# Clubhouse TaxTech Roundtable: Scalability and Idea Management
**How much manual effort is involved in client acquisition? Can these processes be automated? And how do software providers actually deal with new ideas put forward by law firms?**

The scalability of law firm software and idea management – these were the two main topics of discussion at the latest TaxTech roundtable, hosted by Paul Liese from hsp and Philip Hellmig from kanzlei.land.

## Tax consultancy firms prefer face-to-face contact

The session began by focusing on the topic of scalability – and, consequently, increasingly on its sub-topics [Digitalisation](../../en/further-training-course-for-digitalisation-consultants/index.md) and automation. Key questions centred on the extent to which software providers had already automated onboarding and processes. It quickly became clear that automation is hardly possible when it comes to acquiring new clients. Whilst some vendors do have product videos showcasing the software, law firms are always looking for personal contact and want to receive tailored advice. Only the sending of contracts, for example, can be fully digitised using Adobe Sign.

Experience suggests that tax advisers, in particular, tend to be set in their ways and are rarely open to new ideas – partly because they are fully occupied with their day-to-day work in their practices, leaving them with hardly any time to consider innovations. Software providers therefore agreed that a more open-minded approach is needed on the part of firms in order to change and digitise their workflows. Often, manufacturers first have to make it clear to firms that there is indeed a need for innovation.

## Tax advisers are feeling the pressure to change when it comes to procedural documentation

Only in the case of the [Procedural documentation](../../en/process-documentation-2/index.md) A shift is now becoming apparent: as there is external pressure in this area – procedural documentation is mandatory during tax audits – many firms now wish to use a software solution that makes it easier to produce this documentation. Tax advisers gain a great deal of theoretical knowledge from seminars, but find it difficult to put this into practice. They therefore seek appropriate coaching on procedural documentation and the relevant software. This must be provided on a one-to-one and personalised basis; automation is not an option here.

External pressure is clearly a decisive factor in the introduction of \(new\) software. In Austria, for example, competitive pressure amongst tax advisers is significantly higher. 80 per cent of firms there have already switched to digital processes. In Germany, by contrast, the figure is just 20 per cent. The consensus among the panellists was that the sector is currently leaving a great deal of potential untapped. This is due, on the one hand, to a lack of pressure to change and, on the other, to tax consultancy firms’ concerns that their staff might not be able to cope with the new systems. Yet software for creating procedural documentation offers great potential – for both the firm and its clients. What’s more, with the right support from software providers, it can also be quickly mastered by staff.

## This is how users can contribute new ideas

When it came to idea management, there was a lively exchange of views, with participants taking quite different approaches: some rely increasingly on their own staff as a source of ideas and regularly ask them for suggestions, which they can ideally implement themselves. The majority, however, involve their customers, offering them the opportunity to submit suggestions for improvement and new ideas, for example via feedback buttons directly within the software. Manufacturers also regularly receive feedback and ideas via email. The downside is that communication with the person who suggested the idea often breaks down, particularly when it comes to minor improvements.

At hsp, the idea management process is very transparent: by being part of the community, all users can submit a suggestion, which is then visible to everyone else. Every idea can be voted on – once it has received at least ten „thumbs up“, hsp implements the suggestion. The fact that the idea is being implemented, and how this is being done, is then communicated.

One interesting approach went down particularly well with the group: asking the person who came up with the idea how much they would be prepared to pay to have it implemented. The focus here isn’t really on drawing up an actual invoice; rather, it’s a way of finding out how important it is to the person concerned that their idea be put into practice.