PRP Architects

Multi-company capability and time-saving features make AccountsIQ the obvious choice for PRP Architects.

PRP is a leading architectural firm with an impressive track record and decades of experience in the design and delivery of homes and other buildings. Its success has resulted in significant growth, with 280 employees and four different entities under the parent company.

This multi-company structure is what first prompted Neil Griffiths, PRP’s Finance Partner, to reconsider their existing accounting software, Access Dimensions. PRP had been using Access on a local server for over 20 years and was somewhat clunky, especially when it came to multi-company accounting.

In late 2019, Neil started to explore other accounting systems and quickly realised how far accounting software had come. It only took a short demonstration of AccountsIQ for Neil to know that it was the clear choice for PRP.

The obvious choice compared to other accounting systems

For PRP it was critical that its accounting software be intuitive to use and scalable as the business grows. Neil looked at an upgraded version of Access Dimensions as well as Sage and Xero before deciding on AccountsIQ. Sage and Access lacked the clarity that Neil was looking for and Xero lacked scalability. In comparison, AccountsIQ had the intuitiveness, the scalability, and the support that made the decision an easy one. Neil Griffiths explains:

When I started looking at AccountsIQ I immediately felt this would do everything we needed. The AccountsIQ team were very straightforward to deal with unlike some of their competitors, whose sales process felt very much like we were being sold to. AccountsIQ came across like they could be part of the team, and that their focus was not the sale, but providing a service that would be good for PRP. Furthermore, the software itself was very clear and intuitive to use without masses of training.”

Smooth implementation with hands-on support

Implementation began in mid-February 2020. Patrycja Breisa, Management Accountant at PRP, worked alongside AccountsIQ’s support team to set up the system and transfer the data from Access. The support received from AccountsIQ ensured a smooth process and enabled PRP to meet its goal of going live by 1st April 2020.

Just having one person at AccountsIQ dedicated to the onboarding process was absolutely amazing. She helped with all my questions, spent hours with me discussing and resolving issues. She’s still there to answer any questions today.” – Patrycja Breisa

Easy to use for multiple companies

The key benefit for Neil is how AccountsIQ manages multiple companies.

My favourite thing about the system is how easy it is to manage multiple companies and switch between them. I’m always moving from one company to another and it’s just so easy with AccountsIQ. I can very easily drill down into the detail and get from the big picture to the small picture very quickly which is very useful for me.” – Neil Griffiths

Time-saving benefits

In addition to multi-company accounting, Neil and Patrycja have benefited from other efficiencies from AccountsIQ’s features and integrations. Tasks that were once labour-intensive with Access have now become straightforward and in many cases automated.

I’m really happy with the Fixed Asset Register – we didn’t have this option with Access. With one click you can account for depreciation for the month. VAT management is connected with HMRC for Making Tax Digital, so I don’t need bridging software like I had with Access.

“Purchase invoice processing is a huge timesaver – by using AccountsIQ’s iCompleat integration we don’t have to do any manual entries. This is a major benefit because we’re working with two or three hundred invoices at a time.” – Patrycja Breisa

Benefits from the Cloud: easier remote access and less paper

Neil’s timing was fortuitous as AccountsIQ was implemented just before the Covid-19 pandemic which saw employees move to remote working. Having moved to AccountsIQ’s cloud-based accounting software, the finance team was easily able to adapt to the new working environment. With employees now spread out between the UK and Poland, the business remains able to seamlessly carry out its accounting functions. This has also had the unexpected benefit of reducing the team’s reliance on paper-based accounting.

One of the great things is that we’ve gone from a very paper-based system to virtually no paper. That has been a fantastic outcome that we weren’t expecting.”  – Neil Griffiths

Scope for growth

Neil knew from the beginning that he needed an accounting system that could grow with the business, and he already sees ways in which AccountsIQ’s extended feature set and open API can provide further benefits for his team. Neil will soon be taking advantage of AccountsIQ’s consolidated reporting capabilities. He’s also looking to integrate the software with a project management system to make it even easier to manage the accounts across multiple projects.

We were looking for accounting software that was very clear and easy to use but still powerful enough to provide great business analytics and manage consolidations effectively. AccountsIQ has ticked all the right boxes and we are very happy that we have made the move.” – Neil Griffiths

Learn more

Discover how AccountsIQ can save time and get you faster visibility by using automating group consolidation software. View customer testimonials.

Get a Free Trial and Demo or call us on +44 (0)203 598 7350 to set up a free consultation/demo.