Posts Tagged ‘Document Management’

Tools for CPAs working remotely: IPEVO Document Camera

As many CPAs and accountants transition to working remotely due to the COVID-19 outbreak, some may be searching for equipment and software that help them get the job done outside of the office. There are some things I would consider essential: a computer, webcam, headphones, and a second monitor (if not more). Could a document camera be a useful tool to add to that list? Well, maybe.

Check out IPEVO’s website and you’ll see that their document camera products are primarily marketed for use in a classroom setting. It’s a high-tech replacement for the clunky overhead projectors I remember from elementary school. In live presentations, I mostly use PowerPoint or demonstrate functions from software shown on the screen. With all of my materials in electronic form, I can’t think of a time I wished I had a document camera in a live presentation, though there may be accountants out there who may use one this way.

The usefulness of a document camera goes beyond live presentations. One thing accountants do frequently is document capture. There are a few ways I currently do this:

Where does the IPEVO document camera fit in? With an 8 MP camera, the image quality is comparable to my iPhone and good enough for recordkeeping. My iPhone works great for taking a picture of a single receipt, but holding the phone steady for a batch of receipts can become tiring. With the document camera, I can easily take pictures in rapid succession. For things that don’t fit in my document fed scanner, such as pages from a book or a spiral notebook, the document camera is ideal. It may just render my flatbed scanner obsolete except for photographs I want scanned at top quality and resolution. The document camera is so much easier to use and faster than a flatbed scanner.

I’ve also found the document camera helpful in videoconferencing. Though it’s now rare for me to have paper rather than documents in electronic form, I can remember a few awkward moments holding up a paper up to the webcam (“can you read this?”) or saying, “give me five minutes to scan this in and send it to you.”

It is plug and play. As soon as I plugged in the USB cord from the document scanner to my computer, it appeared as a video device in Zoom. I do a lot of demonstrations and training for mobile apps, and found it to be fast and easy to put my phone under the camera (see image below). Sure, I could also join a Zoom meeting from my phone and show the phone’s screen, but I initiate almost all calls from my computer and it takes time to get the app going on the phone. Another downside of the Zoom mobile app is that it won’t show where I’m tapping with my fingers. Because of these advantages of the document camera, I plan to use it frequently for showing my phone.

The picture on the left is a computer screenshot from Zoom, using the IPEVO document camera as the video device.

There are other fun uses too. I’ve always wanted to do a time-lapse sketch and post it to YouTube. With sports and other group activities on a hiatus, I’m going to need to find some new hobbies!

Disclaimer: IPEVO provided me with a complimentary VZ-R HDMI/USB Dual Mode 8MP Document Camera to try out with no strings attached. I was not given any compensation nor does my website contain any affiliate links.

Spending less time searching for what’s lost

Misplaced items produce negative emotions like nothing else. I’ve felt the frustration of not being able to find matches when it’s time to light the birthday cake candles, the anxiety of my eyeglasses falling behind the dresser, and the panic of not knowing where my phone is when it’s time to leave for work (only to realize it was in my pocket the whole time). Over the last few years, technology has helped me quickly and calmly find those things that commonly vanish:
  • For a lost phone that’s nearby, nothing is easier than making it sound right from your wrist. I’ve used my Apple Watch to ping my iPhone countless times. Another trick is to use a skill with an Amazon Echo to call a phone with simply, “Alexa, find my phone.”
    Tiles for finding lost things

    Tiles

  • I have several Tiles (see picture above) I can slip on a key ring to sound upon command from the Tile app on my phone. If a Tile is within Bluetooth range, it will play a tune until I find my keys, wallet, or whatever I’ve tied to the Tile. If the Tile isn’t within Bluetooth range, the app will tell me where it last had contact with the object (for example, that I left my briefcase at the office). Now, if I could just figure out a way to attach a Tile to my TV remote without duct tape…
  • I know people who are constantly forgetting their passwords, or writing them down and losing them. Stop those bad habits and use a secure password manager like LastPass.
  • Receipts are easy to lose, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Since I’m an accountant, it should come as no surprise that I’m ultra-organized and completely digital with my personal finances. This comes in handy when I’m at the auto repair shop and asked when I last replaced the tires. Hubdoc has helped to automatically organize my financial documents, and one of its best features is recognizing the text within receipts. So all I have to do is search my Hubdoc account for “tires” and wallah!
With these tools, I can confidently say with my best Liam Neeson impression, “I will find you.”

Cool feature alert – attach receipts in FreshBooks

A couple months ago, FreshBooks added an awesome feature to its online billing and accounting software: attaching expense receipts to invoices.  I am a big fan of the integrated document management, which makes digital documents always available for quick and easy retrieval.  Plus, receipts can be attached in several file formats from whatever device is convenient.  Check out this video from FreshBooks showing users taking pictures of receipts with smartphones and tablets.
Since it looks so easy in the video, I tested attaching receipts from each of my devices. On my desktop computer, I clicked on the “attach image of receipt” link while adding a new expense.  A “choose file” button appeared below the link, and after I clicked on it, a file explorer window opened.  I navigated to the file’s location on my computer and double-clicked it.  That was easy enough to meet my expectations. After tapping my finger on the “attach image of receipt” and “choose file” buttons on my tablet (a 10.1″ Samsung Galaxy Tab 2), it prompted me to select an action from several options as shown in the screenshot below.  I chose the camera function.  After I took a picture of the receipt, it was automatically uploaded and attached to the expense in FreshBooks.  I don’t think it can get any easier than that! FreshBooks attach receipt tablet My smartphone, which runs on Android, is capable of doing the same thing as my tablet.  However, I can’t quickly launch FreshBooks, enter the details for a new expense and attach a receipt with my smartphone’s small screen and cellular connection.  My solution is to use Evernote, one of my favorite mobile apps for taking digital notes.  The Evernote widget includes a camera button for quickly uploading pictures.  I uploaded a picture of the receipt with the Evernote app on my smartphone, and when I was later on my desktop computer, I downloaded the image from Evernote’s web application.  I then went to FreshBooks, added a new expense and attached the receipt image. If you have questions or are seeking the help of a FreshBooks Certified Beancounter and CPA in Las Vegas, please feel free to contact me.