Sage plans to court accountants more aggressively as it works to breathe new life into the Sage Accountants' Network.  The company is looking at what it can do to improve the relationships accountants have with their clients and providing more information on how firms can better run their businesses, and not just try to get firms to use Sage applications. “It’s really a revitalization,” said Connie Certusi, SVP and general manager of Sage’s small business accounting solutions unit. Certusi, in an interview conducted today at the Sage Summit user conference in Atlanta, Ga., said that the company was actively promoting SSAN by providing free members to attendees at the Sleeter Group’s Next Generation Accounting Solutions Conference running concurrently in Orlando, Fla.,

Sage is mounting the new effort because it believes accountants and bookkeepers are crucial in reaching small businesses that do not yet use accounting software. “The accountants are the road to [converting] non consumption,” said Certusi.  One area that has already produced a good response from that market is Billing Boss, a free online invoicing application. “what it has allowed accountants to do is automate their shoe-box based clients,” she said

For accountants, Sage has established HR 411, which provides accounting firms with information to assist firms in helping their client better manage employees. Sage has also informed SSAN members that the vendor is willing to provide Web-ex conferences for their clients, forr example, Sage might consider providing online document management for these firms. It has already set up a program to reach them called Sage Spark, which has a separate Web site and offers tools and services for small business. The emphasis, Certusi continued, is to “make the accountant a hero to their client.” The site is located at www.sagespark.com