Move to Cloud Accounting With Intacct Helps Harrod CPA Improve Service and Increase Client Success

Prior to Intacct, like most accounting firms, Harrod CPA typically received data from clients via postal mail or email and in a number of different formats, including QuickBooks files, Peachtree files and even Excel spreadsheets. Wanting to standardize how it managed client data -- and being entirely satisfied with its own internal use of Intacct's financial management applications -- it was an easy decision for Harrod CPA to make the move to standardize its clients on Intacct.

"We typically serve as a trusted advisor to our clients on everything from financial to business to technology decisions," commented Randy Harrod, president and CEO of Harrod CPA. "We know that recommending Intacct will benefit our customers in a number of ways, and also help us provide more efficient services. Today, more than 80 percent of our clients use Intacct, and we have received nothing but rave reviews."

Transitioning clients to Intacct has proven to be both a fast and easy process. It takes Harrod CPA just a few hours to upload data, regardless of the source, and Intacct immediately flags any incorrect data so Harrod and his team can review and make corrections as necessary. Intacct's web-based access means once the data is loaded, everyone with permission to view the client files has the necessary information at their fingertips to most effectively serve the client. Because all you need to use Intacct is an Internet connection and a web browser, it doesn't matter if staff members work from remote offices in various cities, they can easily serve clients in any location. Intacct enables Harrod to provide high quality, cost-effective service to its clients, while significantly reducing the firm's travel and related expenses.

Harrod CPA clients are benefiting from Intacct even beyond the improved and more cost-effective service they receive. For example, one client in Tampa, Florida is a closely-held business that runs multiple companies including an import/export business and a firm that provides independent sales representatives to healthcare manufacturing companies. To support these companies, the client travels extensively and has staff spread throughout the U.S. -- making an Internet-based application extremely valuable.

Intacct's advanced multi-entity financial management system allows this client to run his various businesses virtually; from anywhere he has access to the Internet. He can, for instance, manage accounts payable while on the road using email and electronic approvals. His staff can also log in and submit expense reports from any location.

"Intacct's extremely flexible and powerful financial management applications have improved the way we interact with and serve our clients," added Harrod. "I have yet to see another offering in the market that can provide so many benefits in such a flexible and easy to use solution."

Averting Disaster with Intacct

Intacct also provides another benefit for a firm based in the heart of Hurricane Alley. In 2004, when there were three major hurricanes that devastated the central Florida area, Harrod's staff had to evacuate the state for several days. Fortunately, since Intacct's cloud accounting applications are accessible over the Internet, the firm could continue to operate and serve its clients without major disruption.

"We definitely had a competitive advantage due to the Intacct system," noted Harrod. "We reassured our clients, some of whom are scattered throughout the state of Florida, that their data was safe and secure at the IBM data center in California used by Intacct. Even though they were without power for days and their businesses sustained damage, we could continue to provide our service and the clients' financial systems never went down. Other clients not on Intacct were not so fortunate. Since then, many of these clients have migrated to Intacct due to these concerns and the need to mitigate future risk associated with hurricanes in the state."

To download a full case study on Harrod CPA's use of Intacct, please visit http://www.intacct.com/downloads/Harrod_CPA.pdf.

About the Intacct Accountants Program from CPA2Biz

The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and its subsidiary CPA2Biz have named Intacct their preferred provider of financial applications, and CPA2Biz is now the exclusive distributor of Intacct to the CPA profession. To learn more about the Intacct Accountant Edition or how to join the Intacct Accountants Program, please visit http://www.cpa2biz.com/intacct.

About Harrod CPA

Harrod CPA offers a wide range of services to our individual and business clients, including mergers and acquisitions; business advisory; business valuations; debt and financing; financial reporting; and tax planning and compliance. Because our firm is relatively small, our clients benefit by getting quality personalized service that is beyond comparison. For more information, visit www.harrodcpa.com.

About Intacct

Intacct is the market and technology leader in on-demand financial management and accounting applications for businesses and CPA firms. Bringing cloud computing to finance and accounting, Intacct's award-winning applications are the preferred financial applications for AICPA business solutions. Intacct applications are used by thousands of businesses, from startups to public companies and are designed to improve company performance and make finance more productive. The Intacct system includes accounting, contract management, revenue recognition, inventory, purchasing, vendor management, financial consolidation and financial reporting applications, all delivered over the Internet via Software as a Service (SaaS).

Intacct is headquartered in San Jose, California. For more information, please visit www.intacct.com or call 877-437-7765.

Intacct and the Intacct logo are trademarks of Intacct Corporation. CPA2Biz and the CPA2Biz logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of CPA2Biz, Inc. All other company and product names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.