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Master Efficiency with the Ultimate Trifecta

Posted on 16 January 2024

FYI x FuseDocs x FuseSign  

You don’t need an expert to tell you the accounting industry is evolving fast, but you can use their advice to stay ahead.  

This article is here to arm you with the tools to do exactly that. 

Any industry report (like Xero’s ‘State of the Industry Report 2023’ for example) will tell you hybrid or remote working is a trend that’s here to stay. Even the firms that once mandated office work are now offering more flexibility. The benefits are obvious, but even after all this time, for many teams, the transition isn’t as seamless as it should.  

So how do we enhance our operations, and get the best performance from ourselves, our colleagues, and our clients.

Let’s talk about ‘best-of-breed integrations’ 

If you’ve already read our previous blog on the strategy behind best-of-breed integrations, then what we’re about to say won’t come as a surprise. But for everyone else; ‘best-of-breed integrations’ refers to a series of separate apps, that stack together and work in synergy to accomplish a single goal. It’s an approach that if applied correctly, is ready to revolutionise our accounting operations, and transform how we tackle time inefficiencies moving forward. 

Why is it gaining so much traction? 

Best-of-breed integration isn’t just about using multiple software tools; it’s about selecting the best tools for each specific function, and combining them to create a seamless, efficient workflow.  

Think ‘Fantasy Football’ for example; the goal is to get the top strikers, the top goalkeepers, and the best managers, and unite them all into one unbeatable team.  

So on that note… 

Introducing; the operations all-stars 

Or to take it back to our title, ‘The Ultimate Trifecta’; FYI, FuseDocs, and FuseSign.  

So what makes this fusion so formidable? Like ourselves, Fuse is a software designed by accountants, for accountants. When it comes to end goals, we’re aligned too. Everything we do is to end inefficiencies, and advance the next era of accounting.  

Integration just makes sense.  

Its strength depends on seamless integration, that’s why our support service works hand in hand with Fuse.

So whether it’s discussing new developments on the horizon, or new ways to support our mutual clients, our product teams always have their heads together.  

What’s our strategy? 

Integrating our apps allows us to leap to a new level of innovation, but more than that, it empowers accounting firms to hand pick their own tailored tech stack, adaptable to their own changing needs and preferences. In other words, they’ll always have the top tools for the task.  

So what does this look like in real life? 

By integrating FYI and Fuse, you are using the benefits of each system to give you solutions tailored to your specific problem.  

For example: Spouse shared email addresses have been a problem providers have come up against again and again, especially in regional Australia. As a solution, Fuse uses the mobile phone numbers stored in FYI as a 2FA, to enable secure digital signing. 

Now that we can get them to sign with their mobile phone number, it's so much easier and a better experience for the clients as well
Ayzsa Gibbs Operations Manager
Accru Harris Orchard

More examples with FYI + Fuse:  

But that’s only one example of how integrating FYI and Fuse provides solutions to benefit accounting practices. With the rise of open APIs, it enables the integration of data, in addition to deeply embedded workflow for a unified user experience.

For example:

  • In FYI you can send documents for signature directly from FYI 
  • From Fuse, if you forget a document, you can just add one on the fly  

How does each speciality stack up? 

FYI excels in document management and process automation 

Fuse Docs offers powerful document compilation 

Fuse sign offers digital signing capabilities  

Together, the three tools link to create a workflow that streamlines operations, and drives productivity.  

Ayzsa Gibbs, Operations Manager at Accru Harris Orchard, discusses her experience:   

“It’s really just the efficiency we’ve gained through getting the documents back from our clients straight into the document management system. Instead of waiting for someone to file it back in, and you’d occasionally lose documents through the mail. This is just a secure way to get your documents signed, and straight back into the filing system.  

We’ve set up the automation so that somebody’s alerted once the documents are signed, and they can get lodged within a couple of days. So for tax returns especially at busy tax time, it’s just… I’m not sure how we would work without it now.”  

Bringing the ‘best of the best’ on board… 

The real opportunity in integrating your software, comes from securing a series of ‘always on’, all-star niche specialists, as opposed to just the ‘jacks of all trades’.   

When you bring them on board, these providers split into their areas of excellence, ensuring your operations are always evolving with the latest updates and improvement solutions. Going back to our Fantasy Football reference, you’re the unbeatable team. 

Ok enough talking, let’s compare; 

Let’s say, you need to get a set of group financials sent and signed. 

If you’re taking the traditional path (or as we say, the scenic route), we can do this the hard way… 

Or the easy way. 

Now, let’s consider the client experience:  

The old way:

The automated way:

But don’t just take our word for it, Owner of All in Advisory Aly Garrett agrees;

FYI’s integration with FuseSign is an absolute godsend. It helps us with efficiency, it helps us with accuracy. I don’t need to worry now something is signed, is it in FYI? It 100% is in FYI.
Aly Garrett Founder
All in Advisory

Uptake is easy  

Just ask Ayzsa:  

“We do have a lot of clients (sorry!) that are in the older age bracket, especially with the self-managed super funds. And the uptake of the clients using FuseSign with the self-managed super funds has been brilliant. Even if they’re a bit hesitant to give it a go, we step them through it and they say, ‘Oh, that was easy’. So just making it easy for our clients and having their experience be easy and straightforward is what we want to do.” 

Once you realise how easy automation is, it makes everything easier. Even firms meeting in person are adding digital elements to offer a smoother experience. Instead of hand cramps and ‘sign here’ stickers, bundles are showcased digitally, and signed via. device. 

It's so easy... you don't have to send any instructions along with it. We haven't had any problems with it so far.
Ayzsa Gibbs Operations Manager
Accru Harris Orchard 

By now you’re probably thinking ‘it’s a nice idea, but some people still struggle with the printer…  

Ok, we probably can’t help the printer people. But for everyone else, we can promise the transition takes no time at all. But don’t take our word on it, Ayzsa’s Accru has already done it, along with 1,300 other firms. 

In the process for FYI Docs, we were supported by one of the guys the whole way through, and we didn’t have any downtime at all! We could switch off from our old document management system, and the next day we could use FYI doc.   

For a bigger mid-size  firm, that is just so good. With FuseSign… look, I don’t even remember the onboarding process because it was just seamless. We stopped using our other document management system, and started using FYI Docs and FuseSign.  

In terms of training, I think everyone internally picked it up pretty quickly, it wasn’t a huge process or a change for them. So the change management process with FuseSign especially was pretty minimal.” 

 ‘Easy’ is always evolving. 

We’re always updating our product offering. As of now, we’re just launched an updated ‘collaborate’ (our automated answer to traditional client portals – read more here). Now, when you’re with FYI x Fuse, as soon as your client clicks ‘sign’, the document is not only auto filed into FYI, it’s auto published out to the clients’ secure portal for future access. 

Best of breed with FYI and Fuse presents a forward-thinking approach to technology that keeps the focus on what matters most—efficiently serving clients and managing tasks. This combination of expert, specialised tools and constant innovation offers accounting firms the edge they need to thrive in an ever-evolving landscape.” – Ayzsa 

If you’re ready to swap the ‘scenic route’ for the smart one, get in touch to transition to the trifecta. 

https://vimeo.com/873189154%20/a/pp