Accountancy Age Panel concludes that accountants must provide clients with more meaningful, timely and frequent information

Wednesday, June 4th, 2009

Annual compliance-only services are no longer enough: accountants must provide clients with more meaningful, timely and frequent information. That was the conclusion of the recent Validis-sponsored Accountancy Age round table chaired by Damian Wild, Editor-in-Chief, on "How accountants can improve client service and reduce risk."

Against this most difficult of economic backdrops it has never been more important for accountants to support their clients by improving the quality and relevance of the service they offer. However, are too many accountants providing the compliance services that they are used to providing rather than what clients need today? Are they just providing figures rather than meaningful information? Are they doing enough to help clients access the finance that they clearly need?

These were some of the questions that Damian Wild, Editor in Chief of Accountancy Age, posed to two experts from practice and business: Ian Sumbler partner and IT specialist at Swindon-based practice, Morris Owen, and Richard Brooks, CEO of FD Solutions the flexible Finance Director service.

"The biggest issue facing the profession is to step away from its traditional base of compliance services. Providing figures back to the client that are six months out of date - after the last year end are meaningless in the current economy." Said Ian Sumbler.

To watch the panel visit: www.accountancyage.com/roundtable.

Download a paper detailing the conclusions of the debate and explaining how Validis can help accountants move from compliance-only services to monthly business support.

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