Mobile timekeeping and expense entry are extremely useful for staff that perform most of their duties at client locations. In addition, the ability to view key client information and access phone, email and address data can also prove very helpful when out of the office. A screenshot of the time entry display follows:

iPhone time entry screen

The Mango Anywhere mobile application allows anyone using Mango’s time and billing software to record time and expenses as well as have access to client contact information while out of the office. Upload clients, staff, and billing rates from Mango directly to Mango Anywhere with the push of a button. As a result, you can easily view client information and make a telephone call just by tapping the client’s number on the screen or send an email by selecting the email address. Invoicing features are included in Version 2.0.

You can record time slips for chargeable and non-chargeable time as well as record expenses. The time slips include client name, work code, staff rate and notes. Approved slips and expenses can download into the Mango desktop application by clicking the ‘Sync’ button.

A recently released feature allows mobile devices using the iOS operating system (including the iPhone and iPad) to email invoices directly to clients in PDF format from the mobile device. Time based detail or narrative invoices as well as progress bills can be emailed and later synchronized to the main office database. Maximize your fees by billing when the service is provided!

The Mango Anywhere mobile application is compatible with iPhone, iPad and Android devices. Downloaded it from Google Play or iPhone Stores. Subscription cost is $75.00 per user per year.

Author: Carl Coe, CEO

The post Accountants: Track Time on the Go with Mobile Timekeeping! appeared first on Mango Practice Management.

Recently, one of our long-standing clients agreed to update to the newer version of our time and billing software. Prior to installation we conversed about what the new version included.  The client wanted assurances that the newer version “will function in basically the same way”. After twenty years in the software business, I understand the valid concern regarding software updates. Experience has shown that buggy or ill-conceived updates have the potential to wreak havoc on daily operations.

The Inmates are Running the Asylum

The Inmates Are Running the Asylum, published in 1999, uses the author’s experiences in corporate America to illustrate how talented people continuously design bad software-based products and why we need technology to work the way average people think. I often wonder how talented computer programmers can write good application software for particular industries without direct work experience. Software products should provide users an experience based on their perception of how software should serve their business needs.

As a result, many accounting firms are reluctant to change fearing lost time and profits that could result when new software fails to implement properly. To that end, many CPA and accounting firms still use spreadsheets or old “DOS” based programs to perform important time and billing software functions. Others use Quickbooks® to track and bill time. Although these products attempt to accomplish the needed result, the process used is not the most efficient or effective. Consequently, it often costs your firm extra time and effort as well as reduced billings.

Effective Time and Billing Software

Effective time and billing involves multiple tables linked in a relational database. Spreadsheets are one-dimensional whereas relational databases implement a one-to-many relationship. For example, work code descriptions need not be redundantly stored within each time slip – instead a link to the work code record is saved in the time slip record. This saves time, space and improves data management. All these features are ‘under the hood’ and not necessarily revealed directly to the user.

Does the Software Shoe Still Fit?

Older “DOS” and Windows-based databases such as “Unilink Dos” implemented database relationships and were great programs when first released. By today’s standards, however, these programs are obsolete relics and limit your firm’s ability to compete. First generation time and billing products lack the horsepower to generate sophisticated performance reports and are unable to provide sufficient historical information to generate reports for prior periods. Required period closings limit what can be viewed from prior periods and errors or mistakes oftentimes often cannot be reversed.

Quickbooks® is a great accounting product that can track time, but lacks the ability to generate detailed work in progress reports that itemize and summarize the value of your unbilled inventory.  You never know the total value of your work in progress in relation to revenue or billed receivables – a significant asset to overlook!  Historical realization reports are also unavailable.

Please review the snippet of a comprehensive work in progress report in the following graphic:

When CPAs are Comfortable with Current Practices

CPAs and accountants have a reputation for being slow adopters when it comes to change and technology. To paraphrase a 2011 article on change by Julie Rains, Senior Writer – Freelance, Killer Aces Media – there are five reasons not to embrace change:

1. Productivity will plummet and stress will skyrocket. The simplicity of day-to-day tasks is comforting. We take comfort in following a self-developed decision tree with a limited number of variables.
2. Embracing change means admitting past mistakes– admitting that past procedures caused errors or less than optimum results opens the way for improvement and better practices.
3. Failures are not occasions for learning – navigating change is like falling into an abyss rather than interpreting clues on a hidden-treasure map. In other words, learn from our mistakes. Don’t expect different results from repeating the same procedures.
4. Difficult problems arise from change– the side effects of change may involve handling situations that we do not fully understand.
5. Unwillingness to risk status among colleagues and employees….how long can we stay relevant by preserving the status quo?

Julie Rains suggests that in order to successfully embrace change we must establish a new performance metric when change occurs. “Emphasize the need for continual renewal, not as an indictment of the past, but as a strategy for ongoing success”.  When making a change we must “identify known negatives that will likely surface as byproducts of change. Next, we must anticipate the best practices for dealing with these situations”.

The 1973 Texas Instruments Calculator

As a former practicing accountant of 25 years, I frequently experienced great resistance to change among my colleagues. During my apprenticeship at J.K. Lasser & Company in Miami, the audit staff would request lengthy amortization schedules from the IT department mainframe in order to analyze notes payable during the course of an audit.  I recall being ridiculed for using a Texas Instruments calculator to verify note balances with a few button presses.

In college, I learned formulas for determining present values and level payment amounts which I carried in my wallet. I was able to use them with this “fantastic” new device.  The calculator determined the present value of future payment streams at any given interest rate – no amortization schedule required!  The results displayed on the screen in bright red. Later, a small tape printout allowed the attachment of the results to our work papers. Today, we use Microsoft Excel to do these calculations and print out the spreadsheet.

In Conclusion – “If it Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It”?

At  Mango, we speak to many firms that currently use spreadsheets, older “DOS” programs or QuickBooks® and are looking for a better solution…as long as it doesn’t involve too much change.  These calls usually occur when the program has crashed and owners are desperate. It’s best to change before things reach this point. Your firm should reach a consensus about your future goals and move forward discarding the relics of the past. You can teach an old dog new tricks!

The post Accounting Time and Billing Software: Is Your Firm Afraid of Change? appeared first on Mango Practice Management.

Do you use spreadsheets to keep track of your employees’ time and attendance?  Is your only phone a landline phone? Do you send letters instead of emails?  If you answered yes to the above questions, y

You’ll Never Leave Something at the Office 

Mobile timekeeping software essentially puts your entire office in your pocket. With mobile time and billing software, you’ll always have everything you need, right where you need it. (Unless you forgot your jacket. We haven’t figured out how to store these in the cloud yet.) 

Freedom and Flexibility  

Secure mobile access to your company’s data means that you and your employees have the freedom to move around the office or the world.  Your employees can meet clients where they are or at a popular coffee shop downtown. Employees who are traveling can still have the benefit of accessing their data and parents can crunch numbers while keeping an eye on a sick child. Mobile time entry software makes it easy to accommodate your employees when “life” happens—something that can ultimately increase company loyalty and reduce your turnover expenses. 

Be as Responsive as Possible 

Is there a comet streaking towards your city? A flash flood, zombie uprising, or other unforeseen disaster? No problem—with mobile timekeeping software, you can make sure your employees can still do their work! While we truly hope the above examples stay in science fiction, there are times when your firm will have to react to unforeseen circumstances and mobile timekeeping can help you do so. For example, as the world reacts to rising concerns about the Corona virus, those with mobile time and billing software are able to work remotely, secure in the knowledge that they are viewing the most recent updates, uploads and changes to your firm’s database.

It Helps Boost Your Firm’s Brand Image

Let’s face it: accounting is not considered the sexiest profession in the world. In fact, well–known stereotypes of accountants are rather unflattering—that of an individual who is dowdy, out-of-touch, and set in their ways.  This look won’t work for modern accounting professionals. Clients who are trusting our firms with their money want to feel that we are are flexible, adaptable, and “with the times”.  When you tell a client that there is no way for them to submit their documents online or that all forms must be signed and submitted through “snail mail”, it does not paint a good picture of your firm as a strategic business partner.  Mobile practice management doesn’t just help you be more on-top of things; it projects that brand image, as well.  

Go Mobile with Mango Time & Billing Software for Accountants

Mango is a time and billing software developed specifically for accountants, by accountants. And, as you might expect, we do have a mobile application, as well as a host of other highly-useful features. Free yourself from spreadsheets and discover the freedom and flexibility of mobile timekeeping with Mango. To schedule your free demo, click here.

The post Why Mobile Time Tracking is a Must for Today’s Accounting Firms appeared first on Mango Practice Management.

When we think of business time-wasters, we tend to focus on employee-led distractions: coffeepot chatter, social media scrolling, or extra-long lunch breaks. But studies

Stop: Checking Your Email 

Research has shown that most office employees, including accountants, spend an enormous amount of time checking and re-checking their inboxes throughout the workday. That’s probably due to the fact that in the accounting world, missing a key document can be the difference between a met and a missed deadline. However, working this way is extremely disruptive to your productivity. Exchanging sensitive information via email is also very unsafe, as most public email servers like Gmail and Outlook are unsecured, and can be hacked relatively easily. 

The remedy for these issues is two-fold. First, try installing a time and billing software that sends you automatic pop-up notifications when a new email arrives—no need to keep checking. And secondly, invest in a secure, 256-bit encrypted client portal which saves all data in a hack-proof environment. A secure client portal will also allow your clients to upload their own documents, minimizing the chance that something will be lost in the shuffle of other emails.

Stop: Wasting Time on Extra-Needy Clients

If a client is particularly demanding or unreasonable, it is important to either break up with them or minimize your interactions as much as possible. One bad client can bring down your entire team’s morale, which might invariably leak over into the rest of your client interactions. More importantly, all that time you are taking to resolve their requests and issues is time taken away from other accounts, which could impact your profitability.

The solution? Look for tasks you can automate, like sending invoice reminders, confirming payments, and storing important documents. A secure client portal is also a good way to minimize interactions with a bad client, because it allows them to access download important documents themselves, without needing to contact you for assistance.

Stop: Giving Free Accounting Advice 

Accountants, like other professionals who manage money, tend to field a lot of requests for free advice. For the sake of your own sanity (and your firm’s bottom line), it’s important to learn to learn when to say “no” when it comes to handing out free advice.

There’s no need to slam the door in anyone’s face—just politely let any interested parties know that you’re trying to devote your time on projects that can be billed. If their response is less than understanding, they are probably not someone you want to do business with, anyway. 

Stop: Taking on Too Much  

Not only do CPAs tend to say yes too often to people outside the office, we also tend to say it too often inside the office.  If you’re constantly overwhelmed with a seemingly never-ending list of tasks, track all the things you do in a day or a week, and try to identify small, nitty-gritty tasks that could be automated with time and billing software.  If you’ve automated everything you can, and the mountain of work still never seems to shrink, ask a supervisor (or yourself) if it’s possible to adjust your timeline, bring in temporary help, or delegate certain tasks to another team member. 

Make Your Life Easier with Our Accounting Time Entry Software! 

In order to thrive in today’s fast-paced, digital world, accounting firms need to be efficient, agile, and responsive. Mango’s workflow management software for accountants centralizes all of your communication, data, and attachments into one place, making your life easier and your clients happier. Our secure, 265-bit encrypted server lets you share and send everything as you usually would, in a safe, hack-proof environment. To request a free demo of our time and billing software for accountants, click here.

The post The Top 4 Things Accountants Need to Stop Doing | CPA Time & Billing Blog   appeared first on Mango Practice Management.

Protect Your Firm from Liability

Pretty much every company these days handles billing data like credit card information. But an accounting firm is an absolute gold mine for all the data a company might have on all its customers. That’s why it’s crucial for accountants to have data under lock and key—and our secure client portal for accountants does just that. The ImagineShare module keeps a detailed, real-time record of all client communications on a secure, 256-bit encrypted server. Click here to read about how this bank-level encryption is virtually unbreakable, so your firm and your clients can sleep easier knowing you’re safe from cyberattacks and litigation.

Make Every Second Count 

Time is money, which means every working second that isn’t accounted for in your practice is a penny that could and should be in your bank account. Mango’s CPAs time & billing tracking software helps you stay on top of all your time expenditures, so you and your employees can be fairly compensated for every minute you spend working hard.

Kiss Missed Deadlines Goodbye

Like we said, there are lots of online time entry tools out there; very few come preset with federal tax tracking due dates. Not only does Mango already know the most important deadlines a CPA will need, it can be programmed to send automatic notifications to employees and clients when certain tasks are coming due. You can track weekly, quarterly, monthly, annual, and bi-annual deadlines, as well as one-time events, meaning no more last-minute scrambles!

…But Keep the Tools You Already Use

There’s nothing more irritating than having to abandon a software that already works well for you, unless it’s manually migrating content from one tool to the other. Luckily, as former CPAs, we’re well-familiar with that struggle, which is why we designed Mango to integrate seamlessly with popular tax softwares such as QuickBooks, UltraTax, Lacerte, ATX, ProSeries, and Drake. Neither you nor your clients need to undergo the hassle of a long, complex data migration; just press a button, make a cup of coffee, and wait for the buzzer to ding (so to speak).

Know Where You Stand   

Our CPA time & billing software lets you access staff performance reports, client reports, and firm analytics reports, any time you need them (even on the go!) Our comprehensive automated reporting software gives you deep insight on every aspect of your firm, and allows you to make smart decisions about your time and money. Finally, our custom report generator makes it easy to keep all your stakeholders in the loop.

Our “Secure Send” email plugin allows your clients to send emails through Microsoft Outlook just as they normally do, with added bank-level security. Instead, you can complement and extend your investment in other solutions, and save time by cutting down on duplicate data entry.

Ready to learn more? Schedule a Free Demo!  

We are excited to provide accountants and CPAs with a time & billing management solution designed to address their unique needs. If you want to learn more about how Mango can help you with online invoicing, time tracking, due date management, data protection, and more, click here to schedule a free demo.

The post Why Mango is the Perfect Time Entry Software for Accountants appeared first on Mango Practice Management.

Welcome to Part 2 of our two-part series, “

Does the Software Have Good Reviews? 

There’s a reason word-of-mouth is one of the most powerful marketing techniques in existence. Friends, family members, and business partners don’t have any stakes in the game, and don’t want to risk harming you with bad advice. Therefore, when looking for accounting time entry tools, ask for the advice of other accounting professionals you know, and look online for testimonials, product reviews, and awards in industry-respected publications. Bad reviews can sometimes be just as useful as good ones: they can demonstrate whether the company responds professionally to criticism; if it responds quickly; and most importantly, if it is willing or able to change in response to feedback. 

Is There Reliable Customer Support?

This is the biggest must-have for a time & billing software. No matter how easy or intuitive a product is, there will always be clients who struggle with the client portal, or employees who need a bit more help than others. A company with strong, reliable customer support can provide assistance to these stakeholders so that you can devote yourself fully to running your practice. A good accounting software company will hire friendly, knowledgeable representatives who know the tool like the back of their hand, and who can be reached by phone, email, live chat, and more. Finally, the company should be able to serve as a complete resource for all your time and billing needs, via blog articles, webinars, video tutorials, and more. 

Is it Updated Frequently? 

Stagnant, unchanging software is not a good sign. Any growing, thriving company should be able to adapt to the needs of consumers, and that goes triple for software companies. If the software itself has not changed in the past twenty years—or even in the last couple of years—that’s a good indication that the company leadership’s focus is not in the right place. The product is the number one thing you will be using on a daily basis, so it has to be modern, and more importantly, stay modern as the years go on. To find out what recent changes a company has made to its software, search the internet for press releases and similar updates. If it’s still not clear, you can always just ask! 

Is it Updated Too Frequently? 

There is a flip side to this that we should mention, however—there is such a thing as software that is updated so frequently that it’s actually annoying. If a software company comes out with six new versions in a month, forcing your entire team to re-learn something they had finally gotten down, it might be more hassle than it’s worth. 

Do I Like Using the Time & Billing Software?

In the end, this is the most important aspect of choosing new accounting deadline management software. Do you, the practitioner, actually like using it? Is it intuitively organized, aesthetically pleasing, actually kind of fun to use? If you don’t like it, you won’t use it. It’s as simple as that. 

For that reason, it’s imperative to take any software you’re considering for a test drive. Nearly all companies offer a free demo you can access, or even a free 30-day trial with no strings attached. If neither is being offered, then, in the words of Arianna Grande, “thank you, next.”  

The post Questions to Ask When Choosing CPA Time & Billing Software – Part 2  appeared first on Mango Practice Management.

Most business owners are aware that their employees really don’t like to fill in their time sheets. If you’re a business owner who fills out timesheets yourself, you might dislike doing it, too. Then there’s the fact that many time and billing software solutions are so difficult to use that the simple act of

Set Measurable Goals 

Just as “I want to grow my business” is too vague to be an actionable business goal, so is “I want to track time more efficiently.” As you doubtlessly already know, setting goals that are too broad will cause you and your team members to quickly become overwhelmed, as you don’t know where to begin or what to prioritize. Instead, set some short-term goals that are measurable and attainable. Many businesses employ the “SMART” goals method, which stands for “Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound.” For instance, you might say, “I want to lower payroll errors by 15% in the next 3 months.” This goal can easily be measured through the reporting and analytics feature available in most CPA time entry software tools. It’s also attainable, relevant to your business goals, and time-bound.

Know Your Time and Billing Software

There are countless time and billing solutions for accountants out there. Some are just simple time entry tools, but others have multiple, integrated features that can be used simultaneously. If your company uses the latter, it’s possible that your employees don’t know what your time and billing software is fully capable of. For example, Mango has a client portal feature; due date monitoring tool; calendar planning tool; CPA reporting and analytics software; custom invoice generator; encrypted Cloud storage; and many other features. If you are using your CPA time entry software for just that—time entry—you might not be getting the full benefit of what the solution can offer you.    

Never Use Time Entry Software as a Weapon

Many employees resist time tracking because they feel it is a way for employers to monitor their daily productivity and penalize them for spending too long on a particular project, or for having too much downtime. If you want your employees to use your time tracking tool, and to use it honestly, it is crucial to use it as it is meant to be used—as a way to fairly bill clients and plan project timelines. Trust us–using the time tracking tool to punish or micromanage employees is a one-way ticket to fudged time sheets full of falsified hours. This might make the employee look good, but will give your client sticker shock come invoice time.

Get Employee Feedback

Your employees are right in the thick of it, each and every day, so the feedback you can gain from them is invaluable when it comes to making decisions that impact productivity. Check in with employees on a regular basis to gauge how they’re adapting to the time tracking software. If they bring up any concerns, issues, or suggestions, be sure to follow up with them. The easier it is for your team members to track their time, the more likely they are to do so! In addition, asking for feedback is an excellent opportunity to show your employees that you value their input and opinions.

Automate Your Workflow with our Time and Billing Software for CPAs

If you’re still using paper timesheets, you’re long overdue for an update. Mango’s CPA time and billing software allows employees to track time accurately and independently. CPA time entry tools also provide your business and employees with crucial data that can help you forecast future project times and improve your overall productivity. To learn more and request a free demo of Mango, click here! 

The post 5 Tips for Better Employee Time Tracking Solutions in 2020  appeared first on Mango Practice Management.