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It might not be in time for this one, though.

By Rick Richardson

From predicting outbreaks to devising treatments, doctors are turning to AI to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

MORE TECH THIS WEEK: Zoom Will Offer End-to-End Encryption to All Users | COVID-19 Contact Tracing App by Google, Apple Piloted in Switzerland | Emerging Tech Gets Bipartisan Boost | What Wi-Fi 6E Means for You | Smartphone Thermometers Predict Coronavirus Hot Spots | Open-Source Smart Home Standard in the Works
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Why It Matters. While machine-learning algorithms were already becoming a part of health care, COVID-19 is likely to accelerate their adoption. But lack of data and testing time could hinder their effectiveness – for this pandemic, at least.
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A.I. Called Upon to Fight Pandemic

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It might not be in time for this one, though.

By Rick Richardson

From predicting outbreaks to devising treatments, doctors are turning to AI to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

MORE TECH THIS WEEK: Zoom Will Offer End-to-End Encryption to All Users | COVID-19 Contact Tracing App by Google, Apple Piloted in Switzerland | Emerging Tech Gets Bipartisan Boost | What Wi-Fi 6E Means for You | Smartphone Thermometers Predict Coronavirus Hot Spots | Open-Source Smart Home Standard in the Works
GoProCPA.comExclusively for PRO Members. Log in here or upgrade to PRO today.

Why It Matters. While machine-learning algorithms were already becoming a part of health care, COVID-19 is likely to accelerate their adoption. But lack of data and testing time could hinder their effectiveness – for this pandemic, at least.
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The Only 3 Metrics You Need

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A totally virtual firm outlines the metrics it uses to measure staffers.

By Jody Grunden
Summit CPA Group

If you want to grow your accounting firm, it’s important to evaluate the effectiveness of your process on a regular basis. You want to be aware of what’s working well and what’s not. You also want to continually be improving upon your services over time.

MORE: How to Attract Clients Like a Magnet | Riches in Niches | Marketing Is About Thought Leadership | How to Audit 401(k)s | 3 Measures of the Effectiveness of Your Team | How to Profit with Workflow Apps
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There are three things you can specifically monitor when it comes to the effectiveness of your team. Here’s how we do it at Summit CPA Group. Maybe these ideas will work for you too.
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Syncing Up for the COVID Era

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Woman reading paper document at office desk in front of computerThe three key ingredients for success in internal communications.

By Steven E. Sacks

Imagine this: A local reporter or a potential client contacts your firm after visiting your website. What happens next?

MORE: The New COVID-19 Workplace: Are You Prepared? | How to Create Effective Internal Communications | How to Select Your Firm’s Board | Trust Is a Key Organizational Ingredient | Real Influence Vs. Immediate Gratification | Fake It ‘Til You Make It: An Ultimate Goal?today.

With the media and clients clamoring for COVID-Era solutions, it’s happening increasingly often. Here’s how to be prepared.

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Networking for Fun and Profit

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Young man riding hour hand of clockHow to make business development fun, and not a dreaded, anxiety-provoking activity.

BONUS CHECKLISTS with 57 ITEMS: From 15 simple conversation starters to top 5 mistakes.

By Marc Rosenberg
The Rosenberg Practice Management Library

Networking is creating a group of acquaintances and professionals and keeping it active through regular communication for mutual benefit.

MORE: Why Consultative Selling Works | How Marketing Systems Produce Business Growth | 6 Keys to Developing New Client Prospects | Now Is the Time to Activate Your Referral Network | Does Your Firm Recognize All Its Skills? | Protect and Grow Existing Clients | The 4 Marketing Disciplines | 15 Powerful Niche Marketing Practices
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Truthfully, all professional service providers want to be held in high esteem by their clients and professional colleagues. Practicing true professionalism means becoming more than just a vendor who takes and fills orders from a client. It means transitioning into a trusted advisor whose expertise transcends your individual practice. Trusted advisors know the right questions to ask and where to find the right answers.
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The New COVID-19 Workplace: Are You Prepared?

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woman's hand with touchless soap dispenserHere’s a question: Do you HAVE to renew your lease?

By Steven E. Sacks

If you are a managing partner and are deciding when and how to reopen your office, keeping in mind the safety and well-being of your staff, what steps will you take? More important, do you know whose brains to pick to do the reopening well and properly?

MORE: How to Create Effective Internal Communications | Profit Is Not a Mission | Confronting Leadership: Not Such a Bad Thing | New Opportunities for a ‘New Normal’ | Is Trust Elusive? | Working Remotely Shouldn’t Mean Feeling Isolated | How Engaged Are Your Employees?
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Consider who your advisors should be: scientists, doctors, public health officials, interior office design professionals, air-quality professionals and architects.
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Learn to Embrace Failure

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Coats hanging on wall hooksIt often comes when we tackle new work.

By Bill Reeb

The learning process is often frustrating. So why is it so difficult to learn new things?

MORE: What a Pro Knows | Appreciate the Joy That Comes From Work | COVID-19 Crisis Requires New Mindsets | 3 Early Warning Signals for Overachievers | How Overachievers Can Get ‘Unstuck’
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One answer is that we don’t have “hooks” for what we don’t know (neither the mental acuity nor the physical skills). An example of this is found anytime businesses train their employees.
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Zoom Embraces Encryption for All Users

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illustrationAuthentication willl be required to try to stem abusive accounts.

By Rick Richardson

Zoom has reversed its controversial decision to restrict access to end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for some users and will now offer the feature to customers of both its free and premium services.

MORE TECH THIS WEEK: COVID-19 Contact Tracing App by Google, Apple Piloted in Switzerland | Texas Court Holds First U.S. Jury Trial Via Videoconferencing | Thunderbolt Flaw Lets Hackers Steal Your Data | Buzz-Buzz! Step Back! | FBI Recommends Passphrases Over Password Complexity | How to Sanitize Electronics Against COVID-19 with UV Light
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The video conferencing app said it had consulted with rights groups, child safety advocates, government representatives, encryption experts and its security council to gather feedback.
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How COVID Has Pulverized IRS Operations

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Delays, postponements, system failures, shutdowns, and mounting backlogs.

By CPA Trendlines

Taxpayers who filed a 2019 paper return and are entitled to refunds may be in for a long wait, according to the first report to Congress from the new IRS watchdog.

MORE on the 2020 SEASON: The Mystery of 10 Million Missing Tax Returns | Tax Pro E-Filings Down 20 Percent | IRS Web Traffic Doubles over Year-Ago | COVID Drowns IRS in New Filings | 2020 Tax Season Comes to a Screeching Halt | The Tax Season 2020 Dumpster Fire | Tax Pros Fall Behind 6.2% in Returns Filed
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The IRS was forced to suspend the processing of paper tax returns, and as of May 16, it estimated it had a backlog of 4.7 million paper returns, says National Taxpayer Advocate Erin M. Collins, who succeeded long-time predecessor Nina Olsen just as the pandemic was ramping up.

Although the IRS is reopening some of its core operations, it is not clear when it can open and process all the returns sitting in mail facilities, the Taxpayer Advocate Service reports.

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