A Lesson for us all from Kodak | Almost everything will be done via a smartphone App

Mistake 5 of 16 – A Lesson for us all from Kodak – Almost everything will be done via a smartphone App

This week we continue our series of blog articles ’16 mistakes made by accountants – and how to avoid them’. A Lesson for us all from Kodak – almost everything will be done via a smartphone App.

As a general rule, you must now assume that what used to be done via a desktop computer will be done via a smartphone or tablet. As customers operate in an ‘always on’ culture, they use mobile technology as their communication tool of choice, in which Apps play a critical and ever-increasing role.

A lesson from Kodak!

Stop and think for a moment. If you want to take a photograph, what do you reach for? If you’re old enough then you’ll remember the days of slugging around the old SLR… The ‘pop’ when you opened your new roll of film… That unmistakable smell – and the long wait for Kodak to post back your photos. Kodak dominated the film processing market place and was once responsible for 90% of film production, employing over 140,000 staff globally. They filed for bankruptcy in 2012! Today, it’s all done in an instant. Grab your phone, take a picture and with the help of an App, it’s shared with the
world – done!

16 biggest mistakes made by accountants

16 biggest mistakes made by accountants

What can we learn?

The Kodak lesson is clear. No matter how good you are right now, you must keep up with the flow and the latest technology to maintain appropriate dialogue with your clients – and your staff! As a firm, regardless of your size, it’s key that you consider the way you interact now with your clients and how you will in the future. This also impacts on the way you make yourselves accessible to potential future customers.

Failing to make your firm ‘mobile friendly’ using the latest mobile technology will be a big mistake. Take our word for it,
many firms are already behind the curve on this!

What can your accountancy firm do?

  • Be aware of the key issues, risks and opportunities that mobile presents
  • Plan activities that are reviewed at key intervals
  • Launch your own App to form the interface with clients and potential clients so you can manage the
    client journey
  • Consider your website and its objectives
  • Create a mobile website
  • Review common client tasks to see if they can be done ‘In App’ or via mobile devices
  • Innovate – if you can think of an idea ‘In App’ we can probably build it.

Joel