Optimizing Your Workflows for a Better Tax Season

During tax season, you may struggle to find time for administrative tasks when you’re busy filing your clients’ returns. Throughout the year, you may likely notice a few areas of your work that could be made more efficient.  

Putting new workflow optimizations into practice will set you up for a smoother tax season. Here are a few changes you can make so you can spend more time preparing returns and less time managing your office. 

Be as Paperless as Possible

In modern businesses, paper-based workflows are known as “analog interruptions.” These are seen as inefficient and time-consuming interruptions to an otherwise smooth and productive workday. Filing, organizing, and ensuring client security are easier and less time-consuming when you’ve got a paperless document management system.

We have software options designed to help you go paperless – but are you taking advantage of every feature? As cloud-based software, TaxSlayer Pro Web is already paperless by nature and pairs with the TaxesToGo mobile app, which allows your clients to send you their documents virtually and securely, so paper never has to touch your desk. TaxSlayer Pro Premium’s paperless office feature lets you store returns as PDFs and quickly scan, save, and organize other paper documents from your clients. 

Go Virtual 

Not every return requires an in-person meeting. Many clients who appreciate the ease of online filing, will jump at the chance to skip the meeting and send you their documents virtually. This is another advantage of the TaxSlayer Pro Web and TaxesToGo app pairing.

Clients can snap photos of their records and send them securely through the app. They get automatic updates when you’ve started and completed their return, and the messaging feature allows you to handle any questions quickly within the software itself. Clients love how easy it is to file, and tax preparers love that they save valuable time during tax season.

Starting with a few virtual meetings is pretty straightforward, but if you’re interested in an entirely virtual office, look into our Tips for Running a Successful Virtual Tax Office.

Automate Simple Tasks

Scheduling meetings, answering phone calls, and managing payments are all necessary but time-consuming parts of tax season. By automating these tasks with various business process automation software and services, you can ease the burden. If you don’t have one already, the off-season is an ideal time to look into scheduling software like Calendly or HubSpot Meetings. Look into these 10 Tasks You Can Automate to Save time.

Optimize Your Website

A good website helps clients find you – it can make your life easier by answering some of your potential client’s questions and letting clients schedule appointments automatically when you embed your scheduling software. Our tips for Building a Website for Your Tax Prep Business can get you started. 

Simplify Client Follow Up

Following up with former clients is one of the best ways to increase returning clients and maximize profits during tax season. Unfortunately, it can also be incredibly tedious to send reminders and track whether clients have returned. That’s where our client retention database can help.

Your TaxSlayer Pro software can automatically track whether your former clients have already filed with you this year or not. Even better? It will automatically send thank you notes to returning clients and reminder emails to former clients. 

Are you looking for other ways to make your off-season productive and profitable? Here are a few Ways Tax Preparers Make Money Year-Round with other service offerings!

This article was last updated on 01/06/2023.