The kicker about time, is that it takes time to manage it. You write endless to-do lists, only to reshuffle them when things inevitably change or clients get back to you.
With everyone planning their time separately and following different processes, it’s impossible to keep track of job progress or guarantee that the correct procedures are being followed.
For practices using AccountancyManager (AM), the whole team’s time is managed for them. Using a combination of your clients’ accounting dates and deadlines you set yourself, AccountancyManager builds personalised, highly detailed task lists to keep you and your clients’ accounting on track.
Now set your own target dates
We’re excited to announce a significant new feature to AccountancyManager’s task management. Now, as well as external deadlines, you can also set internal deadlines. This gives you an extra level of control over your time and allows you to customise AccountancyManager to how your practice works.
“This will change people’s lives, I mean they may not call and tell their friends, but you know what I mean, this is big.”
– James Byrne, AccountancyManager CEO (on today’s team Zoom call)
How to use Target Dates
When you create a new Task or edit an automated Task, you set your ‘external’ Deadline and now, ‘internal’ Target Date. You can enter Target Dates manually or set them for each service based on either the period end or when you’ve updated the task to records received.
You can then filter your Task List based on these internal deadlines using the relevant filters:
Plan your day around client deadlines – and responses
Automated tasks driven by compliance deadlines
AccountancyManager pulls your limited company clients’ accounting deadlines through an integration with Companies House and automatically creates the tasks you need to complete by that deadline. If it’s not a limited company, you’ll need to enter the details manually in the client file initially, but then the tasks will automatically update.
When you finish a Task and hit Complete, AM will update the deadlines on the client file to the next period and create a new Task for the new deadline.
You can also create your own ad hoc tasks and deadlines for any non-compliance work or internal projects.
Automatic, colour-coded prioritisation
A quick glance at your Task List shows you which tasks need your immediate attention and how long you have until other upcoming deadlines:
Black: Task is overdue
Red: Task is due today
Orange: Task is due in the next seven days
Yellow: Task is due in the next 30 days
See which tasks you’re able to complete
It’s all well and good seeing your most urgent tasks, but you also need to know which of those tasks are ready to complete. Those where you’ve received all the information you need from your client. We’ve added a ‘Sort By’ option to make this quick: 30 Day Deadlines then Records Received.
This will move all tasks due in the next 30 days, that have been marked with a Latest Action of Records Received, to the top.
Keep track of missing information
If you’ve received part of what you need from your client but you’re still waiting on other bits (which are essential to allow you to complete that task), the task will show a red exclamation icon. Click this to see the details you’re missing.
All the information you need – in one place
Most tasks will be associated with a client, assigned to someone at your practice and have a target date and deadline. These can all be seen, at a glance, on the Task List. On top of these details, you can also set an estimated cost, time needed to complete, notes and documents to tasks.
When a Task has progressed, you can change the status and choose to notify the Client Manager. Then anyone (with the right permissions) can check the progress from their Task List.
Record and track the progress of each task
With everyone across your practice updating their progress as they work, AccountancyManager becomes your one-stop-shop for checking the progress of any job. A client calls and asks about the current status of their Self Assessment? You can instantly check AM and see what stage it’s at, who’s working on it and whether anything is missing.
Useful practice-wide Task overviews:
- Missing Deadlines: Without a deadline no Task will be produced, so this highlights clients that have services turned on, that don’t have deadlines.
- Missing Information: Here you can see all the clients where you are missing essential information required to complete a task. You can turn the Missing Information emails on by navigating to Settings > Automation Settings > Client Details > Request Missing Client Details Weekly. Then every Monday an automated email will be sent listing the specific Missing Details for each client on the Missing Data list
- Recurring Tasks: Set up a recurring Task that isn’t covered by a service and assign this to a client if you need to.
- Deadline Calendar: Here you can see an overview of your whole practice’s current and future workload broken down by staff member.
- Completed Tasks: Here you can view your completed Tasks and restore a Task if it has been incorrectly marked as Completed.
Customise your task list to suit you
The Task List is your personal mission control, guiding you through the day with your next priority as you complete each task.
The default Task List view will show your tasks sorted by their deadline dates (or, if you have the right permissions, everyone’s tasks). But we know everyone works differently, so there are many ways to filter and sort the Task List to suit you. You don’t need to select your favourite filters each time, AccountancyManager can remember them each time you fire up AM.
Choose to focus on a specific group of Tasks
When you have a certain group of Tasks you’d like to complete next, you can make your own to-do list by marking Tasks as ‘favourites’. Use the search function, sort-by filters or progress filters to find your Tasks, then click the star. Then sort by ‘Favourited First’ to move these to the top of your list.
Break Tasks down into bite-size chunks
Big jobs are broken down into Tasks, but what if a Task is big enough to require separate steps? There are two options here. You can create a Task Breakdown Template which you can store and use again or just add a one-off checklist to a Task.
How to manage Tasks in AccountancyManager
Create and edit Tasks
- Click Tasks in your main menu, then New Task.
- Fill in all the details your Task needs.
- Edit or add more details to your Task by clicking on the Task name in your Task List – or from your client’s Timeline.
Attach documents to a task
To upload documents to a Task, either click the pencil icon next to the Task in the Task List then Upload Documents, or click the Task name, then in the Details section bar click the paperclip/attachment icon.
You can upload a file here and it will be added to the Documents tab on the client file.
When a document has been attached to a Task the attachment icon will appear on the Task List next to the Task’s name:
Attach notes to a task
In your Task details, next to the paperclip icon, you can click the speech bubbles to write a note against the Task.
The Note will appear on the task if the note has been left on the Client File under Internal > Urgent.
Email your client from a Task
Simply hover over a client’s name in your Task List and an envelope icon will appear. Click this to write and send an email to the client.
Update a Task’s progress
- Click the pencil icon next to the Task in your Task List.
- This will give you the following options:
- The progress you choose will populate the progress status against the Task in the Task List.
- Depending on which selection you choose, it can affect the automation features in AM. For example, selecting ‘Records Received’ will stop the automated record requests being sent out.
Set up Task Breakdown Templates
- Go to Settings > Templates > New Template > Task Breakdown Template.
- Then when you’re creating a Task you can grab the template you need.
- Alternatively, for a one-off set of steps, simply click the Task in your Task List to create a check-list. Just start typing to create your first item (and tick box) and press return to create a new one.
Switch on the Manager and Partner Filters
- Go to Settings > My Settings > Tasks Page
- Switch on Show Client Manager on Task List and/or Show Client Partner on Task List. This will add columns to the Task List displaying this data and allow you to filter this data.
Log time against a Task
- Click the Time Log icon to the left of the Task in your Task List to log time for that particular Task.
- The Time Log opens in a new tab and will count up as you work – or you can fill the fields retrospectively.
Generate an invoice for a task
- Simply click the invoice icon to the right of your Task in your Task List.
- This will open up a new invoice template for you, with the Task name already filled in.
Try AccountancyManager for free
Give us a call on 01926 355 366
Drop us an email at: info@accountancymanager.com
