Brightening Seamount Accountancy: A case study on digital automation

Being a small accountancy firm that continues to expand has caused various growing pains for South Wales-based Seamount Accountancy.

Fortunately, technology has stepped in to take over the incredibly time-consuming tasks that accountancy firms know all too well.  The outcome is far more time spent on meaningful tasks, which allows the company to achieve what it set out to from the start.

Small but mighty

“We are a husband and wife team that met many years ago in a big corporate company, which was very impersonal,” says Kath Hiscock, managing director at Seamount.

“In Wales, there are a lot of micro and small companies that don’t want to pay massive accountancy fees, but they need the support, so [that’s why] we set up Seamount.”

Hiscock talks about the difficulties facing the accountancy industry, both pre-and post-pandemic. Given today’s economic instability and the soaring costs facing businesses of all kinds, Seamount is steadfast in its ethos to be as supportive and friendly as possible.

One example of this mindset is the fact that Seamount does not charge for phone calls, in order to encourage clients to call whenever they need assistance.

“They’ve bought into our culture of being very approachable, and I think that’s probably the biggest thing about our brand – it shows how supportive we really are,” Hiscock explains.

Wading through admin

Before 2020, Seamount was working the way a lot of small accountancy firms do: traditionally. Emails and regular reminders about VAT returns, for example, were all carried out manually.

This method, although effective, was extremely labour-intensive and required a great deal of administration. When Hiscock took on her new role as managing director, she was determined to find a way to streamline as many processes as possible.

Naturally, she looked to technology for help – and specifically, software that could support Seamount employees, as well as the company’s growth. To achieve both, automation was key.

“We trialled different accountancy practice software, but the automation wasn’t quite there. After some research, I came across Accountancy-Manager, which shortly after was bought out by Bright. We did a trial and I loved it,” Hiscock tells Accountancy Age.

As such, accountants and account managers at Seamount no longer have to chase their clients. Instead, Bright’s software sends emails and reminders automatically, which frees up far more time for them to really help their clients.

Seamount Accountancy also uses BrightPay within its tech stack to process its clients’ payrolls. As such, director-only payrolls, for example, can be completed at the click of a button. “This is the best thing ever,” says Hiscock.

“I probably run around 70 or 80 director-only payrolls and to do those individually in a month is very time-consuming, due to the data entry…I think we’ve saved countless hours just being able to do those payrolls automatically.”

Client care

The timing was fortuitous. Soon after Seamount began using the software, the pandemic struck, bringing with it a whole new set of unprecedented challenges.

“We had cut out our most intensive admin [work] overnight, so when Covid hit, it allowed us to spend much more time supporting clients, which is the ethos of our company,” Hiscock explains.

Automation has also cut costs. “It has allowed for the people doing those [administrative] tasks to do other things. So, indirectly it has saved us money because I don’t have to take on another member of staff,” says Hiscock.

What’s more, as the company continues to grow, Hiscock and her team have been able to bolt on new products, as and when they need them.

“And it all fits seamlessly,” she adds. “So, when we’re doing bookkeeping, it automatically feeds into Bright’s accounts production software, tax software and payroll software. So, there’s seamless integration and therefore time-saving – and time is money.”

Bright future

As is the case with many small accountancy firms, Seamount currently uses Bright’s desktop-based software

However, Seamount’s next steps in its digital journey are to employ Bright’s new cloud-based offerings for BrightPay and BrightTax.

This will enable the practice to offer hybrid working, giving its employees a better work-life balance. This, in turn, will trickle down to better client care.

Hybrid-working will also allow Seamount’s rapid growth to continue unchecked. “We’re currently static in our building,” Hiscock explains. “I need new staff, but I’ve only got so much square footage.”

With cloud-based solutions, however, Hiscock will no longer be restrained by the number of desks the office fits. Neither will she have to bear the cost of moving to a bigger office, which will inevitably bring more outlays.

Seamount has faced challenge after challenge since starting out – from coping with its own swift growth to the obstacles brought about by the pandemic and an unstable economy thereafter.

Using cutting-edge technology, however, it has managed to remain on the fast track, whilst still holding steadfast to its ethos of supporting its clients.