Law firms wishing to work more efficiently would do well to digitise their data and automate certain processes. But which processes are actually suitable for automation? How important is a Process documentation? And does it make sense to use Robotic Process Automation (RPA)?

In the latest episode of the Friday talk show „hsp live at 11“, hsp Managing Director Paul Liese and his guest Sebastian Mertens, co-founder of wemakefuture, explored these questions. Sebastian Mertens’s company specialises in process automation, and he is an expert in the fields of automation, Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs).

Before setting up his company, he programmed many bots and now states quite clearly: „Bots are stupid.“ After all, RPA is essentially nothing more than a „click pattern on the screen interface with a bit of keyboard input“. It is, therefore, a rigid system that follows predefined patterns and has to be reprogrammed every time something changes in the application. However, such software robots do not do justice to the real world or users’ everyday lives. Tax advisers, for example, have various clients who cannot all be managed according to the same pattern.

Programming interfaces make RPA redundant

Cloud-first strategies and API-based approaches in software development render RPA redundant. This is because APIs allow systems to be connected via an interface, enabling them to interact with one another. A classic example is the contact forms found on websites, which are also used by many tax advisers. Usually, prospective clients enter their details into the contact form; these are then sent to the practice by email and have to be manually transferred into the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, such as Salesforce. However, if an interface is set up here, the data entered in the contact form is transferred directly and error-free into the CRM. This saves valuable working time and improves data quality.

In the next step, the contact enquiry or lead can be transferred to the sales funnel. Enquirers then automatically receive an email with the relevant subject line, perhaps even including some initial information, and are thus engaged straight away. Other systems, such as newsletters, can also be linked, and prospective clients can be signed up for the newsletter. All of this boosts client acquisition for tax consultancy firms – a significant added value.

Synchronise data, build customer loyalty

Cloud-based accounting systems can also be integrated with the CRM via an API, ensuring that data is kept synchronised. It is important to note that the primary system must be defined in advance. If the CRM is the master system and data changes there, the changes are reflected directly in the connected programmes – financial accounting, stock management and the ticketing system.

If there is an interface with the ticketing system, this also has the advantage that clients who ring the practice can be addressed by name straight away on the phone: after all, their telephone number is stored in the CRM. This makes a good impression and boosts client loyalty.

Significant added value for tax consultancy firms

The added value for tax practice firms therefore lies, on the one hand, in the time saved, as data no longer needs to be transferred manually; on the other hand, the focus is on attracting and retaining clients. Another advantage is that automated processes run reliably, as they always follow the same pattern. Regardless of who in the firm takes on the task, consistent performance is guaranteed. This enhances security and improves the quality of data and processes. Furthermore, it helps to avoid duplication of data and streamline processes.

The financial aspect should not be overlooked either: on the one hand, it saves valuable working time and, consequently, money. On the other hand, staff can be deployed where value is created – not in the manual transfer of data, but in supporting clients.

Foundation: Accurate digitisation and process documentation

But what steps need to be taken when automating processes? First of all, the foundations must be laid, and these consist of the proper digitisation of data and processes, and software that has an API. „It won’t work without an API,“ emphasises Sebastian Mertens. „Because RPA is simply too rigid and incurs six-figure bot costs.“

Once the foundations are in place, one’s own processes must be clearly defined. Process documentation is a key pillar in this regard. It is produced as part of the process documentation process, but is essentially the far more important part and delivers significant added value for tax advisers and their clients.

Once the processes have been defined, it is fairly straightforward to identify those that can be automated. The prerequisite for this is that they occur regularly and are standardised. Tax returns, for example, are not necessarily suitable, as although they occur regularly, they do not always follow the same procedure. Contact forms are a classic example of process automation, but in law firms, data exchange with clients is also a good option. Using GetMyInvoices, for example, invoices can be automatically retrieved from the relevant portals and stored in the Opti.Tax Cloud for case documentation.

Automated translation: DeepL in the next Opti.Tax release

It is now also possible to translate individual reports automatically. Thanks to artificial intelligence for language such as DeepL, customer enquiries can be translated into any language. If, for example, an enquiry comes in a language that the person responsible for answering it does not speak, it can be translated into their language in a matter of seconds and entirely automatically. The question is answered and then translated back for the enquirer. Incidentally, DeepL will also be integrated into the next Opti.Tax release. Reports will then no longer need to be translated in a laborious and time-consuming manner – a single click will suffice.

Unfortunately, it is not yet possible to fully integrate Microsoft Office 365 with other tools via an API. „But it’s only a matter of time,“ says Sebastian Mertens. Outlook and SharePoint are simply too widespread and too important. Developers such as Sebastian Mertens are therefore taking on this challenge.

Conclusion

In tax consultancy firms, there are a number of processes that can be automated. However, tax advisers must first gain a clear understanding of their processes. Once recurring processes have been identified that are standardised but are currently still carried out manually, there is virtually nothing standing in the way of automation. The benefits for firms are considerable: time savings, more efficient working methods, improved quality of data and processes, client retention and greater value creation. Automation is well worth it!