I’ve been following accounting-and-tax-specific Instagram accounts for a few years,
and I’ve got to say—you’re all hilarious! You post some pretty funny accounting memes too.
Over time, I’ve come across many great memes that capture the perceived mundane, repetitive and sometimes frustrating aspects of operating an accounting firm—specifically during tax season.
I thought it was the perfect time to curate a few favorites and offer them up in a post. Why? Because winter (er, tax season) is coming…
Send in your source documents…pretty please
We’ve heard it more than once—the age-old accountant/tax preparer dilemma:
How do you get your clients to send their tax source docs to you in a timely manner…without constantly having to nag?
No one wants to be the woman running around Ron Swanson’s desk. That’s just exhausting. The goal is to complete tax work by the mandated due dates without working nights and weekends—and, ultimately, without burning out staff.
One way to make the document collection and sharing process more efficient is to work from the cloud. For example, when clients have access to secure online client portals, they can upload their source documents with ease and in a timely manner.
You can also quickly track activity within client portals—with real-time views that offer visibility into documents submitted and when. No more questioning if you have documentation on file. It’s also a fabulous and convenient way for staff and clients to communicate back and forth.
Beyond portals, you might get a little more traction if you ask your clients for docs in a firm Bernie voice. Listen, it’s tax season…sometimes you have to pull out all the stops.
At the end of the day, the goal is to get docs in…and in a timely manner. Getting your clients online for digital delivery is the way to go. Everybody wins! And no more running desk laps.
Work-life balance? Never heard of it.
Work-life balance has long been a tricky one for the accounting profession—especially during tax season. But it is possible. It just takes intention and some focused planning.
For example, are you operating within a highly efficient tax workflow? Is your tech stack completely integrated and running in the cloud? These are the core business model basics at play in highly efficient and modern firms. And this can be you!
When you operate within a cloud-based environment, your team can work securely at any time and from any location (people love a flexible schedule). You’re no longer restricted by time and distance.
Additionally, a streamlined tech stack supports standardized workflows—and that’s where efficiency really soars. It’s also the ticket to 86 nights and weekends during tax season.
And one last thing while we’re on the topic of work-life balance…
More and more firms are offering staff a choice: work in the office, from home or a hybrid schedule. Flex schedules are a major perk. If you aren’t offering a virtual workspace option, you’ll want to consider it or risk losing qualified staff.
Backups, who? Security, what?
While we don’t have a lot of funny accounting memes about backups, we do have a lot of blog posts about backups and the importance of a disaster recovery plan. This equates, in simplest terms, to saving all files and applications. That means everything on your computer—all at once.
No one should be relying on autosave alone.
It’s also about ensuring business continuity in the case of disaster. For example: Would you be able to recover files and get back to work quickly should a natural disaster or cyberattack occur?
Despite the rising risk of cybercriminal activity and the critical nature of backing up client data, today, many firms still don’t view backups and security as a priority.
The fact is that the cloud is the answer here. And it has been the answer for the last two decades.
In case you’re wondering exactly how the cloud supports firms with backup and disaster recovery—here are a few workflow points to ponder:
- You have a client file open
- You make several time-intensive changes to that file
- Your changes are saved immediately as you apply them
- Your file is backed up and securely stored in the cloud
- Next, disaster strikes! Cybercriminals have wiped all data clean.
- Your cloud provider to the rescue—getting data restored and ensuring business continuity.
- Rejoice!
Hey…even Ron Burgundy gets it.
Funny accounting memes: Laugh it up while you can
If you’ve made it to the end of this post, thank you! I hope you enjoyed our feature of funny accounting memes in this short, humor-infused respite just before busy season gets, well…busy.
For more information on how the cloud can enhance with the client experience, work-life balance, and security and disaster recovery, contact a sales consultant today.
