There are many different types of software that your CPA firm can use in order to improve its operations. One of the most important is audit software. This type of software can help your firm conduct audits more efficiently and accurately. In this article, we will discuss ten ways why your CPA firm should use audit software. We will provide in-depth details on each way so that you can make the best decision for your business. 

  

What is audit software? 

An audit software manages the requirements of flexible and integrated audit management process. It helps to provide a complete set of tools for integrating audit processes across the organization. It is a tool that helps auditors to complete audits efficiently. It helps audit teams speed up the auditing processes without compromising the accuracy of information; it also provides central documentation storage, making data easy to retrieve for analysis. 

  

How you can use an audit software 

Audit Preparation 

Audit software can help your CPA firm prepare for audits more efficiently. The software can automate the process of gathering data and organizing it into a format that is easy to review, saves time with the help of automated processes and catch errors quickly. This will save your team time and allow them to focus on other important tasks. Audit preparation can consume a large amount of time. You need to manually gather data, prepare for the items that need further review and perform audit tests. With audit software such as Auditproo, you can organize all engagement data in one place, automate the issue identification process, and create an organized plan of action. From tickmarks to screenshots and attachments, an audit software solution is a secure place to store your important financial information and make it easy to reference when you need it. 

  

Audit Execution 

Once the audit begins, an audit software can be used to help track progress and ensure that all steps are completed accurately. The software suite helps you manage the audit planning process end-to-end. It also enables a simple and automated workflow management. You can use it to improve your audit cycle as well as communication between different stakeholders like the Board of Directors, management team, shareholders, and external actors. This will help reduce the chances of mistakes being made and improve the overall quality of the audit. 

  

Audit Reporting 

After the audit is complete, an audit software can be used to quickly generate reports detailing the findings of the audit. With audit software, you can automate the audit reporting process. Software such as Auditproo provide a central report on all the issues identified during the audit, a summarised management letter and a detailed report on matters for engagement partner attention. The report will include all the data entered by auditors into the audit management software, including any notes that need to be addressed during follow up (controls testing). This is all done without someone having to manually enter in data or create summaries of what happened during testing. This information can then be used to make decisions about how to move forward with the audit. 

  

Audit Planning 

The audit software can be used for organizing and planning meetings, such as determining a meeting schedule, assigning tasks to attendees and distributing documents. The different tasks can then also be tracked in order to determine if the project is on schedule; for example Auditproo assigns workprogramme areas to each of the auditors in the team. To ensure your audits are never delayed, and you exceed all quality standards, audit software enables you to plan and track the entire lifecycle of an audit process. It allows auditors to access important documents at any time and collaborate with other auditors. Audit software also offers advanced reporting capabilities so you can monitor how an audit has progressed and how much time has been spent on it over the days and weeks. 

  

Data Collection 

Using audit software to collect data can be valuable for auditors. Auditors that use this approach need to implement a complete and comprehensive control over the data collection. With an audit software, the data is stored in a secure environment, and it is less prone to errors and miscoding. The Audit Software also provides auditors with a clear audit trail that can be accessed at all times by all stakeholders in the firm. The software can be used to collect data from various sources, including financial statements, contracts, tax returns, etc. This data can then be analyzed and organized for the auditor’s review. 

  

Document Management 

Document management features allow you to save documents electronically in a secure area of the software. The audit software is easy to use and allows the document group leader to get the audit work underway quickly, without time-consuming form filling, adding client details etc. As new data is saved into the system, each entry is automatically stored in a chronologically ordered report including data such as when it was created/uploaded, who by, and when modified. This way you can be sure that every last piece of information will be available to everyone involved in the audit. Audit documents can also be generated with a little more detail concerning where it came from, like an appropriate reference number for easy retrieval. 

  

Report Writing 

When you write audit reports, you want to ensure you cover all the necessary details your clients and stakeholders need. With an audit software, you can create a report in a standard format that suits your auditing needs. Some audit software such as Auditproo allows team members to provide feedback through an online collaboration tool so every detail is covered before you submit the final version to the engagement partner for review. 

  

Database Management 

It is important to build a steady database of all your clients, their firm’s information and their history. Also, you need to present this data with utmost speed and accuracy. Audit management software can help you do all of this in a more efficient manner than emailing spreadsheets from your professional email address. While you create a client profile, you can enter their subsidiary and related companies in the software. For recurring clients, you can use the historical records to create new audit files automatically. This saves you time, especially when you have many projects ongoing with the same client. 

  

Data analysis 

In previous years, auditors concentrated their audit on the analysis of some general ledgers that had a significant impact on the overall financial results. But this approach has several disadvantages. On the one hand, the auditor may ignore other areas where there are discrepancies or irregularities, and on the other hand, it simply takes too much time to review hundreds of general ledger accounts. With audit software, your CPA firm can efficiently and accurately analyze financial data to give you longer-term insights into your business’ performance. The software can be used for a variety of operations, including the preparation of the annual financial statement report, the verification of assets and liabilities, and the review of third-party reports. 

  

Conclusion 

The importance of a profession adopting technology is subjective, and the decision should be made by the profession itself. However, two factors are the most important when you talk about CPA firms embracing technology, especially audit software: The first one is that it makes auditing easier, faster and more accurate; The second one is that clients expect fast and accurate audit reports. Good audit software such as Auditproo can help CPA firms achieve both goals with ease.