Is there a generation gap in firms when it comes to technology? "Absolutely," says Lisa Dunnigan, principal in charge of IT for Olsen Thielen in St. Paul, Minn. "Today's (young) professionals grew up with this technology. More senior partners have to learn how to use it, but it's not an extension of themselves like it is for the younger staff. They're more afraid of pushing the wrong button, and have learned to work without the technology and don't see why they should change."

"As the development of new technologies continue to change the business landscape, all of us must learn to adapt to these changes," says Alvin Katz, president and CEO of KatzAbosch in Timonium, Md. "It's not so much a matter of a generational issue as it is whether someone is willing to embrace new technology. For those that embrace technology, keeping pace with the burgeoning tools that enable CPAs to do their job more effectively and efficiently has become standard procedure. For those who are apprehensive regarding technology, understanding and utilizing these new tools can be a daunting task. Both generations, however, are fully aware that with progress comes expectations, and these expectations include learning new software, technology, and products in order to better service clients."

To answer the question of a gap "with a blanket 'yes' is unfair," claims Sandrina Devlopoulos, director of operations and marketing for Gettry Marcus Stern & Lehrer, Woodbury, N.Y. "Of course there are generational gaps. It depends on the culture of the firm and the level of involvement in technology that a firm requires from partners versus junior staff. What we have clearly seen is the ease in which junior staff adapt to and use any technology. They also thrive on learning and mastering new applications. Our partners and senior staff use technology, such as BlackBerries, and will learn new applications, but at a different pace."

Differences can also be seen in the way staff at various levels use technology, she adds. "Younger staff make full use of all the features and functions available in a new application, and will use the Windows environment to multi-task between several applications, while older staff will most likely stick with the few critical applications they need, may work strictly with menus, and will probably follow the steps provided in the original training. So the gap lies in the way technology is used."

"There are unquestionably many firms with practitioners, both staff and senior partners, that hinder or totally prevent the use of best practices in their firms," says managing member Charles Tzinberg of Tzinberg & Dowdy in Glen Carbon, Ill. "Many firms continue to miss the benefits, to both the firm and clients, of some of the technological improvements because of their unwillingness to embrace new technology." Examples, he adds, include e-filing of returns and receipt and delivery of data via portals.

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