Nearly half (43.3%) of accountants are suffering from app overload, according to latest research from IRIS Software Group (IRIS).
The research reveals three-quarters of accountants are juggling up to 10 different apps in order to manage their day-to-day workloads. This reality is far from their ideal scenario. Nearly a third (30%) of those surveyed think having any more than three apps is too much to manage.
Worryingly, nearly half of accountants (44%) IRIS surveyed said the apps they use in their firm only sometimes sync or link up with each other, and 36% said apps don’t ever sync with others they have to use. Poor integration is a pressing problem for every size of accountancy firm – entering data into multiple apps with various login details, along with different user interfaces and contact lists increases the likelihood of errors. Indeed, overwhelmingly (72%) accountants wish their apps would connect with each other.
Ahead of Accountex Summit Manchester, IRIS is calling on accountants to navigate the ‘app-ocalypse’ by streamlining their applications, either through making better use of integrations offered between apps, or by consolidating onto cloud platforms that offer a rich inventory of integrated applications.
Rebecca Williams, founder of Eccounting comments, “I don’t want to have different pieces of software for different services from different providers. It doesn’t work – with that, you have additional costs, training time, and multiple relationships to manage. I can’t stress enough that when you’re a small practice owner you have no time. So, integration is key. You want to make sure you’re being time efficient. When I start hiring employees, I want them to be able to see what was done in previous years, I need it to be easy for them to pick up and run with.”
The IRIS research also found that although two-thirds (66.7%) of respondents acknowledge the security risks of using multiple apps at once, the reality of firms using 10+ apps means there’s a real risk of compromised data – often unbeknown to them.
Karen Williams, Interim MD of Accountancy at IRIS Software Group comments, “Accountants are facing serious app fatigue that not only drains time and money, but in some cases presents a real security risk. Moving to a single integrated platform will be a big transformational journey for many firms, but it is one which will undoubtedly pay off. With a 360-degree view of customers and an integrated automated workflow, firms will save time and be able to manage their practice end-to-end.”
IRIS will be exhibiting at Accountex Summit Manchester on the 19th September 2023 on stand E7.
