Roy Keely — 32
VP of Market Strategy, Xcentric
Alpharetta, GA
Education: Marketing, University of Houston Clear Lake
Hobbies: Reading, beer, coffee, and Crossfit with my wife.
Have you embraced cloud computing for your practice? Are you moving your clients to the cloud? We have totally embraced the cloud! So much so, we have staked our whole company on it. We are a cloud provider to the accounting profession and a majority of our revenue comes from our clients moving to our cloud.
On a broader scale, how do you see new technologies changing the accounting profession in the near term (3-5 years)? I think the controls accountants implement within their clients organizations will be impacted by the move to the cloud at large. CPAs will need to not only be aware of the cloud but be a driver to the cloud in order for their client to leverage big data, better systems, and tighter integration to other mission critical applications. Avoidance will no longer be an option.
How mobile are you regarding your work? How have mobile devices and apps impacted your productivity and work-life balance? Travelling up to 50% of the year I have grown accustom to working remotely and/or on the run. It goes without saying that my phone is my swiss army knife and without it there is no way I could manage life on the road and maintain my sanity. That said, I have also become aware of how devices turn my life into a constant state of consumption that has weighed down my brain and my soul. This has caused me to dumb down my devices to their core functions in order to free up my mind for more productive pondering.
Have you found business success via social media, either via recognizable ROI, new customers, marketing or networking? We have found success using social media (mainly via our blog) to engage with prospects and the market at a more intimate level. Social media, when done right, does not have the scent of being salesy but rather a tone of education. The accounting community values education so it’s a good fit for us to use as a tool in our marketing mix.
What tips on social media do you think are essential, but perhaps missed, by professionals and small businesses? Always be providing value + novelty won’t win business.
What single piece of technology do you find the most important in your professional life? My MacBook Pro is my chief tool day in and day out. I still find it much more productive to have a computer by my side versus a tablet that is, in my opinion, very much lacking in the true ability to produce work.
What brand/model mobile phone do you use? Apple iPhone 5 and considering a change for the first time in 5 years
Do you use a tablet for work purposes? No, I am trying to unplug more and more thus have avoided a tablet. I use a basic Kindle for bringing my library with me wherever I go.
What is your favorite accounting mobile app, and why? Mint – gives me my personal finances in a quick concise manner + where I am at budget wise.
How many monitors do you have on your desktop workstation? 1 big one
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Tags: Technology
