Quorum
Accountancy practice management software has come a long way. Today, features like automated billing and reconciliations are easily integrated into the day-to-day practice workflow of Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting UK customers.
Our employees work side by side with our customers to create and manage these solutions – driven by a deep understanding of their needs and addressing the rapid changes in their environment.
However, it’s often hard to look beyond improving performance in day-to-day operations. Amid Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic and other disruptions, accountancy practices and their clients are dealing with an unpredictable economic landscape. Future business planning can appear daunting.
However, technology can support accountancy practices (and their clients) in making informed business decisions, and planning for the future. In the first part of our Accountancy Practice Management for Future-Fit Growth series, we’ll explore how they can use technology to define and easily track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Doing so gives practices closer control of performance tracking, and deeper insights that will inform strategic growth plans.
Saving Time
For several decades, business technology platforms have enabled practices to track performance metrics that they have customised. This highlights areas that qualify for improvement and underpins strategic planning.
Contemporary technology, such as CCH KPI Monitoring, makes setting up KPIs faster and easier for accountancy practices than ever before. This is vital today. The current business landscape demands that firms assess and amend KPIs more frequently, based on fresh market variables. KPIs such as client retention rate and business time-to-recovery have become increasingly prominent performance indicators in the past year. If clunky technology makes KPI management difficult, practices have less time and insight to plan future growth.
Reducing Risk
CCH KPI Monitoring makes it far easier to track KPIs and report on them. This is fundamental in minimising risk. For example, if a KPI is set to track and escalate debt filtered by overdue dates, the ability to easily set alerts and automatically generate reports is critical to practice performance management.
Some practices are manually running monthly reports to measure KPIs. Others are running real-time reporting engines, a key feature of CCH KPI Monitoring. This latter solution allows practices to review essential data at any time – covering both performance management and compliance requirements. They can do so remotely or on-premise.
This means that firms can assess issues before they become problems, and thus act proactively. Real-time reporting is a true asset in building a future-fit practice.
The Proof is in the Practice
A number of Wolters Kluwer customers have been using CCH KPI Monitoring for several years now. Our customers look to us when they need to be right. Ryecroft Glenton has successfully integrated CCH KPI Monitoring with its own system. This consolidates information from several sources, including CCH Central and CCH Practice Management.
“We can use the year end date to trigger a sequence of reminders. Have we asked for the books? Have they been received? If a request to a client has been outstanding for a certain period, the partner will receive an alert via email. For limited companies, we can monitor the corporation tax and Companies House filing deadlines – as well as the different deadlines for pension schemes”
– Ian Smith, partner at Ryecroft Glenton
“Apogee are not just aprinting company, theyconsult with us and go onto deliver a full end to endservice from concept toinstallation. They go aboveand beyond and we lookforward to continuing ourjourney with them”
“Apogee are not just aprinting company, theyconsult with us and go onto deliver a full end to endservice from concept toinstallation. They go aboveand beyond and we lookforward to continuing ourjourney with them”
“Apogee are not just aprinting company, theyconsult with us and go onto deliver a full end to endservice from concept toinstallation. They go aboveand beyond and we lookforward to continuing ourjourney with them”
“Apogee are not just aprinting company, theyconsult with us and go onto deliver a full end to endservice from concept toinstallation. They go aboveand beyond and we lookforward to continuing ourjourney with them”
We know…another article about AI. But this isn’t really about AI. It’s about the wave of innovation happening and how firms can take advantage of this while staying in control. Rather than chasing AI hype, it’s about making smart, practical choices that genuinely improve things without adding complexity.
Many firms are still figuring out where AI fits into their processes. What matters is a measured approach that aligns with business needs, not adopting AI for the sake of it. Key considerations include seamless integration with existing technology, data security, and regulatory compliance.
We think the iManage and Microsoft partnership stands out in this space. Widely used across professional services, iManage provides a secure, structured system for managing documents and emails, while Microsoft offers AI driven tools designed to enhance productivity in familiar environments like Microsoft 365. Together, these technologies offer a practical, scalable approach to innovation without disrupting workflows.
AI-Driven Tools in Accountancy Firms
Accountancy firms deal with significant amounts of structured and unstructured data such as financial reports, audit records, tax filings, and client communications. AI can help manage this information more effectively, improving search ability and reducing time spent on manual tasks.
iManage offers AI-driven tools that can improve productivity:
While these tools offer potential efficiencies, AI should be viewed as a complement to human expertise rather than a replacement. You’ll need to evaluate which elements of AI integration make sense for your firm.
Automation and Workflow Efficiency
AI can also support automation within financial workflows e.g. reviewing financial statements or flagging anomalies in reports. Automated compliance checks and risk assessments are becoming more sophisticated, reducing manual workload while enhancing consistency.
However, not all firms will benefit equally from automation, and a careful balance is required. AI should assist you, rather than take over decision-making. Human oversight remains essential to ensure accuracy and compliance with industry regulations.
Security and Governance Considerations
Security and governance are key concerns when adopting AI particularly when handling sensitive data. Microsoft Azure AI Services can support client-facing AI solutions while iManage ensures that sensitive documents, emails, and financial records remain protected within a secure governance framework. A clear governance framework outlining AI usage, accountability, and oversight is essential for firms looking to integrate AI responsibly.
Firms should also be mindful of regulatory scrutiny. As AI-generated content becomes more common, questions around responsibility and auditability will need to be addressed.
By combining Azure AI’s automation and analytics with iManage’s strict access controls, firms can explore AI-driven efficiencies e.g.automated reporting and client self-service tools, without compromising compliance. This integration allows firms to benefit from AI innovation while maintaining full control over your data, ensuring regulatory requirements are met and critical information remains secure..
A Thoughtful Approach to AI Adoption
Taking a considered approach to your AI adoption is key, whether you’re actively integrating AI into your workflows or being a little more cautious and slowly assessing where it provides most value.
Rather than seeing AI as a disruptive force, firms should view it as a tool that can support existing processes. Quorum are currently working with many of our clients on their journeys of various stages utilising iManage’s AI-driven document management, Microsoft Copilot’s intelligent automation, and Azure AI’s data processing capabilities. The goal should be to improve your workplace without compromising security or control.
For accountancy firms, the key to successful AI adoption lies in measured, strategic implementation, ensuring that technology serves business objectives rather than the other way around. We’d be happy to discuss any of these areas further with anyone that needs practical advice.
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