When it became clear that McFillin Accounting’s legacy system for gathering client information was holding them back, they made the switch to a better solution.
With the speed of technological change increasing all the time, processes that once worked well can quickly become outdated and inefficient. The best businesses are able to spot when a process needs rethinking — and embrace technology that removes the bottlenecks that are holding them back.
In this article, we’ll look at how McFillin Accounting did just that, transforming their information-gathering process using Content Snare.
Brisbane-based McFillin Accounting helps businesses and individuals navigate the complex world of accounting, tax, and audit. To successfully do this, they need to gather a lot of information from their clients.
Information gathering is such a key process for accounting firms, yet many are still relying on outdated systems and legacy tools to do it. The McFillin team were using a combination of a spreadsheet, a PDF form, and email to get the documents and information they needed.
While this was working to a degree, they found that it was also fraught with problems. First of all, clients would often send only part of the information they needed. The forms they used weren’t able to provide much detail about requests. This often resulted in clients ignoring requests or providing the wrong information altogether. These issues invariably resulted in lengthy back-and-forth email conversations.
Then there were the inherent security concerns that come with sending sensitive information via email. The risk of client information being lost or hacked was another driving factor for change.
It was clear that their information-gathering process needed overhauling — and that technology held the key to unlocking a smoother, more efficient approach.
Around this time, McFillin’s founder read about a software that’s been getting rave reviews among the accounting community. The McFillin leadership has always had a keen eye for innovation, so the team was asked to give it a try and see if it improves their processes.
That software was Content Snare, and the McFillin team soon found that it was an excellent way to streamline and enhance the information-gathering process.
What made it feel like the right solution was just the way that we’re able to gather the information we need, but also the flexibility to tailor questionnaires and things in a particular way that makes the client upload all of the information we require.
Following a successful trial where they spent a couple of weeks exploring its potential and getting feedback from clients, the McFillin team signed up to a paid plan.
Today, Content Snare is a central part of the team’s process for onboarding new clients and gathering information — particularly for sending out custom tax questionnaires. Where they would once only be able to gather part of the information they needed, they now receive fully completed forms.
The best benefit that I’ve seen is having forms filled out completely. When we were using PDF forms, people would just jump in and fill out the bits they knew off the top of their head, and then you’d get a form back, and it would be partially completed.
This has significantly reduced the amount of back-and-forth emails the team exchanges with clients, allowing them to get on with doing what they do best — meeting their clients’ accounting needs.
One of the main reasons clients often submitted partially completed forms before Content Snare was that they didn’t fully understand what they needed to do. With only legacy communication tools to ask for help, clients left sections blank and moved on. But with Content Snare, clients can now ask questions directly in the app.
We’re finding that if a client’s not sure of a question, the comment feature is really good in that they’re coming back and asking, whereas on a PDF, they just left it blank.
The accountants on the McFillin team are all Xero certified, and they naturally rely heavily on Xero when managing their clients’ books. Content Snare’s new Xero integration has made their life a lot easier, allowing them to seamlessly transfer the data they gather through their web forms to their favourite accounting software.
And with Content Snare’s robust security features and data encryption, the McFillin team no longer have to worry about their client’s data being at risk. At the same time, features such as two-factor authentication prevent unauthorised access to client documents and data.
Gathering client information doesn’t have to be a time-consuming hassle. With Content Snare, you have a complete system for managing the information-gathering process. You can build custom web forms that guide clients through every single submission. To ensure that you get the information you require, you can specify the exact type or format for each question.
Our in-form instructions and conversations make it easy to communicate with clients without resorting to email. And instead of chasing clients for missing info, you can send automated reminders at intervals of your choosing.
Content Snare also fits perfectly alongside your existing tech stack. Our Zapier integration allows you to seamlessly transfer the information you gather using Content Snare to your accounting software, CRM, or task management platform.
So, if you are still relying on outdated processes and ill-fitting tools to request and gather key documents and info, isn’t it time you embraced a better way?
Ready to start saving time and turn content collection chaos into organized bliss?
Give Content Snare a try today with your free trial.
