Case studies

Before: Staff manually logged into each client's HMRC account to check for upcoming or outstanding payments. This required navigating 600+ individual accounts, recording balances in spreadsheets, and manually drafting payment reminder emails. Time-consuming, error-prone, and often delayed, leading to missed payments and client frustration.

After: Automated system that checks all 600+ client HMRC accounts, extracts payment balances, populates Excel tracker, and sends personalized payment reminder emails automatically. Clients receive timely notifications with exact amounts and payment instructions. Accountants freed from manual checking to focus on advisory work.

Before: Each partner maintained separate spreadsheets for tracking tax return progress. Manual status updates required navigating multiple tabs and formulas. Frequent version conflicts occurred when multiple team members updated files simultaneously, leading to confusion and duplicate work.

After: Single central Excel tracker with VBA-powered buttons that update statuses with one click. Automated reminders flag at-risk returns and generate weekly summary reports. Real-time visibility across all partners eliminates version conflicts and provides instant status updates.

Before: Staff manually drafted engagement letters and compliance checklists from Word templates for each new client. Required copying client details into multiple documents, customising service descriptions, and ensuring all checklists matched the engagement scope. Prone to errors and inconsistencies.

After: Form-driven Excel tool that captures client details once and automatically generates engagement letters and tailored checklists in one go. Dropdown menus select service types, which populate appropriate clauses and checklist items. All documents formatted consistently and ready for partner review.

Before: Manual filtering of deadline databases by date ranges, then copying client details into email templates. High risk of missing clients due to manual selection errors. Time-consuming process repeated weekly, with inconsistent formatting and occasional duplicate reminders.

After: Excel tool that automatically pulls deadlines and client statuses from the practice management system, then generates a ready-to-send reminder list sorted by urgency. One-click export creates formatted email lists with client names, deadlines, and status flags. Includes validation to prevent duplicates and flag missing information.

Before: Staff manually cleaned and mapped data exports from various bookkeeping software platforms (Xero, QuickBooks, Sage) into standardised working paper formats. Required extensive manual formatting, account code mapping, and data validation. Different export formats meant each platform required a different approach, leading to errors and inconsistencies.

After: Excel tool with VBA macros that automatically transforms exports from multiple bookkeeping platforms into standardised working paper formats. Automated account code mapping, data validation, and formatting ensure consistency across all clients regardless of source system. One-click process handles data cleaning, categorisation, and presentation-ready formatting.

Before: Staff manually created working paper packs by copying trial balances into Excel templates, then building lead schedules and supporting schedules manually. Each client required 2-3 hours of formatting, formula checking, and cross-referencing. Inconsistent formatting across different team members and high risk of formula errors.

After: Excel workbook with VBA that imports trial balances directly from accounting software and automatically generates complete working paper packs. Lead schedules, supporting schedules, and cross-references are created automatically with consistent formatting. One-click process produces presentation-ready working papers with built-in validation checks.

Before: Manual consolidation of multiple trial balances into group accounts required careful elimination of intercompany transactions, currency conversions, and complex adjustments. High risk of errors in eliminations and adjustments. Time-consuming process repeated monthly with frequent manual recalculations.

After: Excel consolidation tool that automatically imports trial balances from multiple entities, applies elimination rules, handles currency conversions, and generates consolidated financial statements. Built-in validation flags intercompany mismatches and ensures balance. Automated adjustment templates maintain consistency across reporting periods.

Before: Staff manually entered client data from various source documents (PDFs, emails, scanned forms) into tax preparation software. Required multiple data entry passes and manual validation checks. High error rate led to frequent rework and client queries. Inconsistent data formats made validation difficult.

After: Excel-based intake form with VBA validation that captures client data once and automatically validates against business rules. Dropdown menus, date validations, and cross-field checks prevent common errors at entry. Automated export formats data for direct import into tax software, eliminating re-entry and reducing errors.