Heymann, Suissa & Stone delivers higher‑value services to clients with CCH Axcess™

At the 2018 CCH: Connections User Conference, Daniel Suissa sat in on a session offering a big reveal of CCH Axcess™ iQ’s capabilities. As a managing partner at Heymann, Suissa & Stone, P.C., and also the firm’s most tech-savvy member, he thought the predictive intelligence solution held a lot of promise for accessing real-time information and to use for marketing. Although he was hesitant at first because he could accomplish the same results manually, his firm eventually implemented the solution.

“I shied away from it because there were other ways we could get that information to our clients. Not as efficiently, of course,” he admits.

That investment — which added CCH Axcess iQ to a nearly full suite of CCH Axcess™ solutions, including CCH Axcess™ Tax, CCH Axcess™ Practice, CCH Axcess™ Workstream, CCH Axcess™ Financial Prep, CCH Axcess™ Portal, and CCH Axcess™ Document along with CCH® ProSystem fx® Engagement and CCH® ProSystem fx® Scan with Autoflow Technology — paid off when COVID-19 hit during the first quarter of 2020 and the firm was able to leverage client data to send out a mailer on COVID related issues.

Suissa says that part of the service expected from a boutique firm like HSS is keeping its clients informed and serving in a more advisory role. 

In 2020, that meant taking time to walk clients through the PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) loan application, including gathering the necessary documentation, and then later assisting them with loan forgiveness applications.

It was a lot of unexpected work for everyone at the firm, which ate into the “break” they were getting with the extended filing deadline. But despite what turned into an even longer hectic tax season, Suissa and partners had it all under control — and were able offer higher value consultation services to clients — thanks to efficiencies in workflow and project management gained by using the integrated CCH Axcess suite.

Efficiencies in easier tasks allow more time for high-value Interactions

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, when the firm’s staff had to work outside the office, the ability to remotely access client information was very beneficial. Whether they were meeting at a client’s home or in the firm’s onsite conference room, as long as they had wi-fi access, employees could work on a return or reference supporting documentation anytime, anywhere.

Another way they’re able to work smarter is because of CCH ProSystem fx Scan with Autoflow Technology, which eliminates some of the prep work on their most straightforward client returns. When they come in with their tax information, it’s autoflowed and then that return can bypass the staff accountant. “I’ll take a look at it,” Suissa says. “I’ll make the necessary adjustments and submit the draft directly to our client for review. It’s really allowed us to do more with fewer people.”

That frees up time to do more high-end work for clients, but he says, they really just end up doing more. Suissa says he has one client who looks to him as their CFO. He’s billing them at his highest rate for very high-level work. But he’s also able to deal with his day-to-day workload because of the efficiency CCH Axcess provides. And that efficiency shows up on the bottom line in terms of lower overhead.

Intelligent marketing with CCH Axcess iQ

Back at that 2018 CCH Connections: User Conference, Suissa was thinking how phenomenal CCH Axcess iQ would be at providing a more intelligent way of getting access to information they needed to be proactive as opposed to reactive.

“Reactive is the way you lose clients. Proactive is the way you keep them. I absolutely hate when a client sends me a link to a news blurb that I should have told them about. That’s not the way I like to run a business.”

With CCH Axcess iQ, Suissa can easily see the hot topics that come up and how they’ll impact clients. Reading through the documentation not only allows him to make sure his knowledge is up to date, it gives him a compelling reason to get in touch with clients, no matter what time of year, to offer them insights and guidance.

Download the case study to read all of Heymann, Suissa & Stone, P.C.'s results, including integration and an end-to-end solution, plays a key role in client satisfaction.