you can save time when billing for recurring work by automatically charging clients rather than sending manual payment requests. You and your clients also have the ability to save payment details for quick manual charges in the future.
Lastly, Canopy Payments allows you to track the revenue of your firm. From a dashboard view, you can filter your financial information by time period and view a breakdown of earnings by payment type.
You have the ability to see the status of every transaction while being able to filter by client name, date, fees, and more.
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