How Does the iPad Make Me a Better Accountant?

Recently, that very question was posed to me by Rick Telberg, the President and CEO of Bay Street Group, and the publisher of CPATrendlines (www.cpatrendlines.com). It's a very simple question, but not so simple to answer. The next day I sent an email out trying to capture what the iPad has done for me – I have included the edited response below.

"How does the iPad make me a better accountant?"

That is a great question and an interesting challenge to boil it up into something relatively concise. First, in my opinion, the question is (and a focus of our practice) "How does the iPad enable us to provide more value to our clients?"

This broader perspective drives a focus on not only how we can personally do things more efficiently, but how can our clients/executives (and potential clients) gain value from this new tool and our expertise?

We have had the opportunity over the last year to work with Bill French, the founder of iPadCTO.com and a tech visionary. His insight has proven invaluable in trying to put into words the value gained once someone starts down the road with the iPad. Two phrases which Bill uses repeatedly in our discussions are "Situational Awareness" and "Information Agility" – I am not sure if they originated from Bill, but that is where we first heard them. In our opinion, they accurately summarize the areas where the iPad has the biggest benefit, from a business perspective.

1. Situational Awareness. This simply refers to being aware of information quicker, from whatever source. We operate in an "information industry" and every professional deals with an incredible volume of information sources, both personal and professional (email, websites, blogs, RSS feeds, Google Alerts, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.). The challenge is to have a process that facilitates getting at those resources quickly, easily, and as seamlessly as possible.
   
   The iPad basically serves as "command central" for this purpose. It is simple to manage multiple (currently five in my case) email accounts, calendars, etc., seamlessly with a simple tap or two. All news, technical research, and any other information sources are available in literally a few seconds.
   
2. Information Agility. This refers to being able to access any information, anytime. In fact, the iPad simply "enables information access – anything, anytime, anywhere, with anyone". That is truly a paradigm shift in how we handle and process information. Once that simple concept is grasped, we believe the value proposition of the iPad quickly becomes obvious.
   
   So what does that mean in the daily work routine? It means accessing any information (marketing, reference materials, client materials, technical research, etc.) anytime. If it is not stored locally on the iPad – and much of it isn't – it is available from cloud services we use or by accessing our personal firm workstations remotely. Translated into real life, it means:
   
   
   1. Remote operating capabilities are exponentially improved. We have the ability to respond to client requests immediately – nothing has to wait until later.
      
   2. Questions in meetings with clients and prospects are addressed immediately. Materials are mailed right in front of the client. It makes quite a statement when a topic comes up – unplanned – and you can respond right then with information that they need, emailed immediately.
      
   3. Documents have become much more interactive. Since everything is now handled digitally, any embedded links, etc. are accessible right from the document on the iPad. This includes client documents, reports, marketing materials, etc. Additionally, the quantity of paper printed has decreased dramatically.
      

I mentioned at the outset that the iPad enables us to provide greater value to our clients. They not only value us for the compliance accounting and tax services that we provide, but we demonstrate on a regular basis that we are a business advisor looking out for the their best interests. The iPad has taken this to another level and enabled us to develop a unique consulting niche as a result.

Here are just two primary areas where we see value to clients/executives around simplifying information access, critical to their business.

• iPad customized Dashboard reporting. There are a number of apps for the iPad that are game-changing for small business. Business intelligence reporting has become simple to implement, at a very affordable price, for virtually any business. That was not the case before the iPad. I am a fan of the RoamBI app, but there are several that I am aware of that are very good.
  
• Content libraries – It is now very feasible, and easy, to house an entire library of content on the iPad. The content can be anything – video, audio, pictures, documents, etc.
  

We recently completed a project for a public company to develop an "information portal" to public filings – for the Company and its competitors. They now have access to any public filing (or major agreements – say a bank Credit Facility agreement and any amendments) immediately. As I explained to the CFO, "Imagine you are going to an analyst meeting in NY City, sitting in the back of a cab. You want to look at your competitor's recent 10-K because a question might arise. Tap, tap – you have it in front of you in 20 seconds." That is the type of access that is made possible by the iPad and it's always connected capability.

And, of course, as companies get comfortable with the technology, they will continue to find ways to leverage it into their business.

We have conducted numerous iPad training sessions and not only have our clients been very interested, it has become a great vehicle to introduce additional companies to our firm. Obviously, we see tremendous opportunity with the tablet device. The "Post-PC" era is clearly upon us. Of course, for accountants, I do not believe that it will replace a computer simply due to the more complex data creation that we do. But the reality is that much of our work, at the senior management level, is not creating, but reviewing, analyzing and communicating.