A series of irritating accounting mishaps caused by issues with its previous legal accounts package led Dyer & Crowe Licensed Conveyancers to appraise its software options.
Tracy Burrell, Partner at Dyer & Crowe, explains: “We’d used our earlier system for close to 20 years. When postings were going amiss fairly frequently due to software flaws, it became a search and rescue mission to put everything straight again. This was time wasting and frustrating. We didn’t want to tolerate it anymore.”
Concurrently, the supplier was acquired by a larger software provider. An increase in fees then ensued, forcing Dyer & Crowe to proceed with urgency with its software review.
“Suddenly, after the takeover, fees were wacked up for what was, essentially, a very basic system,” adds Tracy. “Over the years we actually had to manipulate the system to meet our needs as it couldn’t do everything we wanted it to. It already wasn’t worth its fees. The price rise was the breaking point. With CASA as our case management system, we looked around for legal accounts software that could work closely with it and chose Interactive from Quill.”
One of Quill’s regional sales consultants visited Dyer & Crowe and demonstrated the accounting features within Interactive.
“As soon as we viewed the cashier screens, and could appreciate how much more sophisticated the user interface is, we wanted Interactive,” continues Tracy. “You see, we’re not typists, so the easier it is to input data, the better. Interactive is based on e-chits. You simply create an e-chit for each accounts posting. It’s so straightforward, our postings are never late anymore which means our ledgers are always up to date and we can clear balances quicker. E-chits have revolutionised our accounts function!
“Additionally, I’m not a cashier. The fact that I can navigate and understand Interactive is testament to its ease of use.”
Reflecting on the costs element, Tracy describes the two pricing structures of her core systems: “With Quill, you pay a software licence fee on a per-user basis. It works the same with CASA. Some case management suppliers charge per transaction. As a pure conveyancing business with a high volume of activity, this could run into tens of thousands of pounds each year. So, with CASA and Quill, not only do we know where we stand financially, we’re also saving money.”
Commenting on other unexpected benefits of Interactive, Tracy states: “Our PII was due for renewal recently. There are some fairly onerous reporting requirements. With Interactive in situ, running off the necessary reports was effortless therefore renewal was a routine process.
“Another aspect of Interactive which we make much use of is online storage. Having cloud format means our electronic files don’t consume any space on our in-house server. These documents are subsequently always available and the system never slows down. It’s hugely efficient.”
In her concluding remarks, Tracy draws attention to Quill’s optional cashiering service, Pinpoint: “The fact Quill offers outsourced cashiering gives us great peace of mind that immediate help would be available should we ever find ourselves in a position of needing it.”
