Technology
Case Study: Thomson Reuters GoFileRoom
Apr. 24, 2012
Firm Profile:
Wilson Morgan LLP – Irvine, CA
www.wilsonmorgancpas.com
Contact – Mark Solone, Tax Manager
Wilson Morgan is a traditional CPA firm offering a mix of assurance and tax services. The firm has 11 partners and a total staff of 45 working in a single office location. They are in their sixth year of using GoFileRoom. Other applications the firm uses include: Lacerte and GoSystems for tax preparation, QuickBooks and CCH ProFx Engagement for assurance engagements. This mix of vendor solutions makes GoFileRoom a good option for DMS due to its ability to be integrated with various vendor solutions.
Click here for the May 2012 review of GoFileRoom.
Scanning Model
The firm has used a mix of scanning approaches, but for the most part they have used back end scanning, with some mid process scanning. At one point they tried to implement a front end scanning model but decided to abandon that early on. In the future they intend to transition back to a front end scanning model. Everyone is responsible for doing their own scanning at this point. Ultimately they want to move towards a centralized scanning operation with a full time scanner. They currently share a Fujitsu scanner. Review notes are tracked in FirmFlow and document annotations are made in Adobe Acrobat.
Benefits Achieved
- Better control of engagements by using the FirmFlow workflow application
- Able to retrieve documents on demand
- Not having to manage internal severs is a benefit. “The cloud is where it is at!”
Favorite Features
- Using the FirmFlow application to manage client engagements.
Lessons Learned
- “Pulled the plug on front end scanning, probably prematurely and we regret that decision”
- “For all of us old timers, we have made the switch to online. Not the same as paper.” Overall benefits outweigh not having the paper.
- It is important to have good people to help you establish best practices. One size does not fit all.
- Commitment is important.
- Anytime, anywhere access makes for much better client service.