Our Big Ideas: Elegant CRM

The Big Ideas of ABLE

In each installment of the “Our Big Ideas” series, we take a look at one of the cornerstones of the CRM for CPAs. We discuss what the feature is, why it’s important, and how to use it best.

Today, we take a look at ABLE’s elegant CRM capabilities. Check out the video below to hear ABLE CEO Jeff Pawlow’s explanation, or scroll down for a summary of what Jeff has to say:

 

 

Is ABLE a CRM?

In the video, Jeff explains that “we’ve been accused of being ‘CRM light.’” First, he makes it clear that we are not Salesforce, or Dynamics, or Hubspot. In fact, he says that he’s “happy to have that designation because most accounting firms don’t have CRM.” In general, accountants don’t need a full-on CRM. Instead, they need something simpler, something more elegant. That’s where ABLE comes in.

 

ABLE Promotes Synergy

ABLE is designed to create an environment where accountants can practice together efficiently and effectively. Jeff offers the following example:

“A lot of firms that we work with are set up like a series of grain silos at a farm. What I mean by this is, each partner has their own separate practice. At some level, they’re all sole practitioners. They’ve simply figured out that it’s a better economic model to band together. That way, they offset the costs of the receptionist, the building, and the copier.”

In Jeff’s example, there is no synergy in the relationship among the partners. However, if accounting firms want to survive the coming disruption, they need to learn to practice interdependently. “That means one plus one can’t equal two—it has to equal ten,” explains Jeff.

 

ABLE in Action

Next, Jeff discusses how ABLE helps accounting professionals within a firm work collaboratively together to best serve the needs of their clients. How does it do this? Check out this example:

“Consider one of your audit partners. Maybe she’s out with one of her clients conducting a major interaction. In the process of doing so, she learns that the client is about to break ground on an big facility expansion. After her meeting, she returns to the office and enters the information into ABLE. She knows that there’s a cost segregation opportunity there, but she’s not the practitioner who’s going to lead that engagement. She enters the details from the meeting into ABLE and takes credit for the major interaction. But she also tags the firm’s tax partner to let him know about the potential cost segregation study.

“Once she does this, the tax partner gets an email that says: ‘Hey Bill, Susan entered some more information about Jeff into ABLE and wants you to know about it.’ The email also includes the full transcript of Susan’s entry. The tax partner doesn’t even need to login to ABLE in order to get the information.

“The other thing the audit partner can do is create a task for the tax partner to follow up with that particular client. This is where that interdependent behavior pays off in spades. Consider the client’s perspective: they’ve got both partners focused on their unique needs They can see how their accounting firm is proactively driving value into their relationship.”

 

ABLE is an Elegant CRM

Ready to learn more about how ABLE can elevate your accounting firm’s practice? Sign up for a free demo today!