"Success isn't something that just happens - success is learned, success is practiced and then it is shared."
-- Sparky Anderson
"Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success."
-- Henry Ford
Featured Sessions:
The 2010 User Conference program aims to offer a balance of both interactive training and best practice opportunities to empower users to make the most of their use of XCM and Xpitax, as well as a broad selection of timely practice management and technology topics offered by an exciting group of guest speakers.
Click to view the 2010 User Conference Program. The conference is scheduled to begin on Thursday, June 17 with Breakfast & Exhibits at 7:30am and will conclude at 4:30pm on Friday, June 18. All attendees, speakers, and sponsors are invited to join us on Thursday evening for our Second Annual Reception & Awards Dinner, from 6:30pm to 10:30pm in the Harborside Pavilion on the waterfront.
We hope you will join us and participate in the discussion on a variety of topics, including:
The Next Generation of XCM
This session will help attendees learn to maximize new features and functionality in XCM 8.0, the next generation of workflow management due out this spring. Participants will also get a preview of other new capabilities and product offerings due out in the coming year, as well as a sneak peek into our future product direction. Be sure to bring your laptop to all the Interactive XCM sessions!
Interactive Power Users Session: Beyond Tax
This session will review best-use techniques for new feature areas, enabling you to maximize the productivity gains across your firm. Topics covered will include using XCM’s checklists for horizontal workflows, including A&A, bookkeeping, proposals, HR, IT projects and more. Be sure to bring your laptop to all the Interactive XCM sessions!
New Users Tips & Tricks
This session will cover the “Best of the Best Use” trainings to help new users and those who could use a refresher learn to work more efficiently with XCM. Topics covered will include adding new clients, extension tracking, bulk movement/editing in XCM, jurisdiction tracking, and recurring tasks. This session will be interactive; please bring your laptops. Be sure to bring your laptop to all the Interactive XCM sessions!
XCM Reports: Resource Planning & Management
XCM report templates and soon-to-be-released custom report generation capabilities serve as a strategic tool to empower firm leaders to have an up-to-the-minute picture of all work within the firm, including historical project information, budgeting data, available resources, process details, and client knowledge - critical to making informed management decisions. This session will review available report templates and preview the new custom report capabilities to help participants determine best uses within their firms. Be sure to bring your laptop to all the Interactive XCM sessions!
Blending People, Planning & Processes - Jim Boomer, Boomer Consulting
Planning X People X Processes + Technology = the Formula for Success. This session will focus on using a proven planning system, building a uniquely diverse team, developing unique processes and built-in accountability as the tools for your firm's success. Technology is the accelerator and you are the leaders that will have the knowledge to leverage your new found wisdom!
2010 Technology Update - Randy Johnston, K2 Enterprises
Where should you invest for the best technology ROI? Technology companies will roll out major upgrades, as well as new solutions, all year long. This session provides the most current recommendations for computers, servers, printers, and scanners. Learn about the latest technologies affecting the accounting profession, the organizations we work for, and the clients we serve.
Security Tools - Up Close and Personal - Randy Johnston, K2 Enterprises
Information security is no longer optional – it is the law! This session covers tools for securing emails, encrypting hard disks and flash drives, protecting data on mobile phones and other portable devices, securing documents, protecting desktops and servers, securing text messaging, and more. Attend this session if you want to understand how to protect confidential data and reduce your legal risks.
Reviewing And Editing PDF Documents - Randy Johnston, K2 Enterprises
As accountants increasingly use PDF files, reviewing and editing these documents becomes even more important. In this session, you will learn best practices for reviewing and editing PDF documents. Examples of topics discussed include adding tick marks to PDFs, collaborating on PDFs, securing PDFs, and assembling “final copies” of PDFs. Become more efficient and productive working with PDFs by attending this session.
Keys to Successful Technology Deployments in a Large Firm - Jim Bourke, WithumSmith+Brown
In this session, Jim will discuss ways to help insure a successful technology deployment within a large firm, or for any firm where multiple partners may be involved with the final decision. All too often, unless the senior management and partner group is on the same page, new technology deployment fails miserably. Jim will relate his personal experience on what works and what doesn’t work on the road to a successful technology deployment within the multi-partner firm.
New Possibilities and Profits for Your Practice - Rick Solomon, RANONE
This presentation is guaranteed to open up your thinking to a completely new set of possibilities for your practice. Most practicing accountants have a wealth of opportunity simply by rethinking their relationship and role with clients. With a fundamental shift in your thinking, you can create a practice that generates more profits, and more fun, while working fewer hours.
The Value of an Integrated ERP System - Maconomy
Mid to large sized accounting firms have trouble internally justifying their own need for ERP. Surprisingly, many of these service firms are actually in the business of advising their clients on the very ERP software they have yet to deploy to support their own internal businesses. Professional service firms have the knowledge necessary to advise their clients on how to leverage technology to optimize their business operations. By implementing ERP, firms will achieve greater profitability, efficiency and visibility, and ultimately be able to provide higher quality, more sustainable client service.
Excel Master Class - Michael Zumchak, Easy Excel Classes
While most accounting professionals are familiar with Excel, many are using it at an astonishingly low level. Often people spend hours in frustration while trying to accomplish the most menial tasks. In this short entertaining presentation, Michael Zumchak will walk you through some very easy things you can implement right away that will dramatically improve your workflow, including: a few powerful shortcuts that can literally triple the speed of your work whlie reducing errors; an easy way to think about absolute and relative cell references while writing formulas; how to set up your spreadsheets so they're easier to read an edit; Pivot Tables demystified (they're easy!); and many other useful tips.
*There will also be an in-depth, hands-on 2 hour workshop on the second day for participants interested in learning more advanced Excel skills and to work with the instructor to build your own dashboards.
E-Marketing Essentials: Business Development through Online Activities - Alicia Olesinski, New Angle Marketing
E-mail marketing is a powerful tool unique in its ability to deliver relevant and targeted content, drive new business and identify cross-selling opportunities. Alicia will outline best practices, including a discussion on the benefits of digital vs. print (and vice versa), how to optimize your emails for deliverability and impact, how to tell if your efforts are working, and a high level discussion on how some firms use social networking sites to drive traffic to their websites and generate opportunities.
Leadership Workshop: Team-building at its best - Alicia Olesinski, New Angle Marketing
The Leadership Workshop is appropriate for all attendees interested in learning how best to motivate your team so that you’re not the only rainmaker and client service provider. Alicia will tackle techniques and strategies for making the office more fun and productive, bridging the generational divide, recruiting and retention, and developing a marketing culture – all critical to your firm’s business development success.
Hosting Your Business In the Cloud: Bringing Your Entire Office Online - Phil Romine, Right Networks
There are a wide variety of ways that your business can benefit from Internet-based services including document management, workflow solutions, sales force management, hosted accounting, and many others. Phil will focus on hosted desktop solutions discussing both their ability to allow you to tie all of your online solutions together without sacrificing the flexibility and power of Internet services, and how advanced hosted desktop solutions can bring your entire office online easily, reliably, and securely.
This conference qualifies for up to 12 hours of CPE credit for update level programming. The conference is open to all XCM users; no other advanced preparation is required.
XCM Solutions and Xpitax, LL C are registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA), as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be addressed to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors, 150 Fourth Avenue North, Suite 700, Nashville, TN, 37219-2417. Web site: www.nasba.org
