The traditional digital accounting market had to start pulling strings since the advent of the electronic invoice and SPED (Public Digital Bookkeeping System). From then on, new digital solutions emerged to make digital processes increasingly lean.
As a result, automation in accounting routines became indispensable, as the initiative came from government agencies. Accounting websites and platforms offering services online also emerged. Traditional accounting offices found themselves in a situation where they either adapted to digital transformation or lost market space.
While operational tasks are being optimized and reduced with this ‘digitization’ of accounting, services focused on consultancy in assessments are increasingly in demand. In other words, clients are valuing personalized service, and offices that can offer this along with technological innovations can stand out.
The startup iCount Plus created the perfect solution for accounting offices that do not want to lose space to digital accounting platforms. It is an all-in-one management platform for accountants and companies, capable of increasing the office’s profitability by up to 30%, generating a 98% reduction in paperwork and rework, and a 45% gain in time and efficiency.
Accounting offices need to adapt to innovation
For those who think that accounting offices will lose space to digital accounting websites, that is not the case. A survey conducted by Contábil Trends indicated that 44% of accounting offices are in ‘stable growth’ and 32.5% in ‘moderate growth’.
The secret is adaptability to technological innovation, and those who have understood this have a chance to continue expanding. Accounting software, like iCount Plus, is therefore the answer for these companies to meet the expectations of the current market but without letting go of personalized service.
In the view of Lucas Bugati, CEO and founder of the startup: “To stay in the market, conventional offices (non-online) must seek expansion in the use of technologies that help optimize tasks and, particularly, must have processes very well designed and mapped to facilitate identifying gaps for increased productivity.”
He adds that professionals from the new generation and recent graduates are much more open to this adaptation, with the majority of his clients being accountants in the first 5 years of activity. Whereas more traditional offices, with over 15 years of operation, tend to have greater resistance to this innovation.
How does pricing fit in with online accounting?
According to Bugati, offices that insist on not embracing the digitization of processes and/or the use of new technologies will experience a decline in the number of clients in the coming years and lose space in the market. “This is due to competitors’ use of technology, which allows for greater “scale” increasing margins, and thus, opening opportunities for price reduction.”
That is to say, online accounting platforms can work with reduced prices because the profit margin is not affected, as they can attract a high demand of clients. For the CEO of iCount, therefore, the price reduction of services is not the problem. “What the office (any company) cannot accept is the reduction of the margin. In this sense, you have only two pillars: efficiency / cost or increase monetization through a differential or other products.”
Optimizing accounting processes with iCount Plus
In the current scenario, the ideal is to combine the best of both worlds: the personal touch of the accounting office and the technical knowledge of the accountant with technology. By using accounting management software, it is possible to streamline and automate processes, accurately report the financial returns of a particular action, and map out strategies to solve problems more efficiently.
Moreover, clients themselves can be trained to have access to their accounting situation at any time. iCount Plus is an all-in-one platform for accounting offices, the only one in the market that also includes customer relationship and management, in addition to accounting processes. “The advantage of implementing iCount Plus lies mainly in the centralization of information and process automation.”
Bugati believes that, with this, the accountant can get much closer to the entrepreneur to support them in managing their businesses, providing more consultative accounting and redefining the future of the profession.
