The results with Ignition
Michael Ly, Founder & CEO at Reconciled, would spend up to 30 minutes (using non-integrated software) creating proposals while missing out on opportunities for incremental revenue. Ignition streamlined Reconciled's entire process, cutting the proposal time to just a few minutes while seamlessly integrating their billing system for a smoother workflow.
About Michael Ly and Reconciled
Reconciled is a full-service firm that provides businesses with virtual bookkeeping, accounting, tax advisory, and HR services. Founded by Michael Ly and Bonnie Reese nearly 10 years ago, Reconciled makes life easier for clients by enabling them to access high quality professional services without having to hire in-house teams.
The challenge: Time-consuming proposals inhibiting growth
Before Ignition, Michael used a tedious, multi-step sales process. He would create proposals in Microsoft Word, convert them into PDF files, and email them to clients. Then, he would use QuickBooks to send invoices.
Needless to say, the workflow was highly manual, and the fact that it involved tools that didn't connect to each other meant there was more room for error. Because the process was labor-intensive, Michael spent quite a bit of time creating proposals, which created friction in the sales process.
He knew there had to be a more scalable way to present and sell his services to clients.
“I was trying to find a solution that would automate that process, make it more scalable, and take away the pain of having to edit Word documents and sending them via email as attachments. I also needed automated billing so that I wasn't relying on manual invoices and hoping that the customer would pay,” he recalls.
The fix: Unlocking higher productivity and revenue growth with Ignition
Michael came across Ignition at QuickBooks Connect and decided to sign up for the platform. This decision, he says, has been a game-changer for Reconciled's proposal and billing processes.
"Ignition's been a key piece of our growth. It's replaced and sped up the proposal and sales process and we can scale the number of proposals we send out. Before Ignition, I would spend 15 to 30 minutes on a proposal. Now, I spend five to 10 minutes, depending on how complex they are for the customer" says Michael.
Beyond the time-savings, Michael says Ignition has paved the way for scalability, enabling him and his team to expand their capacity and drive sales.
“Ignition makes it effortless to present our services to clients via a professional proposal. I love that we can very easily present extra services for clients to add on themselves and generate more revenue without the hard sell.”
What's more, Michael doesn't have to worry about getting paid whenever he sends a proposal and starts a client engagement. With Ignition, he can capture payment details when clients review and sign the documents, so he knows he can also set up automatic billing, and rest easy knowing he won’t have to chase any late payments.
"Ignition allows us to bill and receive payment from our customers automatically on a monthly basis and replaces having to manually invoice out of our accounting system," he explains.
Growth advice for other firms
Michael emphasizes the importance of streamlining operations and enhancing client experiences when you’re growing your CPA firm, which is why platforms like Ignition are so important.
“Customers are now used to frictionless experiences when they engage service providers,” says Michael. “Implementing a system like Ignition will help you stand out with customer experience overall and make life easier when trying to scale your practice.”
