The growth of PTCFOs has been extraordinary and at the end of last year I made a big investment into implementing Microsoft Teams. It’s been a game changer for us and I wanted to share a little about why we made this switch and all the ways it has helped us improve our productivity.

G is for Growth. When growth comes quickly, quality should never suffer. We hired someone that had been through the process of implementing Teams and they worked with us to get us up and running in just two weeks! P.S. New regulations stated that HR and cloud computing were identified as qualifying costs to spend the PPP loan money on, so if you have the loan and have thought about doing investments into your system, take a look.

A is for Access. Not only can I chat with my team through this software, I can chat with my clients if they are also Teams users. If I’m in the middle of a meeting and a client, or a team member, sends a message about an urgent financial matter, I can write them back in real-time, instead of potentially not seeing their email for hours on end.

M is for Mobile. Since Teams is also an app, we always have the ability to get into documents, emails, chats, calls, etc., wherever we are. I’ve always had a fully remote team and this gives our team even more flexibility. No more lugging the laptop around!

E is for Encrypted. Security is of utmost importance to PTCFOs and this software ensures documents and sensitive client information is safe.

C is for Collaboration. This is an all-in-one software. I can upload a client file and my finance manager can get it immediately and we all have the ability to edit it. It also saves our edit history, so everything is there if we need to revert back. On the other side, clients can also upload files directly to Teams. No more worrying about sending tax returns or other confidential information via email.

H is for Hiring. This software will make onboarding new team members a breeze. It’s a process we’ve needed to expedite lately and now we have the support to do it with confidence.

A is for Ask. This software is new to both me and many of our team members, so it’s forced us to ask questions and do our own research. Personal and professional development at its finest.

N is for Notes. It’s so easy to write something down and forget where you put it or have notes in various areas in your office. With Teams, the organizational structure is seamless. No more lost Post-its!

G is for Groups. Group calling, cloud voicemail, we can do it all through this system and never have to worry about logging into something else or getting a meeting ID or finding a password. We can even be on a regular call and switch to a video call instantly.

E is for Eliminate. Since Teams is fully integrated, we were able to get rid of systems we no longer needed. Calendar and storage services, CRM systems, video conferencing, etc. This saves money and keeps everything in one place.

R is for Reliability. Our main goal is to be a reliable source for our clients at all times. This system brings us into 2021 with an updated and proven system for success.

This is a productivity enhancement tool and we are still learning. We hold a monthly Lunch and Learn to go over new features and it’s been a great way to stay in touch as a team.

My best advice for any leader looking to upgrade their current systems is to make sure you are passionate about your choice. If you champion the switch, your team will follow.

Have you implemented anything new in 2021? Let me know!