by Rob Pillans | Dec 16, 2025 | Articles
I don’t normally write a lot about regulatory stuff but these two things are really important. Anti Money Laundering / Counter Terrorism Financing Tranche 2 A while back I picked up on changes in respect of AML / CTF that pretty much all accountants are affected by....
by Rob Pillans | Dec 16, 2025 | Articles, Technology, Workflow
This is the third article in my series on tools that come as part of the M365 suite. Forms is not a tool I hear many people talking about, but it strikes me there some good reasons why firms on a tight IT budget in particular, might want to investigate it further. In...
by Rob Pillans | Dec 16, 2025 | Articles, Marketing
Earlier this year I asked sales and marketing guru, Damien Greathead (17) Damien Greathead | LinkedIn to present to some of my larger clients on the subject of marketing. He gave an excellent presentation which he called 5 Marketing Trends for the Modern Accounting...
by Rob Pillans | Dec 16, 2025 | AI, Articles, Technology
As an accounting firm coach, consultant and mentor it would surprise no one that one of the things that I get asked about a lot is AI and how to use it to good effect inside firms. I’ve also been a little disappointed in some instances that firms have not invested...
by Rob Pillans | Jul 23, 2025 | Articles
In this second article in my series on M365, I highlight Microsoft Bookings. Like Microsoft Stream, What’s in M365? Microsoft Stream for Accounting Firms – Planet Consulting which I highlighted last time, I’ve noticed that some accountants are not aware that...
by Rob Pillans | Jul 23, 2025 | Articles
As an accounting firm coach, mentor and consultant I am in and out of firms pretty much every day. One of the things I have observed is the critical role of non-techncial skills. My experience is that as a person gets more senior in a firm these skills increase in...
by Rob Pillans | Jul 23, 2025 | Articles
A few recent experiences have prompted me to come back to thinking about how client expectations are managed. In particular, I’ve reflected on a “trap” I think many firms still fall into when trying to manage and guide client expectations. It’s a trap that typically...
by Rob Pillans | Apr 9, 2025 | Articles, EOFY
As we are in the final quarter of another financial year in Australia, please pause to consider if you are on top of what you want to get done before 15 May and 30 June. If you are not, time to get your skates on! For accounting firms in Australia there is a well...
by Rob Pillans | Apr 9, 2025 | Accounting Firm Management, Articles
I recently had a visit to Specsavers for my regular eye test and update of my glasses. It was a very good experience which made me realise that Specsavers could teach accountants a lot about processes and customer service. And of course in my role as an accounting...
by Rob Pillans | Apr 9, 2025 | Accounting Firm Management, Articles, Technology
In the first of a series of articles on M365, I start with exploring Microsoft Stream. It’s one of the applications that comes with many M365 subscriptions and which a lot of people are probably not conscious of. So what is Microsoft Stream, and how can it be...
