SMEs want accountancy services on the cloud

ADVISERS are expected to work with clients over the cloud, according to a new survey.
Nine out of ten SMEs will work with advisers over the cloud, a survey of 100 accountants and 200 SMEs by Intuit has found.

More than half (58%) will pay to work online. ‘The Changing Role of Accountancy’ report found that four in ten believe accountants are “too traditional” in their approach. Two-thirds of small business owners expect their accountants to operate more as strategic business advisers, with 82% expecting accountants to be more proactive in developing value-added services.

“Intuit’s ‘Changing Role of Accountancy Study’ is a wake-up call for British accountants to embrace new technology and offer new services. Their clients expect this and many are increasingly looking for their accountants to drop the ‘number cruncher’ label and offer cloud based services,” said Mike Williams, head of business, Intuit. “It is a worry that 62% of accountants don’t recognise the additional revenue opportunities associated with providing business-consulting advice, despite 95% of their customers willing to pay more.”

Survey results released yesterday by Iris found that 7% of attendees to Iris World had moved all their work into the cloud. A third (31%) said their firm had moved some work into the cloud and were planning more. Nearly half (48%) said their organisation would look to adopt some cloud services in the future. One in ten said they had no plans to use cloud services.