Appletree Business Services Modernizes Firm with Canopy

Profile:

Patrick Dichter, the owner of Appletree Business Services, transitioned into accounting through an unconventional route. Before owning an accounting firm, Patrick spent a decade in small business marketing and consulting. His consulting work often involved outsourcing bookkeeping tasks, eventually leading him to purchase a bookkeeping and tax firm. Over the last couple of years, Appletree Business Services has seen consistent growth and is excited about the successful integration of Canopy into their operations.

"Now we service clients nationwide. For a long time it was primarily in New England and now we have clients all over the country." - Patrick Dichter, Owner

Integration with Canopy:

When Patrick acquired Appletree Business Services, the firm used a legacy system developed by the previous owner. This custom-built software tracked client information, tax status, billing, and automated client communication during tax season. However, it was outdated and relied heavily on the former owner's knowledge for updates. In the fall of 2022, Patrick evaluated multiple practice management tools, including Canopy, Karbon, and MyFirm360. He ultimately chose Canopy for its user experience, infrastructure, and exceptional support from his sales representative, Armin.

"We were looking for features like client status tracking in bookkeeping — whether financials are done, sent to the manager, or the client. Another key feature was a catch-all for data: entity type, charges, contact info, and mailing address. Essentially, project management tools. Discovering Canopy's additional features like the portal, client request automation, and more was icing on the cake. Now, we use [Canopy] for those features, plus billing and insights for live dashboards and KPIs." - Patrick Dichter, Owner

Obstacle:

Before integrating Canopy, Appletree Business Services faced significant challenges with their outdated and fragmented systems. The firm relied on custom-built software from the previous owner, which was adequate but cumbersome and solely dependent on the owner's knowledge for updates. This legacy system, combined with various Excel sheets and separate tools for client management and billing, created inefficiencies and data silos. Additionally, the firm struggled with slow data collection during tax season and lacked a cohesive platform for remote collaboration, hindering their ability to streamline workflows and scale operations effectively. The need for a modern, integrated solution became increasingly evident as the firm aimed to support its growing team and expanding client base nationwide.

Solution:

Appletree Business Services implemented Canopy, a firm-wide operating system, to streamline operations, modernize their tech stack, and position their firm for growth. By migrating all client data into Canopy, they equipped themselves with a centralized, cloud-based platform. This transition facilitated more efficient data management and improved collaboration among their distributed team. Canopy's automated features, such as fillable PDF tax questionnaires and automatic reminders, accelerated the data collection process, reducing turnaround times by two to three weeks during tax season. 

The communication tab allowed for seamless tracking of client interactions, further enhancing team coordination. Additionally, Canopy's Insights feature provided live dashboards and KPIs, enabling better tracking of progress and performance metrics. Through phased implementation, the firm gradually integrated Canopy's various modules, including client portals and billing, leading to streamlined operations, improved efficiency, and a solid foundation for continued growth.

“We got our tax questionnaires back two or three weeks faster this year. In prior years we would email it and mail it and now it's an automated PDF that's fillable and offers automatic alerts and reminders.” - Patrick Dichter, Owner

Future Expectations:

Patrick appreciates the ways Canopy has significantly boosted efficiency and client service and is looking forward to further improvements in Canopy’s software. He’s hopeful to see future enhancements in Canopy's speed, ease of use, and additional features like role-specific filtered views.

Outcome:

Since implementing Canopy, Appletree Business Services has experienced significant improvements in efficiency, scalability, and client satisfaction. The firm's transition to Canopy has streamlined data management and enhanced collaboration among their team, which has grown from 12 to 33 members. The automated tax questionnaires and reminders have reduced data collection times by two to three weeks, leading to a smoother and more efficient tax season. The centralized platform has eliminated the need for multiple disparate tools, consolidating client management, billing, and communication in one place. 

This integration has freed up staff time, allowing them to focus on higher-value tasks and client relationships. Additionally, the Insights feature has provided real-time access to KPIs and performance metrics, aiding in better decision-making and strategic planning. With Canopy, Appletree Business Services is now well-equipped to manage its expanding nationwide client base, maintain high service standards, and continue its trajectory of growth and innovation.

Patrick's strategic implementation and ongoing adjustments have allowed Appletree Business Services to leverage technology effectively, providing better client service and freeing up staff time for more valuable tasks.

“We really liked the UX and logic of Canopy. And it seemed to have a little bit more tax infrastructure and logic than one of the other [competitors] seemed more bookkeeping focused.” - Patrick Dichter, Owner