Using Accounting Technology to Streamline Operations

Why Accounting Technology Is the Unsung Hero of Business Growth

Modern small business owners face endless demands on their time—from managing payroll and tracking expenses to staying compliant with taxes and keeping customers happy. But one of the most overlooked ways to simplify operations and boost profitability? Smart accounting technology.

Today’s best accounting tools do more than just help with bookkeeping. They automate expense tracking, streamline payroll, eliminate manual reconciliations, and give you real-time visibility into cash flow. And when these tools are integrated correctly, they can unlock a whole new level of financial clarity—without adding complexity to your day.

At PlotPath, we help small businesses turn their financial chaos into clarity using the right accounting technology stack. Whether you\’re struggling to stay on top of reimbursements, want faster reporting, or need to run payroll across state lines, the right tools can transform your workflow and put your business on solid financial ground.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through our favorite accounting software tools—from BILL and Stripe to Gusto, ClickUp, and TaxJar—and explain how each one helps save time, reduce errors, and support smarter business decisions. You’ll also see how PlotPath integrates these tools into a unified dashboard, so you can stop guessing and start growing with confidence.

Our Favorite Uses of Accounting Technology

While most business owners might not get too excited when trying out different accounting technology, we may be the exception. Here are some tools we’ve tried and absolutely recommend. 

BILL Spend & Expense (Formerly Divvy) for Expense Management

BILL Spend & Expense is a free expense management software that offers virtual and physical cards, budgeting tools, credit options, and expense reporting.

Some of the features we love include: 

• Virtual cards can be extremely helpful in preventing fraud and overspending with any online expenses. You can even create a unique card for every vendor. Your actual card number will remain protected, ensuring you have full control. 
  
• Tracking and reporting expenses made easy. You’ll gain access to expense reports in just a few clicks, and what used to take weeks and many email chains can be completed in seconds. 
  
• Eliminating the need for manual reimbursements. This can be a massive benefit to employers and employees because managing small expense reimbursements can take up unnecessary amounts of time and energy. 
  
• Budgeting that’s a breeze. You’ll be able to give employees different levels of control, see transitions as they happen, set limits, and delegate easily. 
• Customer Invoicing and Payment Processing: Bill.com stands out among its counterparts in this area. Especially when it comes to pricing and ease of use. Here’s what we mean: QBO now charges 1% to receive an ACH payment from a customer with no maximum fee per transaction for new QBO clients. Existing QBO clients have a max fee of $20 per transaction on that fee. Stripe, on the other hand, is 0.8% for ACH with a max of $5 per transaction. Stripe has no monthly fixed fee, so it depends on the number and size of payment transactions, but bill.com will be significantly cheaper in many cases. Also bill.com has a native sync option with QBO, Stripe does not so you have to pay for (and setup and manage) a 3rd party software to sync Stripe and QBO to get the accounting done correctly.

Stripe for Payment Processing

Stripe provides a comprehensive suite of payment processing solutions, allowing you to:

• Accept online payments
• Manage payouts in multiple currencies and across borders
• Manage recurring billing
• Issue invoices

Many people are familiar with the accounting technology that allows you to accept online payments through Stripe. But its ability to also issue invoices is an added benefit for business owners. They even offer cash-based vouchers to allow people to make online payments at an ATM, bank, or local store with cash! 

But what makes Stripe stand out is it integrates extremely well with most business systems. This means if you’re using other tools, it’s likely easy to link up with Stripe and collect your payments, simplifying accounting processes and ensuring smooth cash flow.

ClickUp for Project Management

ClickUp is designed to streamline workflows and enhance team collaboration. It offers a range of features, including task management, time tracking, goal setting, and customizable views to suit different project needs. With integrations for popular apps and robust reporting capabilities, ClickUp helps teams stay organized and productive.

Ramp for Corporate Cards and Spend Management

Ramp offers smart corporate cards that automate expense management and provide real-time visibility into spending. With features like automatic receipt matching and customizable spending limits, Ramp empowers you to control costs and optimize your budget.

They have features that help businesses at all stages, whether startup, mid-market, or large corporate enterprises. 

Ramp also guarantees that they won’t carry out personal credit checks or require founders to guarantee the cards, which can be a relief for anyone with rough financial experiences in the past. 

Gusto for Payroll and HR Management

Even if you’re a solo entrepreneur without any employees, Gusto makes paying yourself and managing your finances easy. But it really shines when you take on new employees and need to figure out the many difficult aspects of payroll. Other helpful features include:

• Filing payroll taxes
• Managing employee benefits
• Hiring and paying global remote team members and contractors
• Register for payroll taxes and ensure you’re compliant in all 50 states

You can even manage your team with features such as:

• Managing and tracking team goals
• Track progress towards goals and include it in performance management 
• Employee time tracking 
• Hire and onboard, post jobs, and even provide background checks

Rippling for Unified Workforce Management

Another option for HR management is Rippling. It offers many features similar to Gusto such as onboarding, recruiting, benefits, and payroll for local and global team members. But it goes a step further by incorporating IT functions such as:

• Identify and access management
• Device management
• Inventory management

And offers the options of expense management, paying bills, and corporate cards as well! 

TaxJar for Automated Tax Compliance

We know…taxes can strike fear in the hearts of even the most seasoned business owners!

While we have many tips to simplify the tax process, one of our favorite tools that can help is TaxJar. Their extensive features take the stress out of sales tax compliance specifically, including:

• Reduces your risk of errors and missed deadlines by automating sales tax compliance, including submitting filings and remittances automatically 
• Provides instant reports so you have an immediate understanding of where you stand
• Integrates with many channels, in case you want to sell from multiple online or physical locations and platforms 
• Tracks economic nexus across states, a complex moving target that can be difficult to manage. TaxJar notifies you when you might need to register in a new state. 

Accounting Technology Integration

At PlotPath, we use accounting technology tools to streamline your operations and give you a comprehensive view of your finances. We are big fans of the many benefits of automation for your business.

We also know the power of a financial dashboard, which many of these solutions provide for you automatically. At PlotPath, we create an integrated financial dashboard for our clients so they can grow their businesses.

You don’t need to be an expert, we can explain the basics and get it set up so you’re enjoying the benefits quickly. We carefully select tools that are user-friendly and integrate easily with your other business tools. 

Smooth Out Your Operations with Accounting Technology

If you\’re looking for ways to improve your business operations, consider investing in accounting technology. The right tools can automate repetitive tasks, reduce errors, and free up your time to focus on strategic initiatives.

Ready to see how accounting technology can transform your business? Schedule a quick call with PlotPath today. Our experts can assess your needs and recommend the best tools to streamline your operations. Let us help you harness the power of accounting technology and take your business to new heights.