When this firm took a strategic decision to replace standalone applications with an integrated system, it chose Wolters Kluwer software – find out why.
Established 30 years ago, the four partner firm of Young and Phillips now operates from two offices offering tax, accounting, audit and business services to individuals and a wide range of small and medium-sized businesses, both in South Wales and further afield. In 2009 the firm took a strategic decision to replace standalone software applications with an integrated system from Wolters Kluwer.
What made you choose CCH Accounts Production originally?
Three years ago we were using three different software suppliers for personal tax, corporation tax and accounts production; we used Wolters Kluwer software for personal tax, but not for the other two. The upfront cost of our accounts production software was very low but the updates were irregular and we wasted a lot of time finding and fixing errors in the accounts so it was a false economy really.
Our experiences had shown us that an integrated system would be more efficient than separate, standalone products and we reviewed what was available. Because we used CCH Personal Tax we were already holding client and contact data in CCH Central, so it made sense to consider CCH Accounts Production.
What do you see as the main benefits of an integrated system using CCH Central?
CCH Central brings everything together in one place, so it’s easy to find information and you only have to update it once. Each application can then pull out whatever data it needs – it’s a real time saver.
The ‘home pages’ in CCH Central are very easy to use and people can set them up exactly how they want. With CCH Central you can manage clients from a single screen, drilling down to see their accounts or their tax, then drilling down further for the details of individual transactions or entries.
How do you find CCH Accounts Production?
It’s improved with each update and we now have a very stable system which everybody in the office agrees is fantastic.
Take company accounts, for example: we used to spend so much time checking the disclosures for every set we produced, but with CCH Accounts Production we feel confident about the results, so the software saves us a lot of time. Although there’s a facility to fine-tune the layout and appearance of the final accounts, we’ve found the CCH standard formats for limited companies, partnerships and sole traders to be fine for the vast majority of our clients, and with 600 sets of accounts to produce that’s also been a great time saver.
Producing iXBRL accounts is also simple with CCH Accounts Production and it now only takes a few minutes for each set. We also use CCH Corporation Tax so we can file CT returns online directly from the software.
We get regular quarterly updates so we know exactly what to expect and can plan ahead, which is important – bad or delayed updates can have a big impact on the work of a practice.
Overall then, you’re happy with your decision to install the integrated CCH Central suite?
Definitely. CCH Central is a fantastic system; just having all the client data together in one place must save everyone in the office a couple of days a year through not having to search around for basic information.
If I report a problem or raise a question, I know that support will call me back promptly – with other software vendors I could wait a couple of days for a response, which is no good if you’ve got a deadline. The online Support Knowledgebase is also a great resource to have available.
I have a friend who is using competitor products and complains they’re expensive – I’ve told him I would recommend Wolters Kluwer any day!
