More jargon, sorry. User Experience. It’s actually quite important though.

We decide how we’d like to present our businesses through the kind of website we have, the information we display and the interaction and engagement we hope for. What is missing is testing it through the eyes of a potential visitor. We don’t mean the techies snagging it for programming errors. We don’t mean the marketing person checking it for typos. We don’t mean the HR department making sure it’s compliant.

We want you to ask your clients for feedback – get them to go on a thorough and exhausting “user journey” (more jargon but bear with us). Ask someone you trust (or several people) to really test it out. Send messages through the enquiry system (how long is it til they get a reply, if ever?), download information, read a few pages – get them to really test it out and see what they come up with.

It’ll be well worth the extra work and you’ll end up with a far superior UXP.

Think of it like a health check and don’t wait for something to go wrong before you assess your IT systems.

When I visit accountancy firms to help with practice development, it’s very common to find that IT provokes a whole host of issues. As I’m unravelling how everything works (or doesn’t), I point out that when we solve the issues, their improved systems will do much more than we initially set out to achieve. There is a ripple effect of a streamlined practice that filters out throughout the business. Efficiency can also knock clients sideways (in a good way) so it also does great things for your brand and reputation.

An IT review is always as individual as the firm but there are common areas we look at and popular subjects that are nearly always raised. I sit down with the partners and/or directors and we make a short list of some current issues which are dragging down the profitability of the firm.

Here is a typical snapshot:

• Our hourly recovery rates are lower than we would want
• We haven’t got a steady stream of business.  Clients come and go in waves
• The quality of our new business isn’t high enough
• Staff struggle with a certain percentage of clients who demand the most but pay the least
• Clients repeatedly ask for duplicate copies of documents that they have forgotten to keep
• We can’t get enough good staff at the right level

A thorough review of your procedures will highlight any gaps or shortcomings. There are so many products and approaches but we try and optimise your existing investment and top up where necessary. Sometimes it’s all there but there are connections to make and a quick training session that will make it all work in harmony. That’s the beauty of someone outside of the firm ‘looking in’. There’s always a solution!

The last point on our imaginary review list shows how the ripple effect works. Systems alone won’t attract the staff you need of course. However… a well run practice is a magnet to professionals. It also frees up time for existing staff to produce more. And, if you still need more staff, you should have more time and resources available to recruit if everything else in the firm is hassle-free.

Let me know if you’d like an initial free chat about how I work – I’d be pleased to come and see you and find out more about how we can increase the profitability and efficiency within your firm.

We live in a world where emails are so commonplace we don’t always pay them as much attention as we should. We don’t always spell-check them, react to them or even check properly where we’re sending them. How many times a week do you send an email and forget the attachment? Have you ever sent an email to the wrong person? And why do so many emails include disclaimers at the foot declaring that the content is confidential and meant only for the intended recipient?

All of this activity astounds me. Working in a professional environment, managing the affairs of companies and individuals, we should be absolutely sure that our communications are 100% secure. Accountants, solicitors, FAs and other professionals are dealing with intensely private data yet risk their reputations and livelihoods by using email.

This isn’t a hard sell for docSAFE, although it’s one of the reasons we created a portal where clients and professionals can exchange files and communications safely. It’s a plea for businesses to seriously consider how they send sensitive information electronically because email is absolutely not the way to go.

Email makes you vulnerable. Not only are you running the obvious risk of making genuine mistakes by using it, you’re also open to hackers, malware, viruses and all sorts of digital threats – many of which are unknown and developing all the time.

Use email for daily, non important things for sure but reconsider client communications with confidentiality, security and responsibility at the top of your list.