{"id":71982,"date":"2024-04-02T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-02T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/?p=71982"},"modified":"2026-01-29T14:13:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T12:13:19","slug":"eliminate-spreadsheet-overload-accountancy-practice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/eliminate-spreadsheet-overload-accountancy-practice\/","title":{"rendered":"How to eliminate spreadsheet overload in your accountancy practice"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/category\/technology-innovation\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">Technology &amp; Innovation<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tHow to eliminate spreadsheet overload in your accountancy practice\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2024-04-02T12:00:00+02:00\">Apr 2, 2024<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"How to eliminate spreadsheet overload in your accountancy practice\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/eliminate-spreadsheet-overload-accountancy-practice\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/author\/asavinwattanajantra\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/Asavin-350x350.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"Asavin\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/Asavin-350x350.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/Asavin-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/Asavin-810x810.jpg 810w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/Asavin.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 40px) 100vw, 40px\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Asavin Wattanajantra<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>One of your most important accountancy practice tasks is to manage your clients and provide them with the best possible service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you run a smaller accountancy practice or have just started up, it\u2019s possible to manage clients with basic spreadsheet tools. Right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this article, we talk about why using spreadsheets could result in more work for you \u2013 and what you can use instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-here-s-what-we-ll-cover\">Here&#8217;s what we&#8217;ll cover<\/h4>\n\n\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><ul><li><a href=\"#the\" data-level=\"2\">The problem with spreadsheets<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#how\" data-level=\"2\">How to stop using spreadsheets<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#client\" data-level=\"2\">Client reporting and metrics<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#ways\" data-level=\"2\">3 ways KPIs can help your practice<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#time\" data-level=\"2\">Time is priceless<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Integrating payroll and accounting for business efficiency<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-b2cc282b-5945-4ef3-b58c-634c9f4bf0f1\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Download now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1215\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1402342490-1215x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1402342490-1215x810.jpg 1215w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the\">The problem with spreadsheets<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The more clients you win, the more complex your back-office work will become. And if you\u2019re using spreadsheets, they could really slow you down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some reasons why spreadsheets aren\u2019t great for client management:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>They\u2019re not user-friendly. <\/strong>As you add more clients, you may have to scroll through hundreds of rows and columns to get what you need.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>They\u2019re not that secure.<\/strong> You know the pain when one of your colleagues accidentally deletes essential data in a spreadsheet.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>It\u2019s challenging to share and edit data. <\/strong>We\u2019ve all been in the situation where you\u2019ve been unable to edit spreadsheet data because somebody else is in the same file.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>They\u2019re hard to organise.<\/strong> The more client entries in a spreadsheet database, the harder it is to control.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>They can be inaccurate. <\/strong>It\u2019s easy to make mistakes if you play with formulas and fall prey to mistakes from the infamous copy and paste.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how\">How to stop using spreadsheets<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/accountants\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Practice management software<\/a> is the best option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It lets you store core client data in one easily accessible database. You can record all client interactions and set alerts for when you need to contact a client or action something with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Practice management software lets you automate admin tasks, so you won\u2019t always have to edit every bit of missing or outdated information manually. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is important\u2014if you don\u2019t update client records often (at least annually), you may not have that email address or phone number to hand when you most need it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Every member of your staff should have access to data to help clients. It would be even better if they could write notes for others showing what they did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other benefits of practice management software include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Workflow management<\/strong>. Organise a series of activities needed to complete a given task.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Capacity planning. <\/strong>Identify what is needed to complete your work for a given period.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Work allocation<\/strong>. Give jobs to team members and then track the status of that job.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Stefan Barrett is the founder of Bee Motion Accounting, a practice he started after several years of working for other people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He says if he were to start his own business again, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/sage-presents\/video\/becoming-an-entrepreneurial-accountant-what-i-wish-id-known-from-day-one\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">I would have practice management software from day one.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Due to the software, Stefan can set up and track his team\u2019s workflow digitally and have employees tick tasks off, whether preparing accounts or doing VAT returns and bookkeeping. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Behind each workflow, there are also \u2018process notes\u2019, he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Stefan adds: \u201cIf an employee\u2019s unsure of anything, process notes can assist them. If they\u2019re still unsure, the practice manager can step in. But nine times out of 10, the process notes are so good they help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Integrating payroll and accounting for business efficiency<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-b2cc282b-5945-4ef3-b58c-634c9f4bf0f1\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Download now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1215\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1402342490-1215x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/09\/GettyImages-1402342490-1215x810.jpg 1215w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"client\">Client reporting and metrics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Reporting is a big part of client management, allowing you to understand where you are as a practice, whether tracking progress towards goals, fixing problems, or measuring performance against the competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some intuitive software tools allow you to easily manipulate and visualise data better than a spreadsheet\u2019s rows, columns, and basic graph capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Business intelligence tools can \u2018mine\u2019 your data, where you pull up and discover patterns that reveal insights about your clients. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, you can find the type of work, client industry and team member combinations that generate the most profitable work, and you can set and track key performance indicators (KPIs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are two points to remember when it comes to KPIs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol style=\"list-style-type:1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Check that measurements are regular and used with the proper range.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Take actions based on the insights.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>The metrics you put in place depend on your goals and insights you need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"ways\">3 ways KPIs can help your practice<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some ways in which KPIs can help you understand your business better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Find out which of your services brings in the most money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>With easily accessible, visualised data, you can learn your practice\u2019s strengths, look for realistic areas to expand, and find weaknesses in your services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, you may do a lot of tax work, but you could find that advisory or consultative services for a handful of clients are making more money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Understand the types of clients your practice services<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also categorise clients based on the nature of their business and how frequently they use certain services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You may want to upsell to existing clients, and it\u2019s here that measuring monthly recurring revenue (MRR) against client type could be very helpful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019ll help you forecast your future cash flow, budget, and control how you want your practice to grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Look at your clients\u2019 satisfaction levels<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Are your clients happy with the service you\u2019re giving them? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Keep a close eye on client needs, so your practice can consistently meet their demands. If you take on a client within an unusual industry, you might have to research their unique accounting or finance needs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Staying one step ahead of the game pays off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"time\">Time is priceless<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When starting out on your own, it\u2019s fair that you\u2019d want to save money by using spreadsheets for every aspect of running your practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But instead of having your head in a spreadsheet file trying to picture reports and visuals based on rows and columns of data, cloud software could allow you to find and create what you need with ease rather than pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Use practice management software as early as possible to maximise its value. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019ll get more valuable data from a digital system, preventing a more complex transition from messy spreadsheets bloated with outdated information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019re better off using technology to free your time to focus on client work with as much energy and enthusiasm as possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Time is priceless, so get more of it.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to the Sage Advice enewsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Get a roundup of our best business advice in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-84fe79b5-668d-41f8-a0cc-6229018c4ac9\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1181404518-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1181404518-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Drowning in spreadsheets as you manage your practice? There&#8217;s a better way to stay on top of everything: using practice management software.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":356,"featured_media":69765,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"business_type":[5],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[6],"imagine_tag":[51],"coauthors":[402],"class_list":["post-71982","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology-innovation","business_type-accountants"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-za","author_name":"Asavin Wattanajantra","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-643644406.jpg","imagine_tags":{"51":"Accountants"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice South Africa","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71982","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/356"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71982"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71982\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/69765"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71982"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71982"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71982"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=71982"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=71982"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=71982"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=71982"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=71982"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=71982"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=71982"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}