Accounting Practice Management Software Quick Buying Guide 2021 – CA Office Automation
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Buying Guide Jan 10, 2021 6 min read

Accounting Practice Management
Software Quick Buying Guide 2021

Cut through the noise. Here are the must-have features every accounting firm should demand from their practice management software — before signing any contract.

Project Management Cloud Document CRM & White Label

With so many practice management tools out there — each promising to make your accounting firm more efficient — finding that one perfect solution for your accounting practice can be a daunting task. If you're seeking the best price-to-feature ratio, you may miss out on features crucial to your practice. If you mix and match, you may end up spending unnecessary time switching between different tools.

To help you cut through the noise, we've put together this quick buying guide covering the four features every accounting practice management software must have in 2021.

Quick Tip

The best accounting practice management software isn't the one with the most features — it's the one that covers all your critical workflows in a single, integrated platform so your team never has to switch context.

4 Must-Have Features in 2021

Ideally, a practice management software must have these features in 2021. Click any feature below to expand for detailed guidance.

Click any item below to expand for more detail.

1
Project Management
Cut the chaos from running your practice by streamlining routine accounting and employee management tasks. Check pending, completed, and active tasks, see who they're assigned to, and track expected completion times at a glance.
What to look for: The system should prompt you if a task is taking longer than expected — and let you visualize workflow data on an analytics engine to identify bottlenecks, threats, and opportunities. Real-time dashboards separate good project management tools from great ones.
2
Cloud-Based Document Management
Replace your file cabinets and overflowing drawers by storing copies of all documents in multiple secure cloud locations. Team members can access any file with explicit permissions — no more visiting the office just to collect a document.
What to look for: Seamless collaboration, version control, granular access permissions, and an integrated cloud-based system that lets your firm go completely paper-free. The best systems allow clients to request and submit documents through a secure portal without emailing attachments.
3
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
A modern CRM manages your client's entire journey from when they were a mere lead. File casework, upload documents, allocate tasks from their profile, and improve efficiency using automation — all from a single client record.
What to look for: A CRM that tracks personal information on clients and prospects — and automatically sends personalised communications like birthday and anniversary greetings. These small touchpoints build lasting client loyalty that no competitor can easily replicate.
4
Re-Brand & Customize as Your Own
A practice management software that can be branded or customized to your needs is a win-win for both your employees and clients. White-label solutions let you rebrand the application with your logo and host it on your private server.
How CAOA helps: CAOA offers a white-label solution for end-to-end single-client usage that is unique to each practice's needs — solving your key challenges while presenting the platform entirely under your firm's brand. Your clients see your name, your logo, your firm.
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Summing It Up

While there are more features in accounting practice management software, these are some of the necessary features you can look forward to in 2021. SaaS is pretty much the standard form of software distribution these days — and all major vendors offer various subscription tiers to their accounting practice management software offerings.

Cloud-based software solutions are accessible, maintainable, secure, and upgradable. They eliminate the need for expensive on-premises infrastructure, reduce IT overhead, and ensure your team always has access to the latest features without manual update cycles.

With CAOA, we closely work with our clients throughout the process, focusing on their needs, targets while taking care of the budget. Along with tons of features to automate your work processes, help you manage your work, employees, clients, billing, payment, payroll, communication, documents, meetings, follow-ups, and due dates — we keep our support team always available for all CAOA users.

Your 2021 Software Checklist
Project management with task tracking, assignment, and analytics
Cloud-based document management with permissions and client portal
CRM covering the full client lifecycle from lead to loyal client
White-label / branding capability to present the platform as your own
SaaS / cloud-based with mobile app access for remote teams
Dedicated support team included in the subscription
Want to learn more about CAOA service plans?
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What Our Users Say

Loved by Accounting Firms Worldwide

Join thousands of CAs and accounting professionals who chose CAOA as their practice management platform.

"Hearty congratulations to the team at CA Office Automation for an excellent job! We've been trying to put together a functional Office Automation system for the last three years. They've worked closely with us throughout the process, staying on task, on target, and on budget. I highly recommend their service!"

FK
Felix K Kimoli
MGI Alekim LLP, Kenya

"For the last few months we are using CAOA's White Label solution. They have a very good support team that will work on your account and within a short span of time, you'll be up and running. The user experience & security solutions of this software are in the major spotlight."

SS
CPA Simon Cheung
Director, CPA Global Hongkong

"We thank the CAOA team for the wonderful job they are doing in helping us develop our internal control system. Everyone has been professional, excellent and hard-working. Thanks to them, we were able to achieve our goal on time. We look forward to continuing working with them."

A
CPA Pankaj Mankani
RVG Accountants, Dubai, UAE
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All 4 Features. One Platform.

Stop Switching Between Tools.
Everything's in CAOA.

CAOA combines project management, cloud document management, CRM, billing, payroll, and white-label branding in one integrated platform — built specifically for accounting and CA firms.

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Sources & Further Reading

  1. 1 AICPA-CIMA — PCPS CPA Firm Top Issues Survey — Biennial report on the most pressing operational and technology challenges facing CPA and accounting firms.
  2. 2 Journal of Accountancy — Accounting Technology & Practice Management — Articles on software selection, tech adoption, and workflow optimization for CPA firms.
  3. 3 Gartner — Finance Transformation Technology Insights — Research on ERP platforms, cloud finance systems, and the modern accounting technology stack.
  4. 4 Thomson Reuters Institute — Future of Professionals Report — Annual survey of tax and accounting professionals on technology adoption and software priorities.