It’s a cold, bleak, January morning but Greg Thorpe, Director of recruitment specialist Howett Thorpe, is feeling upbeat. As a new client to Surrey Hills Accountancy, Greg is excited for what lies ahead for business in 2024, believing his firm is already reaping the rewards of moving to an accountancy agency that offers personalised finance support, in addition to cost-effective solutions.
Howett Thorpe specialises in financial recruitment and business support. Its clients include both blue-chip and owner-managed businesses covering commerce and industry, public practice and public sector. ‘We have a large client base covering Hampshire and Surrey, however we reach a much wider area for more senior posts,’ explains Greg.
But last year, as the business was growing and reaching further afield, the Howett Thorpe management team were starting to feel held back by their accountancy set-up. ‘We were using a top 50 firm with several offices nationwide,’ Greg reflects. ‘Yet working with a larger firm can be less personable. We realised we needed more effective accountancy solutions along with more hands-on support.’ So they started to look for an accountancy firm that would better fit the bill, so to speak. ‘We needed an agency that could provide us with an extension of our accounts department,’ clarifies Greg.
Enter Surrey Hills Accountancy. ‘We met them and were immediately struck by their commercial knowledge,’ says Greg. ‘And the first thing SHA recommended was a move from Sage to Xero.’ The features of Xero are second to none and as a Xero Gold partner, SHA encourages all new clients to make the transition to this leading cloud-based accountancy software product. In fact, SHA now has over 100 clients on Xero. ‘It is so straight forward,’ says Greg of Xero. ‘We can see what’s happening in real time; reports are clear and easy to read. It’s far more intuitive than Sage.’
SHA offers all onboarding clients a choice of Xero software training courses, from set up to managing reporting. ‘We have only been working with SHA for a short time yet already we have achieved a huge amount,’ reflects Greg. ‘Plus we now have a detailed cashflow for 2024!’ Greg is referring to the cashflow forecasting service that SHA also offers, along with that sought-after proactive and personalised approach to business finance.
‘Dealing with Surrey Hills Accountancy is a pleasure,’ Greg concludes, adding how impressed he has been with the speed of response from his new accountant team. ‘I strongly believe they will provide us with the support to grow.’ And isn’t that what any thriving business wants, especially on a dull January morning?
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