Course Outline
This is a self-paced online course. Learners can register at any time and have 12 months to complete the course.
THE FUTURE OF PUBLIC PRACTICE HAS ARRIVED.
Today, existing jobs are being redefined and new ones created as accounting firms seek to create greater efficiencies of production and better value of service. Accountants need a broad range of skills to succeed, with more emphasis on proficiency in personal leadership, communication and technology than every before.
The PROACTIVE ACCOUNTANT takes on responsibility for job budgets and workflow. They strive for stronger engagement with clients. They look for opportunities to develop their communication skills. They collaborate with colleagues and know how to work closely with their manager to achieve targets. Finally, they take control of their time and adopt a proactive approach to professional development.
What’s the course all about?
The PROACTIVE ACCOUNTANT self-paced eLearning course is designed to accelerate the process of developing the communication, workflow and organisational skills necessary for success in a technology-driven and client-focused environment.
We’ll show your accountants how to really take control of their time, their clients and their workflow – to develop core skills of effective communication, workflow management, client relationship management, team collaboration and personal time and task management.
How does it work?
The PROACTIVE ACCOUNTANT course consists of 16 modules with clear learning objectives. Content includes presentations, workbooks, support materials and assessment tasks. Most importantly, learners develop their own professional development pathway using our SMART action planning template.
The course is available anywhere, anytime through our eLearning portal. Visit www.hightechsofttouch.matrixlms.com
Who’s it for?
This course is suitable for any accountant in public practice who wants to develop their personal leadership, communication and organisational skills. Learners range from new graduates to accountants who have completed their CA or CPA qualifications.
Options
This course can be purchased as a 16-module complete course or in 4-module parts. Click below to view or purchase each part. Otherwise, click on ENROL NOW to proceed with your purchase of this course.
Part 1 – Job budgeting and workflow management
Part 2 – Client Engagement and Communication
Part 3 – Team engagement and support –
Part 4- Productivity and Professional Development
TO VIEW AND DOWNLOAD THE COURSE BROCHURE, CLICK ‘BROCHURE – DOWNLOAD’ UNDER NAVIGATION OPTIONS TO THE RIGHT. YOU CAN ALSO VIEW THE COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES.
Course Content
A. Job budgeting and workflow management
- How to understand service agreements and scope of work
- Develop and implement your job budgets
- Principles of effective WIP management
- Key workflow issues and solutions
B. Client Engagement and Communication
- Develop your personal client service charter
- Keys to effective written communication with clients
- Use active listening to understand client needs
- Beyond the numbers –from historical analysis to future focus
C. Team engagement and support
- What collaboration and team engagement is all about
- How to work effectively with administrative staff
- Keys to managing the relationship with your manager
- Keys to effective team meetings and projects
D. Productivity and Professional Development
- How to be really productive (it’s not just about chargeable work)
- Keys to getting things done in a timely and effective way
- Develop your SMART action list for personal growth
- How to stay on track with your professional development
CPD – Each module is worth 2 CPD hours.
Course Structure
- Learners can complete courses at a place that suits them, within and outside work hours
- Each learner will have a dedicated login to give them personal access to their course
- Module material includes online presentations, workbooks, PowerPoint Slides, templates, scripts and articles
- All modules also incorporate formal qualitative assessment tasks that encourage learners to develop practical actions demonstrating understanding of the concepts
- All assessment tasks are scored, with directed feedback to learners on their response
- As the learner progresses, they develop their personal SMART action list to drive change
- Managers are able to see at a glance how their staff are progressing
- All learners have access to course content for 12 months following their enrolment
Learning Process
Our self-paced eLearning courses follow a 4-step process in relation to learning objectives:
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All modules are structured with specific learning objectives and assessment tasks. Learners are expected to demonstrate that they understand learning objectives and can apply concepts through completion of the assessment tasks. A SMART action planning template is used to consolidate specific actions and to ensure that a timeframe for completion is established and followed. Regular review of progress is ensured through commitment to completing the course.
When I first enrolled in this course, I was sceptical, after all what could I learn after already working in public practice for 4 years? I was wrong - this is the most beneficial course I have completed since deciding that I wanted to be an accountant (even more so than my degree or CPA)! It teaches you so many of the basic skills required to operate as efficiently as possible and encourages you to think in new ways and approach difficult situations from a new angle. I would highly recommend this course to any accountant in public practice.
This course is simply great! The presentation and slides were straightforward for us to understand. The course has highlighted things that are important for accountants in adding value to clients, to our firm and to ourselves. As an accountant who's been in the industry for 5 years, I learned quite a lot from this course. I can easily see how beneficial this course would also be for those who have just started their career.
Thank you for a great course, I really enjoyed the whole thing. Thank you for being prompt with your marking and getting back to me when I had questions and requests. I really enjoyed developing the SMART actions. These helped me stay focus and relate the course back to what I was doing at work. I also learnt a lot in the business analysing modules and thought this gave me some great goals to work towards. I also came away with some useful tips to help me be more productive which is great. The course helped me get better with time budgets and effectively managing job turnaround. Lastly, I thought the introduction to the course and the future accountant was great!
I have enjoyed working through this course at my own pace and on the online platform. The multiple array of source documents and their different presentation styles means there is something for everyone in the sense of the different learning styles people may possess. The information contained in has been clear and concise and very thought provoking. It has encouraged a deeper thinking and reflection on the practical application of ideas and systems. For me it has highlighted the strengths and weaknesses in the way I perform my job and complete my work and in the way the firm and clients interact as a whole. Additionally it has made me more aware of the bigger impact and the bottom line driving the business as a whole and how my part in that system impacts others. I would recommend this course and in this format, especially for those wanting to improve themselves and their firms.
Fantastic course Dale, you focused on the soft skills which many of us would have simply brushed off as unimportant or "core" to the necessary skill sets / job scope of a traditional accountant. As we gravitate further away from traditional roles, this course has helped me profoundly in identifying possible futures and opportunities in this role
Has helped a lot with my workflow management and planning -Made me think about my role in different ways and that I can help improve the firm but suggesting operational improvements rather than just me improve my productivity. -Made me consider the client more and what they expect from me and the firm. - Overall I enjoyed the corse and have definitely come away with some tools that I will continue to use in the future both in my career and everyday life.
Was a great course for accountants starting out or even up to manager level. It makes you rethink current and new methods of how things can be done more efficiently for client work and administratively.
Very well constructed and presented. Some of the points you make I will take on with planning conversations with difficult clients
A lot has changed over this course, my mindset in particular. This course has helped me to take more accountability for my work and for my jobs, and I find that I am constantly striving to take better ownership of my work. The course has helped me to realise how my role/actions can affect our team/clients, and makes me want to be a better worker. The course has also helped me realise the importance of different parts of my job, from budgets and scope creep, to internal and external communications. The course has really helped me to take an in depth look at my job and makes me want to improve in every aspect of my role.
Enrol Now

The Proactive Accountant – Take Control of Workflow and Clients
Number of learners:
Please note:After purchasing this course, you will receive a welcome email including an induction guide.
This guide provides instructions on how to enrol and commence the course.
If you are registering on behalf of others, you will receive an email with instructions on how to register each learner/s.
Once registered, each learner will receive an induction guide to their own email address.
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