Hungerford cuts proposal time by 75% and reduces DSO to zero
By standardizing client engagements and automating billing with Ignition, Hungerford has cut proposal admin, accelerated cash flow, and built a scalable foundation for its growing CAS practice.
“There’s no doubt that we’re saving time and money by standardizing proposals, billing, and payments in Ignition.”
Samantha Willemstein, Project Coordinator, Hungerford
The challenge: Manual processes couldn’t keep pace with a growing CAS practice
Celebrating its 85th anniversary this year, Hungerford is one of West Michigan's leading accounting and advisory firms. As the firm's CAS practice expanded, its processes for managing proposals, engagement letters, and billing were becoming increasingly difficult to scale.
Hungerford relied on Word-based engagement letters that required manual editing, review, printing, mailing, and signature collection. Proposal creation could take up to an hour, creating unnecessary administrative work and limiting who could prepare and send client engagements.
“Creating engagement letters was extremely time-consuming,” says Samantha Willemstein, Administrative Coordinator at Hungerford.
At the same time, Hungerford was evolving its CAS offering. The team was expanding advisory and CFO-level services, introducing more subscription-based and value-driven engagements, and looking for ways to create a more consistent client experience while supporting continued growth.
Managing recurring QuickBooks Online software subscriptions added another layer of complexity. Billing was handled manually, clients often paid after services had already been delivered, and administrative effort increased as the CAS practice scaled.
Hungerford needed a way to standardize client engagements, automate recurring billing, and create operational efficiencies that would support the next stage of growth.
“It was a Word document we had to manually update every time, double-check it, and get it signed; it took a significant amount of time and was very manual.”
Samantha Willemstein, Project Coordinator at Hungerford
The solution: Faster proposals, automated billing, and stronger cash flow
Hungerford implemented Ignition to modernize how its CAS team creates engagement letters, automates recurring billing, and collects payments.
By replacing manual document preparation with standardized templates, proposal and engagement creation time was reduced by 75%.
“Time spent creating engagement letters dropped from 60 minutes to 15 minutes.”
Samantha Willemstein, Project Coordinator at Hungerford
The efficiencies extended beyond time savings. Because proposals are easier to create and manage, more team members can participate in the engagement process rather than relying on partners and senior managers.
“It's been easy to train people how to use Ignition, which has allowed more people to be able to jump in and create those letters or proposals and freed up partners to focus on clients and leading the department,” says Samantha.
Ignition has also transformed how Hungerford manages recurring revenue. Subscription agreements, recurring billing, and payment collection are now automated through the platform, helping improve cash flow and reduce the need for manual invoicing.
“Billing out of Ignition is getting us paid faster because clients are paying on time, instead of a month after the fact.”
Samantha Willemstein, Project Coordinator at Hungerford
Hungerford also uses Ignition for retainer billing with larger clients, giving them clarity on pricing and expectations before work begins while eliminating surprise invoices later in the engagement.
“We also use Ignition for retainer billing with some of our larger clients because it sets clear expectations from day one,” says Samantha. “Clients know exactly what to expect, and it eliminates any billing surprises.”
The impact on cash flow has been significant. For clients billed and paid through Ignition, DSO has fallen from 30 days to zero, giving Hungerford greater predictability and control over revenue.
To further streamline operations, Hungerford has connected Ignition with key systems across its technology stack, including QuickBooks Online, Karbon, and CCH Axcess. Together, these platforms provide greater visibility across client engagements, project delivery, billing, and payments while reducing the need for manual administration.
“Ignition being connected to our other systems is just saving so much time. We’re not having to dig through emails to follow client communications; it’s all right there.”
Samantha Willemstein, Project Coordinator at Hungerford
The team has also embraced Ignition's renewals functionality, making annual engagement updates faster and more consistent.
“We really love the renewals feature. It's been great for those annual letters not to have to start from scratch each time,” says Samantha.
As Hungerford continues expanding its advisory services and subscription-based offerings, technology remains central to its growth strategy. By standardizing client engagements, automating recurring revenue, and integrating key systems, the firm has created the operational foundation needed to scale efficiently while delivering a consistent client experience.