Systemizing your firm's common routines and making time to plan help push productivity and free...

Accounting firms can increase their productivity and profitability by implementing efficient systems for executing routine processes in their firms, says consultant Sam Allred, chairman of Anderson ZurMuehlen in Helena, Mont.

"Much of what we do in our firms is repeatable," Allred said at the

For example, the first day on the.job for a new hire typically begins with an office tour and introductions. The employee receives an employee manual and is told to read it, settles into his or her work space, and goes to lunch with a group of veteran co-workers.

"How can you make this process better? How many other processes are there at your firm like this one? In the end, our firms are only as good as our business processes. These repeatable events determine to a large measure the level of excellence consistently delivered by those in our firms," Allred says. For example, develop, a systemized agenda for a new employee's first day on the job that leaves the hire energized, inspired and convinced that he or she has joined a top-notch organization. That expectation carries over into work and client relations.