Have you ever experienced buyer’s remorse? Most of the time, there’s a simple fix—you take the too-expensive ballpoint pens or uncomfortable office chair back to the store (or Amazon affiliate), get your money back, and likely never think of it again. But for accounting firms that regret their choice of practice management software, turning back the clock and selecting another solution can prove to be more difficult.  

After all, implementing a practice management solution at your accounting firm involves migrating client data, training (or re-training) employees, and ensuring that your accounting firm operations are correctly mapped onto your practice management workflows. And if you choose the wrong one, you have to start all the time-consuming and expensive process over again. 

Instead of learning what you want—and what you don’t—in an accounting practice management solution through multiple rounds of trial and error, consider these six things before you buy. 

1. It matters to find the right-sized software for your practice 

When choosing practice management software, the name of the game is right-sizing your solutions. Some practice management software is priced on a pay-per-user basis, which may be a good option if you manage a small or growing team. Other solutions charge a hefty fee no matter how many employees use the service.  

Additionally, some software solutions may offer tools that are unnecessary for small accounting teams—which means your firm may be paying for functionality you’re never going to use.  

For example, small firms may outsource marketing tasks because their team is not large enough to handle them in-house. But practice management solutions designed for large firms may have built-in email or marketing automation tools that small firms simply aren’t operationally ready for yet. Look for software solutions that offer tiered subscription plans to help your accounting practice tap into the right tools for right now—and further down the road—without maxing out your budget.  

2. The importance of technical support 

Unless your accounting firm has a strong in-house IT team, you’re likely going to require technical support at some point when working with any software product. The question is, should your firm have to pay each time you have a question about your practice management software, or would you rather access support for free? 

Integrating practice management software can be a challenging process, especially at first. Accountants need to ensure all client data is securely transferred to their new system without disrupting workflow, missing deadlines, or losing any important financial information.  

When accounting teams work with Mango, they don’t need to navigate this process alone. Our technical support team is available during business hours for one-on-one meetings and screen-sharing support, free of charge. We also offer free demos, on-demand webinars, scheduled workshops, and user onboarding sessions. 

3. Cloud-based software is essential for modern firms 

Even just a few years ago, most software tools used by modern businesses were downloaded directly onto a computer. This meant that employees had to physically access their computers to view client documents or work outside of the office—and a lost, stolen, or broken computer could put valuable client information at risk.  

Today, firms increasingly turn to software hosted on the cloud. Cloud-based software is available on the internet, no matter which device is used to access it. This means accountants can access client information from a laptop, desktop, tablet, or even from a smartphone with the proper permissions and login credentials, improving accessibility to valuable work. 

Some accounting firms may be pivoting to hybrid or work-from-home environments, but even those that require employees to work in-office can benefit from cloud-based software solutions. Increasing accessibility to work can help employees who are out of the office—working from home, attending an appointment, or meeting with a client off-site, for example—access documents and stay on top of tasks.