Front-End Scanning Hits the Mainstream

A person electronically scanning a documentAs firms evolve away from paper-based workflows.

By Roman H. Kepczyk
Quantum of Paperless

For the next few years it is anticipated that accounting firm clients will deliver the majority of their organizers and supporting tax documents to the firm in a physical format. To utilize this information in a paperless environment, it must be effectively scanned and managed at the lowest possible cost.

MORE ON TECH SPENDING: Workflow Systems Make Tax Season Less Tedious | Hit ‘Delete,’ But Only When It’s Time | Unified Messaging Offers Benefits | Remote Access: Giving Workers What They Want | Why Use Windows 10? | Desktops vs. Laptops | Right to the Root, or Why Scanners Rule | Size Matters: In Desktop Monitors

GoProCPA.comExclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

Early paperless adopters scanned the tax return and the supporting documents at the back end of the process when a return was complete. This is still usually the first step when firms transition from a completely manual environment. By doing back-end scanning first, the firm can get used to working with digital files and naming conventions, prior to forcing changes in the preparation and review processes, which can then be transitioned to front-end scanning.