Accountants are ahead of the game when it comes to the use of new technology to grow their business, new research has revealed. An online YouGov survey commissioned by tax and accounting information and software provider CCH, found that nearly a quarter of senior accountancy managers are embracing the technology, putting them ahead of management consultants and lawyers at 20% and 7% respectively. Accountants are perceiving technology as more vital to their business processes and growth, with 39% placing it as the biggest factor for driving change in the profession, along with the impact of the global recession. Among accountants in practice, the figure jumped to nearly half. The biggest factor for pushing forward change in accounting was increased regulatory complexity, with 57% of respondents citing this. Other areas of focus found that 95% of accountants are now comfortable reading and searching for accountancy information online, with 84% finding it easy to process information and data online. But this puts accountants out of step with many of their clients, as only 70% agree. Gaps were also found between sharing documents online, with nearly half of clients not sharing their documents online compared with only 34% of accountants. Cathy Wolfe, UK chief executive of CCH's parent company, Wolters Kluwer, said: 'It is good to see that accountants are leading the way when it comes to using new technologies in their businesses. By moving processes and information online, they can improve speed and efficiency, accuracy and cut down on paper. This all means better service and happier clients. 'However, it seems that they may have some work to do to make their clients understand the benefits of what technology can bring in terms of process efficiency,' she added.