Category Archives for "Technology"

text, email or call
Mar 10

Text, Email, or Call: Which is Best?

By Charles Hall | Technology

A CPA called me today and left a message with a question. My first thought was to call him. I knew if I phoned, one of the following would happen:

  1. No answer and we’d play phone tag.
  2. He’d answer, and we would talk about other things.
  3. He’d answer, and I would respond to his question.

The first two possibilities are not good (if you are busy like I am–and I know you are).

My next thought: I will text him. I did, and it took about 30 seconds.

With the options to text, email, or call, which is best? Let’s see.

I like to think of the choices as a sprint, a run, or a walk.

text, email or call

Text – A Sprint

If a client or firm member text me, I will text back–as long as:

  • The response is short and
  • The answer does not contain sensitive information

Why not just email or call?

In the middle of busy season, I’m looking for every moment I can save. Many times a text answers the question–and I can do so promptly (this is better than not responding at all because I’m too busy).

Email – A Run

When is an email the better option?

Mainly when you need to send attachments. Emails take longer than texts but seem to work better–at least for me–when more than one or two short answers are necessary.

If you are emailing sensitive information, consider using a secure method such as ShareFile. ShareFile offers an Outlook add-in that makes the transfer seamless.

Call – A Walk

I call when the message is essential or lengthy.

We lose something in electronic communications. Our tone of voice and inflections say a great deal. Phone calls usually take longer than a text or an email, but could be warranted if the issue is important.

If my communication is lengthy (say more than three points), I usually opt for a phone call. If you are providing accounting, tax, or auditing advice, consider whether you need to document the phone conversation in a memo. I sometimes use a form (that I keep in Evernote) for this purpose. What does it address? The discussion, the referenced professional standards, the advice given, who I talked with, and the date. 

Summary

Sprint, run or walk. Each has advantages and disadvantages. Regardless of your choice, it’s all about communicating clearly and timely

Check out my post An Auditor’s Cell Phone.

Livescribe
Jun 26

Livescribe: Note Taking Magic (for CPAs)

By Charles Hall | Accounting and Auditing , Technology

Livescribe: Note taking magic. Here’s an overview of how auditors are making their lives easier using the Livescribe pen.

Have you ever interviewed a client, feverishly taking notes, and straight away forgot critical facts? You wish you had a recording of the conversation. Better yet, you wish you could touch a particular word in your notes and hear the words that were being spoken at that moment. What if I told you, “you can”?

Livescribe: Note taking magic

How? Livescribe.

Think about what you could record with such a tool:

  • CPE class lectures
  • Walkthroughs of transaction cycles
  • Board or committee or partnership meetings
  • Fraud interviews

Livescribe: Note Taking Magic

What is Livescribe? It’s an electronic pen/recorder. As you write on special coded paper, you simultaneously record the conversation (the recorder is built into the pen). Once done, you touch a particular letter in a word (with the tip of your pen) and you hear–from the pen–the words spoken at that moment. No more forgetting and not being able to retrieve what was said. And it’s efficient since you can go to any particular part of the conversation using your notes as signposts.

To start a recording, you press the tip of the pen to the “record” icon at the bottom of the page.

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To stop the recording you press the “stop” icon above.

Once the recording is complete, you simply touch the tip of the pen to any letter and the audio recording will start playing–from the pen–at that point.

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You can upload the pen notes and the audio to your computer desktop Livescribe software using a USB cord that connects to the pen. (See below.)

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You can also play back notes from your uploaded desktop copy just as you can with your pen. Click a letter with your mouse and the recording will play.

I was surprised by the clarity of the sound from the pen and the audio capacity200 hours (for the Echo version that you see below).

There are different versions of the pen. I bought the Echo version due to the lower price. You can review the available pens on Amazon. I also bought additional Livescribe notebooks (they come in packs of four) and a portfolio (binder) to hold the notebook and pen.

My Experience with Livescribe

I have used a Livescribe pen for four years. After using to it to record hundreds of hours of audio, I consider my Livescribe pen to be one of my best audit tools. I recommend it.

What if you don’t desire to shell out the $155 for the pen? Consider using the Notability app. 

Another Option 

If you have an iPad, you can buy the Notability app for $9.99 and record conversations with your notes (with play-back similar to Livescribe). You will need a stylus (I use an Apple pen) to take notes since you write on your iPad screen. See my article about using Notability.

One More Thought

If you are performing a walkthrough of a complex transaction cycle, consider using your phone to take pictures of what you are seeing (e.g., computer screens, documents). I use the Scanbot app. Between your notes (with audio) and your pictures, you will have a good understanding of what you have seen and heard.

You might also be interested in my article Four Keys to Better Client Interviews.

convert images to readable text
Feb 06

Convert Scanned Images to Readable Text

By Charles Hall | Technology

Are you wondering how to convert scanned scanned images into readable text?

Some scanned documents (PDFs) aren’t searchable until optical character recognition (OCR) is applied.

In the video below, I show you how to convert a scanned document (PDF) into searchable text using OCR. But why would you do this?

Suppose you use your local scanner to scan a 100-page debt agreement. You do so because you desire to electronically search for the words “covenants” and “debt ratio.” Once you create the PDF, you hit “control F,” so you can search the document. But you get a message saying the document is not readable. What should you do? Convert the scanned pages to readable text using OCR. Then you can search for whatever words or phrases you wish. 

Once the scanned document is readable, use “control F” to activate the search box in Adobe Acrobat. Then enter the words you are looking for. This is so much easier than reading 100 pages and still not finding the information you desire.

Watch the video below to learn how to convert scanned images into readable text.

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