Scaling a Multi-Office Firm with a forward thinking software partner

Like many firms, Chadsan initially chose IRIS, largely because it was familiar. Matthew had trained using IRIS, and at the time it felt like a logical and low-risk choice.

However, as the firm grew, that familiarity began to feel more like a constraint than a benefit.

“The first thing I noticed about IRIS was that it hadn’t changed at all in the 7 years since I had trained with it!”

Over time, it became increasingly clear that the software was not keeping pace with the way the firm wanted to operate, particularly as they expanded across multiple locations and continued to invest in more modern, cloud-based tools.

By March 2019, several issues had come to a head. The opening of an additional office brought the challenge of remote access into sharp focus, and the limitations of a desktop-based system quickly became apparent.

“We struggled to get access from our satellite offices – the hosted solution wasn’t user friendly at all – and very expensive”

At the same time, the firm’s growth meant that licensing discussions with IRIS became more frequent and increasingly frustrating.

“Their licencing model meant that the prices were spiralling and we needed to renegotiate every time which was painful and sucked up valuable hours”

The situation escalated further when Matthew was presented with a significant additional cost simply for expanding the business and at that point, it was clear that continuing with the existing setup was no longer viable..

Matthew and Ed reviewed the market and explored a number of alternatives, but the decision to move to TaxCalc came together quickly, and not for the reasons many might expect.

“It wasn’t even the price that made the decision for us – it was the usability and the interface. Even though I knew IRIS really well, it was way easier to use TaxCalc”

The improvement in day-to-day usability was immediately noticeable, making it easier for the team to work efficiently without the friction they had previously experienced.

Supporting a multi-office firm 

One of the most significant advantages for Chadsan has been the ability to operate seamlessly across multiple offices without relying on expensive and complex hosting solutions. TaxCalc’s CloudConnect has played a central role in enabling this.

“It was as good as you could possibly get – Cloud Connect is as good as the cloud - Using it on a day to day basis, you wouldn’t notice the difference”

This has allowed the firm to maintain flexibility in how and where people work, while avoiding the costs and usability issues that came with their previous setup.

Having systems that work together properly has reduced duplication and streamlined workflows, allowing the team to focus more on delivering value to clients rather than managing disconnected processes.

Moving core systems is often seen as a major risk, and Matthew was understandably cautious about the potential disruption it could cause. In practice, however, the transition proved to be far smoother than anticipated.

“The transition [to TaxCalc] was a far less painful experience than I imagined – I worried that it would negatively upset the team”

A key factor in this success was ensuring that the team understood the benefits of the change and were brought along on the journey from the outset.

“Getting the team onboard was crucial – making sure they knew that TaxCalc was going to bring them benefits really made the difference”

With several years of experience using TaxCalc, Matthew is clear about what he would recommend to other firms facing similar challenges.

“I would say that based on my experience you should absolutely do it – with good planning, the transition need not be difficult and your team will thank you for it!”

Key takeaways

• A 32 person firm operating across three offices with a strong focus on technology
• Early adoption of cloud tools helped shape both operations and client base
• Growing pains with IRIS included poor remote access, rising costs and licensing complexity
• CloudConnect enabled seamless multi-office working without expensive hosting
• Integration with Xero delivered meaningful efficiency gains
• Migration was smooth with the right planning and team engagement
• Annual savings of £7,000 to £8,000 alongside significant time savings
• Strong long-term satisfaction with no perceived loss of capability