Tony Schiffman - Managing Partner
Tel: +61 7 3237 5999
Email: tony.schiffmann@bdo.com.au

Involvement in selection process
I was the overall sponsor for the project – and managed the transition from the current supplier to APS for our firm.

General

When did your firm implement its APS Advance Practice Management system?
We went live in June 2003.

How many users do you have?
We have just over 300 users.

Which APS products have you taken out licences to use? (PM, Tax etc….)
At this stage we are currently using Advance Practice Management but with the intention of implementing other Advance products.

Who was you previous supplier and how long were you using that supplier’s software for?
In November 2002 BDO Kendalls and Horswath Brisbane merged to form BDO Kendalls. With the two firms on different versions of Solution 6 we needed to assess our options. So it seemed like the right time to review which IT software what would best suit our new business.

From start to finish, how long did the meeting, testing and decision-making process take that saw you move over to APS?
We started the review process about the same time as the merger in November 2002. But once we decided to go with APS I would say the whole process took about 6 months from start to finish.

Was your decision to move over to APS made on gut-feel, or was it more scientific than that? Please explain how you went about making your decision…. (e.g. team approach: IT manager, IT Partner, Work Group etc…)
At the time of reviewing our technology supplier we were keen to look at all options in the market including traditional, industry specific and non-industry providers.

We chose APS because they seemed to be accepted and performing well amongst other firms of similar size and type to BDO Kendalls. We spoke with several firms including Pitcher Partners who have been pleased with the APS product and service so far.

Following our thorough review we felt that the APS product would best align with our practice needs.

APS prides itself on its ability to listen to its customers regarding their business needs and business aims and its commitment to then work closely with customers to meet and achieve them. Tell us about the APS approach from your perspective.
We are very happy with the APS product currently implemented in our firm – the product suits our business.

APS understands our business and what our key drivers are and we therefore feel very comfortable with what we have paid for.

Installation / Implementation

Conversion of practice data from your old system to your new one was of course going to be one of the major issues in your implementation – can you tell me how the APS consultant performed in this regard?
My experience has often seen suppliers over-promising and under-delivering. However this was definitely not the case with APS.

They were right on the mark and they delivered on what they said they were going to.

A new system means that ‘change’ is forced upon team members – how did your team react to the new system and how quickly did they pick up the new system?
I think the move to APS has been the biggest change the firm has encountered. Considering this was the case there was always going to be some anxiety among staff.

Internally we planned for the move to APS as best we could – in saying that APS also had great change management processes in place. With the combination of the two the transition ran very smoothly.

I think the best way to positively engage people in a change management process is to allow them to see the benefits they will get out of it. If people can see the benefits you can better manage the change process.

I think it all went very smoothly because our staff could see the benefits fairly quickly and with minimal disruption.

Product

Functionality

Looking at APS from a product perspective, what were the most important factors from a functionality point-of-view that were seen as critical to your business
The most important factor is that we are able to build on the core functionality. The product needs to meet our demands and constant changes that regularly occur in our business. The product needs to grow with our business.

How does the Advance suite compare to you previous product in terms of functionality?
I really don’t think we can compare – APS product is miles in front of our previous supplier.

Will you be taking on any further APS products in the future?
We are keen to take on the entire APS product suite in the future, I think it will make it much easier to manage the firm’s technology. In the short term we will start with CRM as it is one of the key drivers in our business and also look at Document Management.

Future Development

What would you like to see APS add to its product set in its next releases of Advance that will assist your business? We are keen to take on the tax product but feel that it needs to add a few features before it suits our business needs.

Do you have any final words that sum up how you feel about APS, its team and its software?
We are a pretty happy customer.

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