The-Accountant-July-Aug-2018
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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY<br />
expertise. That is less likely to be<br />
automated. Analyzing and interpreting<br />
data is where it is at – not the low end<br />
of data entry. Automation is going to<br />
be constantly affecting the profession.<br />
It is really going to have an impact on<br />
our financial model. What happens<br />
when inputs are no longer the gauge<br />
of revenue? That is where value pricing<br />
comes in. But billing practices are<br />
not the only things that will need to<br />
change in the face of automation and<br />
new technologies. When you look at<br />
accounting firms, they are being run the<br />
same way they were 20 or 30 years ago.<br />
<strong>The</strong> pyramid model is going to change.<br />
Our model has been to hire as many<br />
people as we can up front, and those left<br />
standing in a few years we will promote<br />
to partner. Automation and outsourcing<br />
are already significantly reducing the<br />
need for entry-level people – but that<br />
will also mean that there will be fewer<br />
trained accountants down the line. Both<br />
firms and individual accountants will<br />
need to be more open to training and<br />
retraining as circumstances change. <strong>The</strong><br />
key to success and change management<br />
is learning, then unlearning, and then<br />
relearning”.<br />
An example of what Koziel speaks about<br />
is that CPA.com, the technology arm<br />
of the AICPA, along with CaseWare<br />
International, has released<br />
OnPoint PCR, a smart, cloudbased<br />
solution for CPAs<br />
to conduct preparation,<br />
compilation and review<br />
engagements. CaseWare is<br />
a technology company that<br />
provides cloud-enabled audit,<br />
financial reporting and data<br />
analytics solutions. “OnPoint<br />
helps guide the practitioner<br />
through the entire process of<br />
doing a preparation, compilation<br />
or review,” said Erik Asgeirsson,<br />
president and CEO of CPA.com, at the<br />
<strong>2018</strong> AICPA ENGAGE. “At the start,<br />
there is an intelligent questionnaire<br />
that asks a lot of questions about the<br />
service that the firm is providing.<br />
Based on that, it dynamically fills<br />
out things like an engagement letter,<br />
management representation letters<br />
where appropriate, and a report if it is<br />
a compilation or review. It also helps<br />
with the importing of data in a very<br />
seamless manner, and provides some<br />
visual analytic capabilities that will help<br />
the firm provide more strategic insight<br />
to their client as they look at their<br />
JULY - AUGUST <strong>2018</strong> 37
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