2012 Review of Doc.It Suite 3.4

 

Best Firm Fit

Doc.It has identified firms with twenty to a few hundred staff. However, they are looking forward to focusing on firms in the five to fifteen category. Due to the modular design of Doc.It , the system can be effectively deployed over a multi-year cycle that will allow you to embrace the appropriate functionality according to your firm’s timetable.

Strengths

• Binder feature that organizes engagement specific files for efficient access and processing
• WIP vs. Archive Binder design
• New .NET portal platform with expanded functionality
• Auto recognition of individual documents or batches
• Depth of functionality with workflow, scheduling, portal, scanning and more
• Document security and retention features
• Integration with ProFx Engagement and Caseware work paper systems

Potential Limitations

• Lack of a SaaS offering at this time. However, a number of Doc.It firms are utilizing Xcentric (www.xcentric.com) to host the system for them
• Limited “out of the box” integration with tax software applications

 

Overview

Doc.It offers a comprehensive suite of eight paperless applications that are fully integrated and support a “best of breed” strategy in regards to deploying along with the various accounting and tax software applications on the market. Doc.It continues to evolve through a consistently steady product upgrade and enhancement strategy. At this stage, it is one of the most comprehensive DMS solutions available to firms.

Some of the more notable features of Doc.It include:

• Doc.It Archive module stores all of the final documents from a completed engagement in PDF format. This application is designed to facilitate the storage, retrieval, searching and purging of archived information.
• Doc.It Publisher is the application that converts files into a fully bookmarked PDF file for the Archive system. The primary objective is to lock down the completed engagement workpapers for better control.
• Doc.It’s Policy Manager maintains consistent “librarianship” by controlling the naming, retention period and storage location of every document.
• Doc.It WIP Binder is designed to manage all of the files associated with an engagement while it is actively in process. The Binder features include:
  • Drag and drop files and Outlook emails directly into the binder
  • Check out binders to a local device for access when disconnected from the server
  • Document version history with option to roll back to a previous version
  • One button publishing of documents to PDF and transfer to Doc.It Archive
  • Doc.IT PDF Editor application supports viewing and annotating PDF files as a substitute to Adobe Acrobat. Features that are unique to accounting and tax services include a built-in calculator with a virtual “tape” that can be pasted onto the document, a set of customizable tick marks, secure signatures and e-mail encryption.
  • Doc.It Scan & Forms Recognition module is a utility that will “clean up” scanned document images with auto-rotation and de-skewing. The forms recognition feature will auto organize documents that are scanned.
  • Doc.It Workflow is the application that provides the workflow automation capability. In addition to setting up your business processes for tracking engagements, their Smart Scheduler application will automate the staff scheduling process. The Scheduler takes into account a multitude of factors including staff availability, skill sets, vacation scheduling and self-assignment.
  • Doc.It Portal facilitates the publishing of documents for self-service access by clients via the web. Automatic email notifications of file upload and download activity.
  • WIP Binder utilizes templates that organize files by the type of engagement. Files can be put into the binder via drag and drop.
  • Direct integration with Caseware and ProFx Engagement

Executive Summary & Pricing

Doc.It provides a complete paperless solution with an open design that facilitates using it with virtually any tax and accounting software applications. Doc.It has consistently pursued a product development strategy that addresses the unique needs of the various stages of traditional accounting and tax processes: scanning, scheduling, work in process, archiving and file sharing through the portal.

 

 

 

 

Case Study

Firm Profile

Arsement, Redd & Morella, LLC – Lafayette, LA

www.cpa-arm.com

Contact – John R. Redd, III, CPA, CVA, Partner

The firm operates out of a single office with 6 partners and 32 additional staff members. They are a traditional firm servicing small businesses by providing a “controllership by the hour” approach. A cornerstone of their original business model is to focus on providing services that clients want, rather than what they need. The firm just celebrated its 25^th anniversary with all of the original partners.

A mixed array of applications are used at the firm including: Lacerte tax software, QuickBooks, Peachtree and MAS 90 for client accounting, Thomson Reuters Trial Balance and Engagement CS applications for assurance and entity tax engagements and ProFx Practice Management. Therefore, their selection of Doc.It was chosen as the optimal solution due to its ability to work in a mixed application, or “best of breed” environment. They are in their third year of using Doc.It

Scanning Model

The firm is utilizing primarily a “mixed” mid-point scanning process, not front or back end. Staff generally scan documents as they do the work. They share access to a pool of six high speed scanners (60 ppm multifunction devices.) Some are using the document recognition application which does a good job of recognizing documents and puts them in the proper folder in the binder.

Review notes are either recorded using a traditional manual approach, in a Microsoft Word document or some enter the notes directly into the Doc.iT binder. The Doc.iT PDF editor providers many of the annotation tools found in Adobe Acrobat. Each staff person can setup their unique signature stamp with color designations to identify them as the preparer or reviewer.

Benefits Achieved

The firm prides itself on not hiring administrative staff per se. Instead the professional does many of those types of tasks individually to avoid having to hand off tasks back and forth. Now that they have Doc.It many of these tasks have been automated.

The first thing they noticed is the “little man delivering the boxes containing reams of paper stopped coming by.” Off-site storage is down 50% already and will be reduced to zero within two years due to the fact that they are cycling through only electronic files going forward.

Favorite Features

• Immediate access of documents. For example, a year ago a client notified him that he received an IRS tax notice requesting charitable contributions documentation. The firm was able to respond with all the requested documents within 30 minutes without ever having to leave their desk.
• Able to share so much more because the files are in Doc.IT and they are accessible even if someone else is using them, as compared to paper documents.
• Printing directly to Doc.It reduces the need to scan.

Lessons Learned

• Implementing Doc.iT resulted in a very significant benefit as a by-product. It caused them to standardize their procedures across the firm. “Everybody has to do it the same way.”
• Hiring an independent industry consultant (Dr. Bob Spencer) was the best investment they made. After going to a number of conferences and viewing demos, they wanted someone to come in and provide them with an objective assessment of their options.
• A common misconception is that a DMS will help you work faster. It doesn’t necessarily do that, except in terms of document retrieval. It does make you more efficient as a firm overall.
• All of your process and procedures must be standardized and they have to be followed so that the DMS actually functions. “You have to pay attention to the rules.”
• You have to be flexible. Regardless of how much you plan ahead of time, something will come up that you have to adapt to. After startup, they realized there were some things would have to change.
• “ Overall we are so much better off, I can’ t imagine going back”