The state of RPA, as it applies to <50 EE tax firms
1️⃣ Why your tax firm needs RPA
2️⃣ Why you probably won't buy it from today's vendors
3️⃣ How to build an API for your client tax data
1️⃣ Why your tax firm needs RPA
2️⃣ Why you probably won't buy it from today's vendors
3️⃣ How to build an API for your client tax data
1️⃣
Legacy tax software is perfectly-suited for RPA:
-Boilerplate forms & inputs
-A large volume of the same thing in a standardized format
On the spectrum of things RPA can do, putting data into, and pulling data out of tax software should be straight-forward.
Legacy tax software is perfectly-suited for RPA:
-Boilerplate forms & inputs
-A large volume of the same thing in a standardized format
On the spectrum of things RPA can do, putting data into, and pulling data out of tax software should be straight-forward.
🔒 We've become accustomed to living in a world where all of that data is locked into an ecosystem.
🤸♂️ CCH, Thomson Reuters & Intuit profit massively from platform lock-in, but RPA can liberate your data, syncing it with virtually any external system.
🤸♂️ CCH, Thomson Reuters & Intuit profit massively from platform lock-in, but RPA can liberate your data, syncing it with virtually any external system.
2️⃣
But here's the reason why 99.9% of small firms haven't bought it:
Small firm owners are hustlers, they need to get sh*t done. GSD mode isn't a safe place for pie-in-the-sky. I'll happily cut a check when you show me what will get me home for dinner tomorrow.
But here's the reason why 99.9% of small firms haven't bought it:
Small firm owners are hustlers, they need to get sh*t done. GSD mode isn't a safe place for pie-in-the-sky. I'll happily cut a check when you show me what will get me home for dinner tomorrow.
🚫 I'm not interested in a platform. I don't have a team of people standing by to champion implementation.
✅ I'll happily buy an RPA library that works with my toolset, Host the implementation for me, and sell me the top 3 use cases.
✅ I'll happily buy an RPA library that works with my toolset, Host the implementation for me, and sell me the top 3 use cases.
⛔ Sales pitch 1: RPAplatformX - Build your own robots, it's easy, and will make your humans more human. Anything is possible!
😍 Sales pitch 2: UltraTaxBuddy - An API for your client & tax data. Sync tax data to any system automatically, and make it searchable & actionable.
😍 Sales pitch 2: UltraTaxBuddy - An API for your client & tax data. Sync tax data to any system automatically, and make it searchable & actionable.
3️⃣
Building an API for your tax software actually shouldn't be that hard, what's frustrating is that we're the ones having to build it ourselves.
⬅️ Pulling data out of your system
➡️ Pushing data into your system
Building an API for your tax software actually shouldn't be that hard, what's frustrating is that we're the ones having to build it ourselves.
⬅️ Pulling data out of your system
➡️ Pushing data into your system
⬅️ Pulling data out
Decide what data points you want to pull from returns. Using 1040s as an example, maybe you want to see if a specific tax form is present, like a Schedule C. Maybe you want AGI, QBI, NOL, etc. Could be any number of data points.
Decide what data points you want to pull from returns. Using 1040s as an example, maybe you want to see if a specific tax form is present, like a Schedule C. Maybe you want AGI, QBI, NOL, etc. Could be any number of data points.
🤖 Train the bot where to find these figures, ie which tax form or worksheet. Set the bot to run when a data file is modified (if on-premise), or nightly to avoid locking files.
🔍 Drop it into a web-based DB with a strong API (Airtable), and you've got an API for your tax data.
🔍 Drop it into a web-based DB with a strong API (Airtable), and you've got an API for your tax data.
➡️ Pushing data in
Determine which inputs you want to be accessible, and train your bot where the relevant input fields are.
Connect with a client-facing system, like a form asking for any changes to their personal info, and push those updates to your tax software.
Determine which inputs you want to be accessible, and train your bot where the relevant input fields are.
Connect with a client-facing system, like a form asking for any changes to their personal info, and push those updates to your tax software.
🏁 Parting thoughts
Don't store sensitive data like SSNs & EIN
Associate data with a client ID, not their identity (name/social)
Tax software vendors can torpedo this via bot-proof authentication
RPA vendors, please don't make us build these things ourselves-We're accountants
Don't store sensitive data like SSNs & EIN
Associate data with a client ID, not their identity (name/social)
Tax software vendors can torpedo this via bot-proof authentication
RPA vendors, please don't make us build these things ourselves-We're accountants
