From the Dec. 2007 Feature on
Website Builders for Accountants
The Tenenz Accounting & Financial Site Builder (AFSB) is a website creation
and management tool specifically designed for accounting and tax practices,
providing a professional site design with multiple visitor tools, including
financial and tax calculators and client-focused newsletters and resource materials.
The program offers good customization options and numerous templates, along
with support for inserting image and logo files, for creating highly personalized
firm websites with an unlimited number of pre-defined and custom pages.
The
automated content available for websites built using the AFSB system include
a periodic client newsletter with articles covering financial management and
tax and planning topics for individuals and small businesses. Several client
financial and tax calculators and other tools are also included. Practices can
also elect to include online client tax organizers or additional optional content,
such as more in-depth brochures on several tax and financial-related topics.
The system also includes a client information gathering tool, allowing users
to sign up to receive e-mailed newsletters, reminders, appointment scheduling
and other information from the practice, while also providing a valuable sales
resource. This tool is even more valuable when used with the client management
system, which enables the creation of client groups for sending e-mail and newsletters
directly from within the AFSB website system. These marketing tools are a great
feature for professionals actively trying to grow their practice. The program
includes a personalized firm domain name (www.yourfirmname.com), a subdomain
(www.afsb.net/yourfirm), and also includes up to five e-mail addresses.
During initial website setup, AFSB offers a decent selection of templates
with additional customization of color schemes and layouts to help develop a
site unique to each firm. The system’s Site Management Center acts as
the central interface for creating, maintaining and editing a practice’s
website, with initial setup tasks guided by a wizard that simplifies all functions
by using a step-by-step chart to help ensure no components are missed and to
let users know where they are in the process. The wizard also provides information
windows for each setup item, explaining what each is for and how to perform
the task. Also during initial setup or editing of the website, the user can
select which client-focused content to include on the site by simply checking
them off a list of available options, including the newsletters, calculators
and other items. Content created by the firm can either be added to a webpage
or uploaded as a PDF document that can be downloaded by clients and visitors.
When creating pages for topics like About Us, Profile, Services and other
common areas, AFSB includes pre-written copy that is generic to tax and accounting
firms and can be edited to suit the specific needs of a practice. Although no
HTML knowledge is necessary to use the site building tool, it is helpful in
order to have better control over text formatting and styles. Websites created
with AFSB offer traditional navigation structures that are user-friendly and
customizable, while also keeping a professional feel and offering quick access
to client tools. The professional practice maintains control over all website
content and copy. Full technical support is included with subscriptions to the
AFSB website building services, while various assistance resources are also
available within the system.
AFSB provides good content and excellent user tools, making it simple to get
a website up in just a few minutes. The system offers good support during setup
and editing tasks, and provides a great marketing component in its e-mail and
client information collection functions. AFSB is inexpensive, too, with no setup
costs and pricing for basic websites starting at less than $20 per month.
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