Cloud accounting sends firm sky high

Prue Anderson PHOTO/FILE

Prue Anderson doesn't mind admitting she's got her head in the clouds.

That's because she's carrying the flag for the new way the world is doing business - cloud accounting.

In essence, the cloud is an off-site facility which enables a business to store its data, files and even its software so that they can all be accessed from any computer or device - anywhere, anytime.

Ms Anderson, principal of Prue Anderson Accounting Ltd, said she looked seriously at this new-age accounting practice when the partnership she had held with Bryce Smith and Murray Carey ended.

She got her business involved as a practice with cloud-based accounting company Xero.

"We're thrilled with our decision to become a Xero practice," she said.

"We love the feedback we're getting from clients who've converted, and we can see changes in the way they operate their businesses."

She said the move was about "being a little bit different" in accounting practice.

"I can access all the information from our clients that I need so it saves time and is very efficient.

"But more importantly, it gives me instant access to my clients on a daily basis if I want to," she said.

The past year had kept her busy converting her client base to Xero.

Ms Anderson said the key to the system was that it gave her up-to-the-minute data on those businesses and because of that immediacy, she had much closer and more regular contact with clients.

"It depends on what's happening in their business, really.

"They can call us daily if they need to, if they've got issues. I go in and have a look and sort things out because we're both on line at the same time looking at the same thing," she said.

Another plus for Xero practice was its simplicity.

"I haven't had one client come back and say they didn't like it.

"It's really user-friendly and they get the hang of it very quickly. You still have to know what you're doing but once they get to know it, it's an intuitive programme and it's fun to use."

It was also a very secure system, a question prospective clients were asking all the time.

Ms Anderson said eventually the cloud would be the way the business of accounting was heading.

Getting buy-in from clients was a "bit tricky to start with" but they all come on board with the process.

"There are still a couple of big clients with their own in-house accounting systems so it's not quite what we need for them."

She said it's best fit was for small to medium businesses and it wasn't difficult to come to terms with.

"We provide an initial training period of an hour but expect ongoing phone calls for two or three months after that.

"We simply log on and keep an eye on things but after that, they're away.

"It's putting them much more in touch with their businesses and they're managing their businesses better because of it," Ms Anderson said.