“My vision was to build a modern accounting practice that gave business owners freedom.”
What he didn’t anticipate was how difficult client communication would become as the firm grew.
In the early days, communication was easy. Clients simply called Tom or his co-founder directly on their mobile phones. But as the firm expanded and hired client managers, that model quickly became unsustainable.
Personal numbers were being shared with clients, calls constantly interrupted work, and there was no central record of conversations. When the firm later acquired another accounting practice on the Kapiti Coast, the problem became even bigger: two different phone systems operating across the business.
“We started bringing on client managers who owned the client relationships, but we didn’t want everyone giving out their personal numbers.”
Outside Accounting needed a better system to scale communication across the team.
The solution was to bring everything into one place with Cradle.
By implementing Cradle, the firm created a centralised phone system that could automatically route calls to the correct client manager while still giving the admin team control over call handling.
This meant clients could easily reach the right person without anyone needing to share their personal phone number.
“Cradle allowed us to route calls to the right team member without everyone needing to give out their personal numbers,” says Tom.
The platform also allowed Outside Accounting to standardise communications across both offices, replacing legacy hardware and simplifying their entire phone setup.
But as the firm continued to grow, another challenge became clear: documenting client interactions.
Outside Accounting uses FYI Docs alongside Xero Practice Manager to manage client records and compliance workflows. With Cradle’s call recording and transcription capabilities, phone conversations can now be automatically logged and documented.
“Before, notes often just lived in someone’s head. Now conversations can automatically become file notes.”
This creates a shared knowledge base across the firm and helps ensure consistent service across the team - even when staff change or work is handed over.
Cradle also provides valuable visibility into client communications.
If a client claims they couldn’t get through, the team can quickly check call logs and reporting to see exactly what happened.
“As you grow and scale, having data like that becomes really important. It helps you make better decisions.”
The reporting also helps the firm track response times and missed calls, supporting an important service standard: responding to clients within 24 hours.
Supporting the shift to advisory services
As Outside Accounting evolves from compliance work toward higher-value advisory services, efficiency has become critical.
Reducing time spent on administrative tasks allows the team to focus on delivering more strategic support to clients.
Better communication systems help enable this by:
● Providing quick access to past conversations
● Ensuring client interactions are documented
● Allowing teams to prepare for meetings more effectively
“If you’ve got a board meeting with a client, you can quickly look back at conversations and action points. That saves time and helps you deliver more value.”
Today, Outside Accounting operates with a team-based structure rather than the traditional partner-led accounting model.
Senior client managers focus on relationships and problem solving, while a dedicated production team handles the technical tax and compliance work. This structure allows the firm to scale while ensuring clients have strong relationships and consistent support from the team.
For Tom, the goal has always been bigger than simply building an accounting firm.
“Our focus is helping business owners build profitable businesses that can run without them.”
By putting the right systems, processes and team structure in place, Outside Accounting aims to help owners move away from being stuck in the day-to-day operations of their business and towards building something that works without them.
With the right systems supporting the firm’s growth, the team can focus on what matters most: helping business owners build better businesses and ultimately giving them the freedom to spend more time outside enjoying life.