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How COVID19 is taking audit online
How auditors use technology to communicate, collaborate and conduct audits has evolved in response to COVID-19. Faculty members share experiences and insights with Lesley Meall.
Remote working has become the norm for many during the COVID-19 pandemic and although there is uncertainty about what our eventual new normal will be, there is a widespread expectation that life after lockdown will feature more working remotely and home-working than life before lockdown. “We’ve seen increased uptake of various technologies within the firm,” says Becky Shields, Partner at Moore Kingston Smith. “Cloud systems have really come into their own.” There has also been a marked shift in people’s communication preferences.
People are phoning more often. “Email traffic has died down,” says Shields, and even technophobes have embraced videoconferencing. “Some partners who didn’t have the technology up and working before are now absolute converts,” she reports. Catherine Willshire, Partner at Price Bailey LLP, has experienced increased requests from colleagues and contacts to videoconference, rather than conference call. “I think some people miss the face-to-face contact,” she says.