A Progressive Practice’s Success with FYI Elite

For James Carey, managing partner at Prime Partners, the decision to keep pushing his firm toward technological innovation has always been driven by one simple question: “Why are we doing it this way?”

With a background in IT and a penchant for improving workflows, James led Prime Partners into the cloud early on, embracing cutting-edge tools wherever possible. But even with the best of intentions, he found himself frustrated by the limitations of their previous systems.

A Fragmented, Frustrating Workflow

Before upgrading to FYI Elite, Prime Partners juggled multiple systems for practice management, document storage, dashboards and reporting. It wasn’t working. As James puts it,

“We had databases that didn’t talk to each other, and it made simple tasks unnecessarily complicated.”

The inefficiencies were clear:

  • Manual reporting: Key reports had to be cobbled together from various sources, wasting time.
  • Job management headaches: Workflow visibility was limited, especially in managing WIP (Work in Progress), and jobs often slipped through the cracks.
  • Disjointed billing: Invoices weren’t being processed quickly, and there were delays in getting paid.

In short, James was on the hunt for a more integrated, efficient way of working.

Making the Move to FYI Elite: “Let’s Just Do It”

After already being on FYI for three years and experiencing its impact, James and his team were more than satisfied with the platform.

So, when FYI introduced their Elite plan, which promised to streamline practice management even further, it was a no-brainer for him.

The tipping point? FYI Elite could unify everything—job management, time tracking, billing, and WIP—under one roof.

James didn’t hesitate. “I’m not good at change management,” he laughs. “It was more like, ‘We’re changing, deal with it.’ But everyone came around quickly once they saw how much easier their day-to-day could be.”

Look, we had faith in the FYI team from the start. Any time I raised an issue, they either already had a solution or were working on one. It was obvious they were going in the right direction.

A Seamless Transition

For Prime Partners, the onboarding process was smooth. The FYI team was hands-on, walking them through each step and addressing any concerns as they popped up.

And then there were the automations

James and his team quickly realised the power of FYI’s automation tools, implementing a staggering 87 automations to handle everything from billing reminders to writing off small jobs.

“My favorite automation? This week, it’s the one that automatically writes off time on those little $5 jobs that clutter up the system. It saves hours of admin work,” James explains.

FYI automation capabilities quickly became a game changer for the firm, allowing them to move away from manual processes and into a world of streamlined workflows.

A New Level of Visibility & Control

Since moving to FYI Elite, Prime Partners has transformed the way they work:

  • Billing is now integrated and automated, meaning invoices go out faster and payments come in sooner.
  • WIP management has been revolutionised. “Now I can see all our jobs, the WIP attached to them, and I can write off low-value items in bulk. It’s saving us a lot of time—and money.”
  • The team has unlocked efficiencies across the board. James notes that having everything in one place has made it easier to manage priorities and streamline workflows.

While they’re still exploring all of FYI Elite’s potential, James estimates that their current use of the platform is 50% of its full capacity, leaving plenty of room for future gains.

What’s Next for Prime Partners?

James is already thinking about what’s next. “There’s so much more we can do with FYI Elite. The potential is huge. It’s just about finding the time to implement more automations and refine our workflows.”

He’s confident that the platform will continue to evolve, offering even more tools to help his team manage WIP, prioritise tasks, and keep their billing on track.

The way things are going, FYI is only going to get better. I'm a raving fan and love what you're building and continuing to build.

Just Do It

For anyone thinking about making the leap to FYI Elite, James’ advice is simple: “Do it. Shut up and take my money,” he jokes. But in all seriousness, he recommends investing in proper onboarding and training to get the most out of the platform.

We’re still finding new ways to use FYI Elite to make our lives easier. And that’s the beauty of it—it’s flexible, it evolves, and it just works.