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The survey by the Independent Association of Accountants Information Technology Consultants (IAAITC) found only a tenth of firms promoted their websites, while just 14% accepted e-mail enquiries from prospective clients. Among those that did offer electronic contact, more than 30% were not registered domain names but generic web-based addresses such as Hotmail, AOL and Yahoo. The research also revealed that of the firms paying for prime positioning in the ICAEW's directory, 13 had out of date entries, one had merged over 6 months ago and now uses a different name, one didn't accept e-mails and another advertised its offshore office but gave no contact details for its local office. The report said accountants need to embrace the technology adopted by their clients warning that the findings coincide with recent research from the Federation of Small Businesses showing a decline in the number of SMEs turning to accountants for business advice. Dave Reynolds, IAAITC chairman, said: "There has been a worrying gulf between how quickly their SME customers have adopted the internet and the lack of dynamism on the part of the accountancy profession." "A recent survey found that 67% of SMEs now have internet access and 98% of these will send emails rather than fixed voice calls in many situations. So if an accountancy firm itself is not embracing, experiencing and using the technology how can it possibly claim to be a 'business advisor' to its business clients?" Dan Martin, AccountingWEB 6th November 2006
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