What I learned at Xerocon 2017

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What I learned at Xerocon 2017

This year’s Xerocon conference in Austin, Texas was a fantastic experience that has made me even more excited about building a technology driven outsourced accounting firm. The variety of applications available now allow accountants and bookkeepers to help clients interpret data and improve their business, rather than simply processing transactions and taking care of mundane data-entry. This is why the Enkel team focuses on developing customized “app stacks” for clients , as well as providing controllership-type services.

As one of the speakers at Xerocon framed it, “We’re not your father’s accountant.” We use technology to be efficient which allows us to help you manage and grow your business.

App Stacks are Key

With 100s of third party applications integrating with Xero, it is safe to say that you can find an app for everything and if you can’t, someone will design one soon. With improvements in technologies like Artificial Intelligence, historical bookkeeping tasks will soon become extinct. We will continue to focus on helping business owners develop a custom process using the best applications to streamline their systems and save them money.

We understand that finding the perfect application that fits a business’ needs is often a time consuming and difficult tasks for business owners. Business owners end up dabbling in a variety of tools and never end up utilizing these tools to their ultimate potential. That’s where Enkel can help!

Automation is Awesome

Technology such as Artificial Intelligence is becoming increasingly precise and is changing the way that traditional tasks are being completed. The historical role of a bookkeeper has been transitioned to the role of the “accounting technologist.” Where historically, a bookkeeping was responsible for data entry, today, the “accounting technologist” must use technology to build the right app stack and then monitor the ongoing use and efficiency that this technology brings to the business.

That does not mean that knowledge and understanding of numbers has become obsolete. In fact, today, the “accounting technologist” needs to instead spend time helping clients interpret the
reporting that is obtained from new cloud-based software applications to make better business decisions.

Hiring has Changed

When I first started Enkel, I focused on hiring superstar bookkeepers and accountants to fill the role of bookkeeper and accountant. I wouldn’t say that my philosophy has changed, but I have recently realized that I am looking for more than AP and AR knowledge or reconciliation specialists – I am looking for people who are able to evolve and adapt, and are excited to see how they can speed up a process by using technology. They may not be designated or specifically trained in accounting, but these people have an overwhelming urge to think outside of the box and to understand and work through problems.

Having started Enkel in January 2016, I believe that I started the practice with the right ideas and philosophies in mind. Many of the learnings mentioned above have been in the back of mind since day one. The opportunity to speak with my peers and see how others are working in a now forward-thinking accounting industry has reinforced many ideas that I had. I am now even more confident that building a technology driven business with a culture of finding innovative ways to help entrepreneurs will pave the path to success for Enkel in the coming years.

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So what’s next? Our team will continue to offer a superior bookkeeping service to businesses in the Vancouver area, with a focus on adding value and streamlining our amazing client's workflows.

Omar Visram
About Omar Visram
Omar Visram is the Co-founder and Head of Growth at Enkel Backoffice Solutions Inc. Headquartered in Vancouver, Enkel provides bookkeeping, payroll, accounts payable and accounts receivable services to over 300 organizations Canada-wide.