“I now have the ability to act quickly,” says Tom Jamison, Managing Director at Abbeygate Accountancy. “I can make strategic decisions with my portfolio, based on the resource that I’ve got.
“For me, GI Outsourcing fits in perfectly to help me operationally. I know and have the confidence so that I could go out and exceed existing client and new client expectations.”
Bury St Edmunds-based Abbeygate came on board with GI Outsourcing in 2022, around the time Tom stepped up to become the firm’s Managing Director.
Abbeygate takes a distinctive approach to accountancy, says Tom: “The conversations we have are phenomenal. The value and impact we have with SMEs by outsourcing Finance Directors and Managing Directors is incredible.
“We are gearing directors in businesses up for having difficult conversations, managing performance, not just concentrating on numbers.
“We’re preparing teams and leaders for exit or investment. Our knowledge base goes way beyond your standard compliance services.
“Every other accountant out there has got bookkeeping, VAT, CIS, year-end accounts. We’ve spent time with our businesses every single month so we can hold them to account, we’ll make sure we pin them down on their actions, not just finance actions but across their people, their sales/growth and also their non-financial risk, making sure that they’re in good shape.”
Tom says that GI Outsourcing has been invaluable in supporting and facilitating his plans at Abbeygate.
“This year, I could win 100 year-end sets of accounts, and be able to deliver them all within 90 days of their year-end with the resources I’ve got.
“GI Outsourcing has been crucial in helping me deliver that.”
Tom says that the firm’s approach is likely to become increasingly valuable in the age of Artificial Intelligence (AI). While AI can create huge efficiencies in data processes, it has no emotion and cannot engage with the emotional and trust-based issues that are fundamental to running a business.
He says that empathy and emotional astuteness are critical factors in delivering value to clients.
It is also a central reason why Abbeygate Accountancy has doubled-down on its investment in outsourcing.
Abbeygate’s offshoring journey has not been straightforward, and it has taken the firm several years to find the ideal offshoring solution with GI Outsourcing.
Tom said: “We’d actually worked with some other offshorers. I don’t like the word “outsourcing”, by the way, it is just our offshore partner team.
“I think people need to get over that mindset. You look at some of the Big Four putting 20 to 30 per cent of their workforce offshore.
“They’ll have targets to offshore more, not just from a cost point of view, because actually it’s not cheaper.
“If you’re looking for a cheap fix, offshore is not for you, but if you want something that’s really efficient, then it is.
On previous offshoring experience, Tom said “We learned the hard way that some people couldn’t really integrate with the technology. Some people couldn’t integrate with the team. That human interaction is vital.”
What is important now, according to Tom, is asking the right questions, which is precisely what he says GI Outsourcing offers.
He added: “They have an approach of just little and often communication. Parth, one of the team working with us is phenomenal and the relationship he has with the team is next level.
“GI Outsourcing is the ideal long-term partnership for me.”
