We at Appy Hour have recently started using Ignition, formerly known as Practice Ignition, as our proposal tool and have been ecstatic about all the features it offers. It has created an easy, streamlined process from proposing services to our clients all the way to payment.
Templates
There is a wide variety of templates available for various industry types, including accounting and bookkeeping services. They are written and created by professionals within that industry, so you can start closing deals immediately. What’s powerful about having templates is having a place to start. The feedback I hear most often from my peers is that they struggle with getting started.
Every new thing takes energy to think through. While we know engagement letters are a vital piece of the clarification around an accounting or bookkeeping client, often this step is overlooked because of the amount of time it takes to design a professional engagement letter.
Accounting Lifeline has used several different engagement apps over the years as a place to assist us with automation. We have used PandaDoc, Honeybooks, Word and Ignition. These experiences have allowed us to learn what makes good engagement letter tools.
Here’s what in our experience has made the most significant difference.
No. 1 — Templates
A set of basic standard templates that allow your energy to focus on the elements specific to the engagement. By starting with a standard format, parties are clear about the relationship. Understanding the relationship is essential for a successful relationship. Clients should be well informed, and accounting firms should be protected.
No. 2 — Integrations
Automation is a great buzzword, but it becomes a pain to manage if the solution does not fit into your tech stack without a lot of massaging. Helpful integration for engagement letters are invoicing options, payment collection, document storage workflow, and notifications for when an engagement is viewed, signed and paid.
Another important piece is workflow task automation. Using an engagement letter as the outline for services performed, your engagement letter tool should allow you to automate the workflow and include notifications for the team members affected by the new engagement.
Engagement Terms
There are pre-populated engagement terms in Ignition that help reduce your business risk. You can customize these terms to fit your client and services as you see fit.
Payment collection
Once the client accepts the engagement, Ignition kicks off its streamlined process by automatically creating an invoice and receiving payment directly in QuickBooks. You also can schedule invoices to develop at a later date or even split them into multiple payments.
Workflow in Intuit Practice Management
There are several other integrations that Ignition offers to automate your workflows.
For those who are using Intuit Practice Management (IPM), Ignition has an integration available that keeps the workflow process streamlined from beginning to end. IPM is powered by Karbon and allows you to keep track of tasks and keep clients organized.
To learn more about Ignition, CLICK HERE.
Liz Scott is a multi-business entrepreneur working to bring together technology and accountants through her business, Liz Scott Consulting. A member of Intuit Trainer/Writer Network, she authored and taught Master level courses, including Advisory Guides and Consulting Tools for Accountants. In addition to Liz Scott Consulting, she also owns Accounting Lifeline, a firm to serve small businesses with their financial needs. Liz is a co-host of the "Appy Hour," which helps other accountants learn about the different tools and apps for small business needs. Holding a high passion for real estate investment, she owns properties throughout Oklahoma.
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