How Pixie helped Comerford Foley get better visibility over their clients, communication, and work

We recently had the pleasure of speaking with Ger Foley from Comerford Foley, a general practice based in County Waterford, Ireland. We discussed how the recent pandemic highlighted workflow challenges and how Pixie is giving them better visibility over their clients, the work that they do for them, and the status of that work. You can watch or read the conversation in full below.

‍

Tell us about yourself and Comerford Foley…

We’re a small general practice based in County Waterford, Ireland. Myself and Colin started Comerford Foley in 2011, and now there are 8 of us in total, 2 partners and 6 team members. We work with a range of clients offering everything from bookkeeping up to tax and succession projects.

What made you start looking at practice and workflow management tools like Pixie?

The recent pandemic and shift to working remotely highlighted that we didn’t have very good visibility over our workflow. This meant that from a leadership perspective, it was hard to get an aerial view of all of our clients, the work that we do for them, and the status of that work.

This impacted the team and me because there was a bit of uncertainty around work, and it made communication with clients not as straightforward as possible because we didn't know exactly where things were. There were definitely a lot of inefficiencies.

What other tools did you consider whilst trying to solve these challenges?

Like many firms, we looked at a number of the practice management and workflow options available, but we were attracted to Pixie because of its simplicity and the fact that it’s designed for firms our size. 

One of the most daunting things about implementing new software is that it will take a number of months or many man-hours, neither of which we had because that’s the problem we were trying to solve. Pixie felt like an easier tool for us to implement that we could get to grips with quickly.

Great! As well as the simplicity, what else was appealing to you?

The email integration was key, and the ability to share files securely with clients from inside Pixie. Before, we were using various other tools to do this, which meant a duplication of cost. Not only has Pixie saved us this additional subscription, but the feedback from clients has also been positive. It’s so easy for them to use because they don’t need to mess around creating usernames and passwords. 

We didn’t have many reservations. We knew that if Pixie didn’t work, it would be because of us and not the product. I think it’s easy to fall into the trap of looking for a tool that does absolutely everything, and you’re not going to find it. It’s better to pick something and work with it to make it fit. Pixie does that well because of its simplicity. 

How has Pixie helped you so far, and what have been some of the outcomes?

The automatic storing of client emails has been great. Working remotely, we had issues with knowing what communications had been sent to clients by different members of the team or what clients might have sent in return. Having all of the emails filed in a single client record has made it easy to find answers. 

Another big win has been the ease of sharing data with clients through the portal. It’s so simple for us and them to use.

What would you say to other firms thinking about using Pixie?

If you’ve done your research and you want to keep things simple but really efficient, then definitely give Pixie a go. Don’t expect it to do 100% on day one, and don’t get frustrated with that, but stick with it, give it an opportunity to embed in your practice, and it will be worth it.