Accounting talent shortage solutions for your firm’s next “hire” How to combat the accounting talent shortage

Highlights: 

Automation helps firms boosts productivity without increasing headcount
Technology can be leveraged as a tool to engage and retain young tax professionals
Eliminating data entry gives preparers more bandwidth for career development

The accounting talent shortage has swelled into a perfect storm. Experienced professionals are reaching retirement age, fewer students are entering the field, and those who do often choose corporate roles over the public sector. Firms are then forced to compete over an increasingly scarce pool of candidates and shoulder what staff they have with more responsibilities. 

But staffing trends aren’t the only variable at play. Technology is also evolving. Instead of adding team members, many practices can add capacity by empowering their existing employees with the right solutions. Here’s a look at how advanced automation can help tax teams address the talent shortage in accounting. 

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Same team. Better productivity.

Historically, accounting firms have relied on junior staff to perform manual data entry, workpaper indexing, and other basic preparation tasks. But as the industry’s staffing supply has tightened, workloads have only grown. Many of today’s preparers no longer have the time, bandwidth, or energy to handle their firm’s preparation needs. 

That’s where SurePrep steps in. The end-to-end functionality of 1040SCAN, SPbinder, and SafeSend streamlines every phase of the 1040 process so tax teams can accomplish more without adding staff. Here’s are 3 components that set SurePrep apart from other automation products: 

1. Automate preparation with 1040SCAN

Uses advanced optical character recognition (OCR) to scan document data and export it to your tax software, drastically reducing data entry requirements 

Automatically sorts, bookmarks, and organizes workpapers into an index tree that follows the flow of the tax return 

Recognizes 4-7x as many tax documents as alternative solutions 

2. Reduce review time with SPbinder

Workpaper management software designed specifically for 1040 engagements 

Equips preparers with tick marks, annotations, notes, and hyper-linked cross-references that work on all supported file types 

Reviewers can follow workpaper progress with change tracking and up to four sign-off levels 

3. Simplify client collaboration with SafeSend

Provides a secure, award-winning interface for communication and collaboration during document gathering and tax return delivery 

Contains e-signatures, custom questionnaires, document request lists, and built-in invoicing 
Gives automatic reminders so staff don’t have to chase down clients for documents and payments 

“What SurePrep is saving us — it depends on the size of the return, but on the larger returns, it could easily be saving three to four hours on manual data entry. That is tremendous.” 

Benjamin KramerDirector of Technology, Friedman-Huey Associates

From entry-level work to value-added services

When automation handles routine tasks, even junior staff can focus on higher-value, expertise-driven work. 

Instead of spending hours on data entry and workpaper organization, your preparers can: 

Analyze tax scenarios and identify planning opportunities 

Provide proactive client advisory services 

Build stronger client relationships through meaningful interactions 

Develop specialized expertise in complex tax areas 
Focus on quality review and strategic thinking 

How SurePrep combats burnout and boosts retention

Hiring difficulties aren’t the only symptom of the accounting talent shortage. Many firms are struggling to keep the team members they already have. Long, fast-paced workdays have driven many junior staff from one firm to the next in search of better work-life balance. Some have even left the industry entirely. 

SurePrep directly addresses these retention challenges by transforming the daily work experience: 

1. Eliminate repetitive tasks

When automation significantly reduces basic preparation work, your staff can assume more intellectually fulfilling tasks. This shift from mundane to meaningful can help improve job satisfaction. 

2. Enable professional growth

With routine tasks automated, your team members have the capacity to assume higher responsibilities, learn new areas of the discipline, and build deeper client relationships. These career development opportunities keep talented professionals engaged and committed to your firm. 

3. Enhance your firm’s image

Today’s young tax professionals tend to stay on the cutting-edge of technology trends. But the accounting industry doesn’t have a reputation for being quite so hip. Implementing best-in-class solutions can help inspire confidence among younger staff members and rebrand your practice as a forward-thinking firm. 

Streamlined implementation and support

We understand that introducing new technology can feel overwhelming, especially when your team is already stretched thin. That’s why the SurePrep customer success approach eliminates implementation anxiety with step-by-step support. 

Our proven process includes:

Personalized setup with your dedicated customer success manager  

Hands-on training with real-world scenarios 

Gradual rollout in manageable phases 

Ongoing support throughout your first tax season and beyond  

Implementation doesn’t end when the software is installed. Our success team remains available for questions, follow-ups, additional training, and optimization recommendations 

Conquering the accounting talent shortage

Industry leaders are hard at work to resolve the talent shortage and rejuvenate interest in accounting. But these efforts will likely take years to materialize. In the meantime, automation has become an essential tool for short-handed firms looking to stay competitive.  

SurePrep provides much more than short-term seasonal relief. It yields year-over-year increases in efficiency and helps position firms for long-term growth.  

From preparation to professionalism: Time that would otherwise be spent inputting data and indexing workpapers can instead go toward identifying advisory opportunities and delivering first-rate client service. 

Attracting top talent: Today’s professionals want to work with modern technology and focus on meaningful work. Firms using SurePrep become magnets for quality candidates who are excited about working efficiently and developing their skills. 

Scalable growth: As your firm grows, SurePrep scales with you. Whether you’re working with large or small return volumes, our solutions can meet your needs. 

Are you ready to start saving over 90 minutes per return? Check out our information page to see what your next tax season could look like with SurePrep.