Alan Woods, Managing Director of Woods Squared, tackled one of the hottest topics at this year’s Accountex. In his presentation, he revealed how developing a strategy to manage the digital client relationship is one of today’s most important considerations.

Alan believes that there is an urgent need for accountants to take control of all the financial App-stacks and Add-ons that clients are accumulating on their Smartphones and make them really deliver. There are huge efficiencies to be gained by using the right cloud software and by creating a single environment for the client.

How access is managed is a major consideration in this new digital world and it is important not to give away trusted adviser status as it is all too easy to be cut out of the loop.

Alan shared with delegates what firms need to think about when selecting Add-ons for the client base. Alan says: “With over 500 Xero Apps, and similar volumes with other cloud accounting programmes to choose from, you have to consider carefully how many can really help us and which are the most relevant to our business.”

“We have taken the decision to provide our clients with a preferred suite of Add-ons that are easy to access through a single sign-on through the Woods Squared App,” explains Alan. “This helps to make it quicker and simpler to use the tools our clients need on their Smartphones and allows ours to be the first name they see.”

“Being able to own and serve the digital relationship with our clients is paramount and giving clients everything they need within a single App environment is great for both firm and client.

The Woods Squared App was developed by market leaders, MyFirmsApp, and the practice is now in the process of migrating to its powerful next generation ‘OneApp platform’. The new future-proofed OneApp makes it easier to manage the digital client relationship and ensure all App-stacks and Add-ons are retained within the accountant’s own App.

“One of the challenges of introducing great new Apps and Cloud software to clients is getting them to actually engage with them, and so by bringing them into the firm’s OneApp, it allows us to use push notifications to more easily lead and drive that new behaviour.”  Firms that send even one push notification a month are seeing a 50% increase in engagement.”

Trial the App with your free download and walkthrough by clicking here.