Ellacotts LLP

Ellacotts LLP, based in Oxfordshire, are a 60+ user of the system who in 2004 embarked on a complete review of the Practice Management products available to practices before deciding on DRIVE by Relate Software. As part of the process they produced the following document to assess their progress with the system 12 months on.

“The decision to take DRIVE was a big one. We did not make it lightly. We looked in detail at other major suppliers. But you never know how good something is until you start to use it. We feel that we made the right decision. The database and document management facilities alone are excellent and we believe essential for the efficient operation of the practice”

David Saunders - Partner

Gorings Chartered Accountants & Business Advisers (20+ staff)

Over the past 50 years Gorings Accountants have built a strong practice. Services include; Auditing, Business Consultancy, Bookkeeping, Payroll and Financial Services

"Using DRIVE’s comprehensive Time & Billing module has had a direct effect on my Practice with fees being raised more quickly and efficiently and with my direct involvement being substantially reduced."

David Bigland - Senior Partner

Fitzpatrick Morris Barrett (20+ staff)

FMB is a 3 partner chartered accountancy practice since 1988. The core business is the preparation and auditing of accounts and taxation compliance. The practice also undertakes considerable work in the area of corporate and personal financial planning, together with financial reconstruction and management advice.

"We undertook an extensive review of Practice Management software available on the market. DRIVE was the only package available that provided the information and controls needed by our busy practice.

Ease of use was an important factor in the selection of DRIVE and after a short training period all staff now use DRIVE for time input, fee generation and practice management.

The additional control and reporting options have resulted in time savings, allowing us to concentrate on running our business.

Looking forward we are currently investing in scanning equipment in order to use the document management features within DRIVE, which will push our practice automation plans considerably.

We have been very impressed with the support and backup service which is so important when implementing such a critical internal information system."

David McArdle - Practice Development Partner

Oliver Freaney & Company(100 +)

Oliver Freaney and Company is one of Ireland's leading firms of Chartered Accountants and Management Consultants. Since its foundation in 1958, OFC has acquired a wealth of experience in the creation of effective business and financial solutions for clients across all sectors. The firm's success has been founded on a combination of expertise, service and commitment.

Public and private companies operating domestically and internationally have benefited from the service provided by OFC's experts in Business Consulting, Taxation, Auditing and Forensic Accounting.

“At Oliver Freaney & Company we are constantly reviewing our software packages to ensure that we get the most efficient usage from them. Today’s society is one of an ever increasing compliance culture, which we realise involves considerable extra expenditure both in terms of time and costs. We are continually striving to meet these changes in the quickest timeframe with the minimum interruption to our clients.

With this in mind we have made the decision to switch to DRIVE and Relate Accounts Production as we feel that the competitor’s packages lag far behind in the field. DRIVE is quick and easy to use and both the support team and related training are excellent.”

Niall Garvey- Partner

Anne Brady McQuillans DFK (25+staff).

In July 2005, Anne Brady DFK and McQuillans DFK formed a merger and this has proved to be a great move for both staff and clients alike. DFK International is a major international network of independent accounting firms and business advisers that has been meeting the needs of clients with interests in more than one country for over 40 years.

"We were using over 5 separate packages, Relate replaced these - TAS Accounting Plus, Tax Pack, Act, Sage Time & Fees and Multiple Excel Spreadsheets with one integrated practice management system, DRIVE.

DRIVE provides a single solution for all our practice management needs, provides improved access to information, improved efficiency, and fast, flexible reporting.

On-going training is a must – not because DRIVE is complex or difficult to use, in fact it is extremely flexible and user-friendly but because there are so many features within it and people tend to start using the different features in incremental stages".   

Anne Brady - Partner.