Target Accounting captures more billable hours and saves time with Cradle
Since the 1980’s, Target Accounting has been advising the business community of Mosgiel and Dunedin in New Zealand. With a team of 15, the accounting firm provides tax compliance, business advisory, bookkeeping and HR services.
Client Workflow Coordinator, Shannon Smith, has seen first-hand how Cradle’s technology has transformed the way the team works over the past two years.
“Our processes are so much smoother, and our desk phones are now gone - which have given us a lot more space on our workspaces!”
Target Accounting had already embraced cloud technology with tools like Xero and FYI. But their phone systems weren’t keeping up.
“Messages were very manual. It was either emails, post-it notes, or having to physically track someone down. We also weren’t seeing who was calling, which made it harder to manage client calls.”
More importantly, she adds, time spent on the phone wasn’t being captured.
“We would get busy and weren’t always remembering to record every phone call. That meant we weren’t billing for all the work we were doing.”
After one of the team discovered Cradle at a Xero conference, Target Accounting decided it was time to move on from desk phones.
“Given that we’d already moved most of our systems to the cloud, Cradle just made sense.”
Implementation was quick and supported directly by the Cradle team.
“Onboarding was seamless. Joel from Cradle was amazing - he stayed online with us for a couple of hours, answered all our questions, and made sure we were confident to operate the software solo. We were up and running within the day.”
Shannon also notes the integration with FYI was the real turning point.
“The biggest game changer for us is that every call is automatically saved into FYI. That means no more missed notes or chasing people for messages. The accountants can just go back and see the conversation for themselves.”
And with Karbon, Cradle has become part of how the team tracks time.
“At the end of the day we can filter by our name, see the calls we’ve had, and load our time against them. It’s all there for us.”
The Results
Since switching to Cradle, Target Accounting has seen benefits across the whole business.
More billable hours captured
“One of the greatest returns for us is being able to bill our clients more accurately. Calls are captured automatically, so we don’t lose that time anymore.”
Greater efficiency
“Wrapping up a call is so much quicker. Before, reception would have to write messages and pass them on. Now it’s all saved into FYI, which saves a huge amount of time.”
Improved client experience
“Our phones are answered more consistently now. We can easily change call routing if someone is away or if an accountant needs focus time. Clients get through faster and it’s a much better experience for them.”
Better oversight
“Every Monday we look at our call stats. I can see which calls have been answered, which haven’t, and make sure nothing slips through the cracks.”
For Shannon and her team, the impact of saving valuable time has been huge.
“The call records in FYI mean we can focus more on clients, and we’ve definitely increased our billing. It’s been a massive game changer for us.”
Ready to work smarter?
If your firm is still wasting time on manual call management or missing billable hours, contact us today to see how Cradle can transform your client communication and workflow.