Rea & Associates implemented Avalara Returns for Accountants nearly a year ago, and in that short time frame Kathy has already realized significant efficiencies for her team.
She describes the example of a Texas return with a massive amount of line items that would take three hours to do manually, but “with Avalara it takes about 10 minutes.”
That level of efficiency scales across the firm’s business. “We used to spend a solid three weeks getting monthly returns done,” Kathy explains, “and we were doing fewer returns back then. We’ve had a 42% increase in returns each year for the past two years, and now we’re done in a week and half.”
For Kathy’s team, using Avalara means more time is available to focus on client relationships. “You want to be the trusted advisor,” she says. “My senior staff can spend more time learning the client’s business and becoming experts on consulting work like nexus studies and taxability reviews instead of filing returns. With hiring being such a challenge in our industry right now, it’s really helpful to be able to expand our team’s capabilities. And it’s good for the firm, too, because we’re offering added value on the consulting side. I’d much rather talk to my clients than file returns, so it’s a win-win.”
The firm’s clients are also better off according to Kathy. “Now that we’re not doing all that manual work, we can offer our clients a better price on that service. And they still have the peace of mind of knowing that their returns are being managed by people who understand their business.”
Kathy has been pleased with the level of support she receives from Avalara. “The people at Avalara have just been amazing,” she says. “Any time we have questions or need a meeting, they are very responsive. We were not getting that kind of support with other programs.”
