Andrew Cross and Co. look back at their leap of faith into Outsourcing

A family-run business established in 1969, Andrew Cross & Co. is not afraid to step outside the box. Seventeen years ago, the firm ventured into the then-uncharted territory of outsourcing and hasn't looked back since.

Highlights

Seventeen-year partnership with IRIS Outsourcing
Internal team able to focus on client advisory work
Impressive growth as a result of outsourcing accounts production

Change your mindset, and reap the benefits

Charlotte Cross, an accountant at Andrew Cross and Co tells us the initial decision was based upon one question regarding the production of accounts. “Our options were to either expand our internal team or look at outsourcing.”

“Outsourcing requires a change of mindset, but once you have that, the benefits are really good. The production of work, the quality of the working papers and the ability to follow through the details in the accounts really allow us to apply our resources this end to review and consider a client’s affairs, taking our specialist knowledge of their background and circumstances, and try to advise and guide them the best way we can through the ever more complex tax and accounting framework we are in.”

Fulfilling your role as accountants

Andrew Cross & Co utilised IRIS Outsourcing in a way that would maximise the firm’s skill base; using Outsourcing only for accounts production left the in-house team to remain client focused. Charlotte tells us, “Because we’ve found outsourcing to be so effective, we’ve changed the structure of our internal team. The individuals we have are now able to focus on client advisory work, taking accounts that come back from the Outsourcing team and interpreting them with the client in mind. Providing advisory work is higher value in itself, but also really allows us to more clearly fulfil what I see as our role as accountants.”

What made this even easier for Andrew Cross & Co to achieve is the standardisation within IRIS Outsourcing. Charlotte tells us, “I think the standardisation underpins it for us and it’s vital. If we think about how the accounts are prepared by the outsourcing function: very standardised formats, very easy to follow and easy to spot errors.”

“The process of how you get the jobs out and receive them back, how queries are dealt with - it’s really important that that is is a standardised process and a documented one because then everybody knows what they’re supposed to be doing.

Partnering with IRIS for a successful future

Choosing a company to entrust your outsourcing needs can be a daunting decision. Trust, security and communication can all become question marks. For Andrew Cross & Co, service and quality was high on the list of priorities along with these concerns. But they quickly found that IRIS could assure certainty in all these areas of doubt!

“We wanted to go with a trusted partner who had a strong reputation in the accountancy market. The quality of work and the service were two important factors to us, and as we already used IRIS products, we were confident that the IRIS team would provide us with that.”

With IRIS Outsourcing, there is a seamless integration with the current accountancy software that Andrew Cross & Co. already has in use. Charlotte tells us, “We use IRIS Accountancy Suite, so the jobs go back into Accounts Production, which makes it a simple process. We know our account managers, we know the team within Outsourcing, and there is a lot of mutual respect and time for each other in those relationships, which is why it works so well.”

What are you waiting for?

Outsourcing your accounting needs can be the key to boosting your firm’s abilities, as Andrew Cross & Co. has done so effortlessly.

“For us, it was clear that there was a shortage of skilled resources in the UK, and with the added problem that it’s difficult to attract and retain skilled staff, outsourcing seemed like the sensible option. We had to ask ourselves - if we’re not willing to outsource, how else will we expand and grow? Outsourcing was absolutely a leap into the unknown for us, but we are so glad that we did it, and I’m not sure we’d be where we are today had we not done it.”