The CCH Axcess Open Integration Program enables firms to grow the value of their technology investments by creating custom automations and seamless integrations across disparate systems using CCH Axcess APIs.
The comprehensive library of APIs provides access to the tax, audit and firm management data at the core of a modern accounting firm. By building API integrations, firms can improve client experiences, increase staff engagement and maximize firm efficiency.
Getting started with APIs in an accounting firm requires a strategic vision and careful planning. Many firms find the greatest success by starting small, automating a single step in the workflow, or even implementing an off-the-shelf API-based solution. Various approaches to implementing APIs are described below.
Build your own API automation
For tech-savvy firms that have internal IT resources, firms can build their own automations. This may include integrating third-party software or innovative home-grown solutions that they’ve developed independently, oftentimes in Microsoft Excel. By staffing their own development teams, firms can better control timelines and deliverables. These teams better understand firm processes as they develop tools using Open Integration.
CCH Axcess customers who want to learn more about APIs can visit the Developer Portal to access developer tools they can use to work with the APIs more effectively.
In the Developer Portal, programmers can test APIs in the browser, with no installation or coding environment needed. API analytics and detailed documentation provide a clear understanding of API behavior and capabilities. Other programmer tools enable firms to regenerate API keys to boost security, copy/paste working code samples in 9 languages for fast prototyping, and accelerate testing with OpenAPI and WADL API definitions.
Off-the-shelf API-based utilities
Because of our API-first strategy, we can offer a set of API-based tools and utilities that help firms streamline and automate the movement of data through their workflows. Our API-based utilities generally require additional licensing, but they can be used to automate batch printing, e-filing extensions, K-1 imports, Passthrough imports and business intelligence. Built by our own expert developers, these utilities provide efficient automations beyond the basic tax workflow.
3rd Party vendors in the CCH Axcess Marketplace
As our open API program evolves, we are strengthening our relationships with 3rd party technology vendors to accelerate innovation that benefits our customers. The CCH Axcess Marketplace is an online resource center that makes it easy for firms to find software integrations that leverage the data in their systems. Our integration vendors provide solutions for a wide variety of needs, including cryptocurrency taxation, scheduling, e-payments, and automating the last mile of the tax workflow.
Custom integrations
For custom integrations not covered by an off-the-shelf solution, the CCH Professional Client Services team regularly contracts with firms to develop custom solutions. However, our consultants are in high demand. In case we don’t have internal consulting resources available, we can refer firms to an external Licensed API Consultant if needed.
Our Licensed API consultants are familiar with CCH Axcess APIs and data, so they can more easily help build custom integrations than general IT consultants who are not licensed to work with CCH Axcess APIs. Contact us for a referral to get started.