Reducing the IT Burden
For more than 45 years Tampa-based PDR CPAs & Advisors has provided comprehensive accounting, tax, audit and business consulting services to entrepreneurs, privately-owned businesses, charity organizations and families. As a shareholder of PDR, Javier Zuniga wears many hats and finds no two days look the same. In addition to working closely with clients to enhance their day-to-day operations and assisting them with their overall growth strategies, Javier is part of PDR-CPAs R&D Tax Credit and Cost Segregation Studies practice areas. In 2018, his duties expanded when he assumed responsibility for addressing the firm’s IT function.
The Challenge
PDR was experiencing significant access and downtime issues during the firms’ busiest time of year, impacting both client service and employee morale, and their local IT provider lacked the expertise to resolve the issues. With expertise in accounting and intimate knowledge of the applications firms rely on to service their clients, Rightworks stepped in addressing downtime issues and reducing PDR’s IT burden in the process.
The Solution
PDR CPAs & Advisors chose Rightworks as their technology partner in the summer of 2018, noting that he was impressed with the cloud-based IT solution provider’s sole focus on accounting and QuickBooks Desktop. “Many local IT providers will promote how they support professional service firms but they do not specialize in accounting. Rightworks has an unparalleled understanding of the accounting industry and the unique needs and inner workings of our firm.” The onboarding process went smoothly, despite being scheduled at a time when Javier was traveling abroad. “The Rightworks team, including several engineers, talked me through what the process would entail, which gave me peace of mind during my travels. They came onsite for the onboarding and the process could not have gone smoother, resulting in a great experience for all involved,” said Javier.
The Results
The firm has reaped considerable benefits from increased productivity. “Personally, I spend nowhere near the amount of time I used to on IT issues, freeing me up to focus on our clients. From the firm perspective, I budgeted time for some growing pains as our employees, many of whom don’t relish change, adjusted to Rightworks. Yet I was pleasantly surprised to find such growing pains to be virtually non-existent.” In fact, Javier noted that the firm was 100% onboarded almost three months ahead of schedule.
Given general concerns about data security, Javier makes a point of informing clients of his firm’s investment in Rightworks and the security benefits of the cloud. With data stored in the same Tier 4 data centers used by multinational corporations and big banks, PDR clients can feel confident in the sharing of sensitive documents and information.
Perhaps one of the most notable benchmarks of success with the Rightworks relationship came during the 2019 tax season. “This was one of the toughest tax seasons we’ve experienced due to the new tax laws and late legislative updates, but Rightworks helped get us through it.”
To learn how Rightworks can reduce your IT burden, call 866.923.6874 ext. 2 or visit us at www.rightworks.com