Bishop Fleming Transforms Year-End Accounts with Silverfin

Bishop Fleming develops partnership with Silverfin

Bishop Fleming, a top 40 and multiple award-winning accountancy firm based in Exeter, England, provides businesses and individual clients nationally and internationally with a full range of proactive support and advice. Their teams include experts in audit, accountancy, tax, and advisory services for owner-managed businesses, SMEs, large businesses, entrepreneurs, and private individuals.

Challenges Bishop Fleming Sought to Overcome

Bishop Fleming’s accountancy team, focusing on preparing non-audited year-end accounts and management accounts, recognised that their legacy desktop accounting software was no longer meeting their evolving needs. They sought a solution to improve process alignment and consistency, enhance internal workflows, and improve the overall client experience by adopting a modern, cloud-based system.

The existing software also posed challenges in maintaining standardisation across documents, which is crucial for statutory compliance and professional presentation. The firm needed a solution to streamline processes, ensure consistency, and create more time for accountants to focus on client engagement.

“Previously, we used a well-known desktop product, but it lacked the flexibility and ease of use we needed. It wasn’t uncommon for one person’s accounts to look completely different from another’s.” — James Darby, Senior Manager, Bishop Fleming

Silverfin Solution

To address these challenges, Bishop Fleming implemented Silverfin’s cloud-based accounting software as their core system for non-audited year-end accounts preparation. The key objectives were to increase efficiency, ensure consistency, and enhance client satisfaction by freeing up more time for value-added services.

“Being cloud-based is brilliant – the accessibility of it, the speed and the ease of use.” — James Darby, Senior Manager, Bishop Fleming

Silverfin’s features were seamlessly integrated with the firm’s existing systems, simplifying data import and minimising manual entry errors. The intuitive user interface allowed for a smooth transition, enabling team members to quickly adapt to the new tools.

“I like the user-friendliness of it. Everything feels very easy to navigate.” — Olivia Mears, Assistant Manager, Bishop Fleming

This ease of use has significantly reduced the learning curve for both new hires and seasoned professionals.

“Our team members are able to pick it up once you tell them how to do something quite quickly because it is so intuitive.” — Jake Wiseman, Accountancy Executive, Bishop Fleming

The Benefits of Partnering with Silverfin

Greater Efficiency

Since adopting Silverfin, Bishop Fleming has experienced a notable improvement in operational efficiency, particularly in the preparation and review of accounts. Since January 2024, the firm has increased monthly account reviews by 87%, enabling them to deliver faster, more responsive service to clients.

By optimising workflows and allowing teams to evaluate data in one place, Bishop Fleming has reduced time spent on administrative and compliance tasks, focusing more on value-added services such as offering deeper financial insights and strategic advice to clients.

Improved Consistency

Silverfin’s standardisation features ensure consistency across all accounts, enhancing quality, speed of work, and ease of review. The software’s flexibility allowed Silverfin to tailor features to Bishop Fleming’s requirements, achieving a balance between standardisation and customisation.

“The standardisation makes our life a lot easier. And the way it’s tailored to us is very specific to our needs as well. That makes it easier for us to be consistent in our work.” — Jake Wiseman, Accountancy Executive, Bishop Fleming

More Time to Focus on the Client Experience

The additional capacity has enabled Bishop Fleming to engage more deeply with clients, offering timely, high-quality service that strengthens relationships and builds trust. The ability to deliver consistent and reliable results, while also having time to discuss clients’ business aspirations and challenges, has elevated the firm’s service offering.

Future Outlook

Looking ahead, Bishop Fleming sees significant potential in expanding their use of Silverfin to include more advanced functionalities, such as corporation tax and audit capabilities. These future developments promise to deliver even greater value to the firm, reinforcing Silverfin as a long-term strategic tool in their accounting and advisory services.