You’ve just received an assessment notice for one of your commercial properties—now what? If the amount seems too high, hopefully you or another member of your property tax team will check the accuracy of the valuation by using one or more commercial property valuation methods, and then appeal if need be.

These days there’s much talk about artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. Will robots take over our jobs, or won’t they? What can we expect when these technologies ramp up? AI and machine learning technology will have a profound impact on the workplace. In many ways, they are simply advancements in a long line of improvements helping people do their jobs better. Computers changed the way people worked; the internet changed the way people accessed information, yet a succession of new computer applications will need mastering before they are useful—and this can take time.

No matter what you were hired specifically to do, as a property tax consultant, your ultimate goal is always the same as that of your clients: to ensure they pay only their fair share of taxes. But some property tax consulting firms deliver more value than others, not because of the type of work they do (advisory, valuation, or compliance) but because they approach the consulting process more strategically, which often translates into better (and more) work.

As COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the U.S. and around the world, we’ve heard from numerous clients concerned about whether the disruption will adversely affect our property tax software and data extraction service, and by extension, their tax practices. The foundation of our business has always been about giving you, our customers, the digital tools you need to thrive in any situation. Today, that mission has become more important than ever, as so many tax teams need support in continuing to work effectively away from the office, on their own terms.

If you haven’t yet read about it on our blog, you’ve surely heard it elsewhere: Enterprises around the world are heavily investing in digital transformation tools and services. And it’s pretty clear their efforts are paying off—research shows that companies committed to digitizing (converting information and processes to digital) are growing faster and have higher net profits after two to three years compared to those who didn’t make a similar investment. No wonder nearly eight in 10 companies in the U.S. are currently in the process of a digital transformation.

You’re probably aware of the availability of experts who offer commercial property valuation services, but you may not know when or if you need them (or what exactly they bring to the table). This article covers the most common reasons why companies enlist a valuation expert for property taxes, and how to know if you should consider hiring one.

Often, transformation requires disruption. It’s our belief here at CrowdReason that the property tax industry is ripe for transformation, perfectly poised to benefit from disruptive influences such as artificial intelligence. And our advanced property tax software, MetaTaskerPT and TotalPropertyTax (TPT), are leading the charge.

Almost all companies have been subject to downsizing at one point or another. Even during periods of strong economic growth, sometimes the individual needs of companies in the short-term makes intermittent layoffs unavoidable. Following any downsizing activity, the question then becomes: How does a smaller group of people handle the same workload as before?

Cost reductions, efficiency gains, greater accuracy… these value propositions and more have long been drivers of change within organizations. From its earliest stages, automation has promised to deliver these benefits in spades. The idea of reducing human labor while at the same time transforming a business process for the better is why business leaders were attracted to automation from the start—and why many continue to view it as essential to organizational growth. 

The telecom industry has some unique aspects of assessment that don’t apply to other industries. In this post we’ll cover the issues associated with telecommunications tax assessments so you can ensure accurate valuation.