70% of Accountants Find Clients are Usually More Responsive Than Coworkers

Industry research finds massive need within the accounting industry to streamline internal firm communications

DRAPER, Utah--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A new study commissioned by Canopy, the leading cloud-based practice management platform for accounting professionals, found that accounting practitioners’ clients are typically more responsive than their own coworkers.

The study of 150 accountants based in the U.S. uncovered that 70% of accountants and staff report that it is generally easier to get a response from their clients than their own coworkers. Additionally, among senior partners, 76% have had to “over communicate” with staff to explain what they’re referencing and 60% of accountants and staff have wasted time over communicating internally.

“When you are running a business, no matter what the size, having streamlined, clear internal communications is just as important as external communications,” said Larry Furr, Chief Product Officer, Canopy. “As the accounting profession has grappled with remote work, this has become increasingly clear. With the right technology in place, practices can dramatically improve internal communications, which in turn, allows businesses to do better work and make their clients happier.”

Accountants need streamlined firm communications to effectively communicate with clients and coworkers:

• 91% of accountants and staff say they regularly want to reference client messages (i.e. screenshots of texts or emails, forwarding of emails) within firm communications, but only 42% are sure they can do it easily
• 51% of accountants and staff say forgetting to “reply all” has caused work delays and confusion in the past month
• 37% of accountants say they have missed a client deadline because of poor office staff communication
• 37% of accountants and staff have missed important information because their firm uses too many communication channels

“Practice Management software like Canopy’s can respond to these struggles by offering internal conversations in context, which saves a lot of time, effort, energy, and morale,” continued Furr.

Review the complete report here.

Research methodology

Canopy partnered with TrendCandy to conduct a survey of 150 accountants based in the United States. TrendCandy Research is a leader in thought-leadership survey data and trends.

About Canopy

Canopy is an award-winning, cloud-based accounting practice management software suite designed to increase efficiency and boost revenue for accounting firms. It offers tools for client management, document management, workflow, and time & billing, as well as specialty compliance solutions that help accountants obtain IRS transcripts and resolve notices quickly. Canopy was ranked by Capterra as the #1 Top Performing Accounting Practice Management Software in 2022 and included in The Women's Tech Council’s 2022 Shatter list, highlighting Canopy’s inclusive and diverse culture of innovation and well-being. Canopy’s solutions are SOC2 certified and data encrypted to ensure personal information is secure. Connect with us @CanopyTax and https://www.getcanopy.com/.