Power + Service: What Inspired 4 Businesses To Move to Accelo

As recent as 2022, 51% of workers were spending at least two hours per day on repetitive tasks. Considering this is the age of digital transformation, a stat like that should shock you.

Business efficiency is not just an advantage but a necessity, and you can’t afford to overlook the mundane work that’s stealing your team’s time. Yet, many professional services firms grapple with solving this problem because they turn to platforms that don’t have the power to streamline both client work and operations effectively.

A lot of Accelo users’ histories reflect this widespread inefficiency: They tried out other platforms first and knew things weren’t quite right. Here’s what four teams discovered about where these solutions fell short — and the impact they’ve seen from adopting Accelo.

Core IT: Finding Flexibility and Collaborative Ticketing

The team at Core IT, a managed service provider (MSP) in Vancouver, Canada, found themselves hindered by the rigidity of outdated IT platform ConnectWise. This legacy software was inflexible, which was in stark contrast to the dynamism of a growing MSP.

Prediction: President and CTO Kim Hikichi saw an opportunity to streamline processes and enable real-time access to data with Accelo’s intuitive power. Most importantly, Accelo offered collaborative ticketing and the option to automate request follow-up, which Kim thought had the potential to increase their client satisfaction tremendously.

Outcome: Not only did Core IT improve client interaction and save 50% of the help desk manager’s time with more modern and communicative ticketing practices, but they also saved an additional 40 hours per month by replacing tedious administrative tasks with Accelo’s automated processes.

Cortevo Technologies: Unifying Disjointed Tools

Cortevo Technologies is an educational technology consulting firm in Tampa, Florida. The team was piecing together client work functions across multiple platforms, including monday.com, Asana, QuickBooks and Harvest. Inefficiencies were abundant, and the small team was spending far too much time managing invoices and retainers — a byproduct of using disparate tools. 

Prediction: Founder Casey Muse anticipated Accelo would make it possible to organize the firm’s help desk queue, manage recurring work and significantly streamline quoting and invoicing because it “pulled everything together into a single pane of glass.” It was clear to him that the other platforms he considered, including BigTime, couldn’t deliver end-to-end functionality.

Outcome: Cortevo now spends far less time on ticketing, retainer management and invoicing, as predicted. But the biggest bonus has been cost savings due to Accelo’s robust automations and revenue forecasting.

GIANT Creative: Seeking Hands-On Implementation and Support  

GIANT Creative, a marketing agency in London, Ontario, was driven away from monday.com by its distinct lack of implementation and limited customer support. Amid an acquisition, the agency needed a steady and consolidated tech stack, plus change management guidance and thorough training to effectively absorb new team members.

Prediction: Chief Video Officer Andrew Stephenson discovered Accelo, which he says offered “the most clearly defined end-to-end solution.” He knew the tailored implementation program would help his team gain visibility via the Stream and billing clarity via intuitive time tracking.

Outcome: Andrew’s predictions came true and resulted in the recovery of billable time the agency spent on ad-hoc work. Furthermore, they cut back on inefficient internal communication by 18% and revamped how they price and package their solutions.

ImpactInstitute: Linking Business Divisions Efficiently

The folks at ImpactInstitute drive social change through impact advisory, brand storytelling and events. At the time of a merger between an impact events firm and an advisory firm, they were using WorkflowMax for timekeeping and quoting and Asana for project management, plus Salesforce and Xero. They knew they were leaking time switching between platforms but were unsure of whether there was a solution that could work for both business models.

Prediction: Accelo’s Retainers stood out as a unique and invaluable function, and the fact that they were integrated with the rest of the client journey motivated General Manager Paula Cowan to move to the powerful platform. She suspected it would bring value to multiple departments due to its flexibility.

Outcome: Along with a smoother handoff between sales and projects, ImpactInstitute has experienced better visibility between the two branches of the business. Better tracking and internal communication has resulted in more accurate quoting and a wider application of effective workflows.

Tools for Your Client Work Software Search

Let the four journeys above inspire you, and let the following resources save you time as you look for the most efficient solution for your business.

• How To Consolidate Client Work Tools: Start with a review of the tech your team is currently using to identify unused and underutilized platforms.
• Client Work Software — Finding the Right Fit: Read this article for a full list of the most important components of software for client work.
• Vetting Client Work Tools: 3 Factors To Evaluate: Finally, go beyond features and functionality to understand the importance of alignment, scalability and user experience.

About the Author

Mike Liller is Director of Sales Development at Accelo, leading the strategic direction and day-to-day of our Business Development team. He has over 15 years’ experience in technology, sales leadership and coaching and previously ran the Global BDR organization at Zoom Video Communications. Mike is a sales coach and has a passion for finding the right person, at the right time, with the right message.