2010 Review of Professional Client Write-Up Systems

While the end products are generally similar to what they were 20 or even
10 years ago, write-up has changed dramatically over this time, particularly
from the accounting professional’s perspective. Almost gone are the days
of shoebox accounting and physical ledger books, with even the smallest of businesses
increasingly relying on off-the-shelf bookkeeping software to manage all, or
at least most, aspects of their businesses. These technology tools have generally
been great for productivity, but when it comes to fixing the errors that users
make, well … that’s where write-up has turned accountants into technological
sleuths, poring over hundreds or thousands of transactions for discrepancies.

Fortunately, professional write-up software has also evolved, providing many
tools for quickly finding potential transaction errors, missing information
and other issues, while also offering advanced features for quickly reconciling
bank and credit accounts with the company’s books. Recent advances in
this area even allow for client financial information to be directly downloaded
from their financial institutions and then viewed on-screen alongside their
check registers and transactions. Not only does this allow for quicker and more
automated reconciliations, it also allows for live reconciliations at any time,
instead of having to wait for a bank statement.

One of the most significant advances in write-up in decades, however, is still
evolving. A few systems on the market combine professional accounting and client-side
data, enabling both sides to always have access to company files. These integrated
systems are centered on the professional’s accounting and write-up package,
with clients having secure access to a web-based bookkeeping system that is
actually an extension of the professional program.

Clients only have access to their own company files, and can even be restricted
to only a few tasks, such as entering sales, check printing or running basic
reports. More advanced clients may be granted full access to their payroll,
inventory management and payables. The extent of their access can be tailored
to their needs as the accounting firm determines them. This allows the firm
to stay in total control of a client’s data and be more proactive in finding
and correcting transactions, performing reconciliations, and providing planning
and business consulting services.

Of course, one size does not fit all when it comes to client-side accounting,
and many have specialty niches that require specialty programs. So as always,
the integration capabilities of a professional write-up program, particularly
with regard to importing and exporting data from a client’s bookkeeping
system to a professional tax compliance or trial balance system is one of the
most important elements in determining the program best suited to a professional
practice.

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BlackLine Streamlines Complex Reconciliation Functions

As a business grows and retains more of its accounting expertise in-house, the processes associated with period closes and reconciliations are just as important as for those who use an outside accountant. They still need more comprehensive tools than most traditional off-the-shelf business applications can provide, especially for balancing hundreds or even thousands of accounts, while ensuring that proper accounting principles are maintained.
BlackLine Systems has been developing custom accounting solutions specifically for such businesses, starting with the First National Bank of Nebraska in 2001.

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