How TaxDome is Helping a Cryptocurrency Accounting Firm During Tax Season

Welcome to #TestimonialThursday! This week’s interview is with Matt Metras, founder of MDM Financial Services, a family owned and operated tax preparation service that specializes in cryptocurrency taxation.

Why did you choose TaxDome?

I was looking for a CRM tool, and my practice was scattered across many platforms. It was hard to keep my workflow organized, to know what was due when and what work streams were in process. This sent me on the hunt.

People had been highly recommending TaxDome on Facebook groups for tax professionals. Since there was a free trial, I figured I had nothing to lose by giving it a shot.

Have you used other practice-management systems before?

I was using the built-in CRM in my tax software. This was fine for a while, but my firm specializes in cryptocurrency accounting, which did not integrate with my software, so I was doing crypto reconciliations completely outside the program.

I was also using a free tool called Wunderlist, but it was not detailed enough to keep me organized. And I was using HubSpot, but I never really committed to getting all of my info in there.

One of things that was really nice about TaxDome was the ability to mass import and not have to enter clients one by one or do email addresses manually.

I spend 90 percent of my time on the pipeline screen. It’s the biggest time-saver! — Matt Metras, on using TaxDome pipelines feature.

What’s been the feedback from your clients?

The ability to sign and pay directly in the portal has been very well received by my clients.

I wasn’t even looking for a new portal tool and was actually hesitant to switch, especially in the middle of tax season. Plus, I’d already spent a long time training my clients to use the one I had. But it lacked functionality.

In the end, it was a very smooth transition for my clients. The account registration process has been seamless—they just click and create a password. I don’t have to make special pins or jump through hoops to get someone setup—it is really easy.

How has integrating your business process with TaxDome made a difference for your firm?

I’m not at a point where they are fully integrated yet. I’m still doing my scheduling outside of TaxDome. And I’m using three different cryptocurrency accounting platforms. I’m waiting for someone, somewhere to introduce something that combines everything on one platform.

But as a whole, I’ve been very happy. I’m always hesitant to transition to a new software—especially in January when tax season starts!—but I’ve been super satisfied.

The fact that I can immediately request signatures and attach and lock bills to documents has been crucial.

With a tax return, you can sit on it and not file it until you get paid. With spreadsheets and cryptanalysis, I have no leverage once I send the documents over.

My issue was more about slow payments than a failure to pay. Being able to lock the files to bills gets me paid substantially faster now. And not having to hound people has been very good.

I like the mobile aspect too—that I can make quick changes on the go. I do wish the pipeline feature looked better on the phone. It’s usable but not as convenient as the desktop version.

[The mobile app is intended for your end-clients, but we are currently working on a firm version!]

Are you using pipelines or any of the task-management tools?

Tasks and pipelines are what I work with the most. I spend 90 percent of my time on the pipeline screen, keeping track of all the different client statuses and where each one is in the process. It’s the biggest time-saver!

I am also using the automated actions—but not quite to their fullest potential. When I add a client to a pipeline, automated tasks trigger for my team. And I have more automated actions setup for when an e-file is accepted: Clients get an automated email when their tax return is acknowledged by the IRS and the state. A lot of people appreciate that, and I appreciate that I don’t have to do any of this by hand!

I also use Messages to stay organized with questions for the client.

What would be really helpful for me is if the content of the message was right in the email. But, security is a big deal, so I get why you err on the side of caution!

Has it been a big learning curve?

No, not really. It’s straightforward and well organized. Once you figure out how to do something the first time, you don’t have to learn again—it’s intuitive.

I am happy that when I have had questions, the support team has been super responsive. It’s super refreshing to see that in a company.

Does your team work remotely or in an office?

We work remotely. I meet in person with about 25 percent of my clients; the rest are remote.

We always consider making improvements to TaxDome and like to let you know about our updates and expected roll-out dates. Are there features that you feel are missing? Or features you wish we would add?

I know KBA is coming soon—that will be super helpful. I would like to see a number indicating how long a client has been in a certain stage in the pipelines.

[Both already released: KBA and pipeline improvement]

The Facebook community has been great for suggestions, and I really like that the new updates are posted there—in case I miss them in my email.

Anything else you’d like to add?

I forgot to mention that the organizer library is great! I only use organizers for new clients, but it’s nice to not have to make them from scratch.