“Hunter Gee Holroyd helped me initially with some training but to be honest the software is so intuitive that it’s now second nature.”
Rusholme Grange is a three-generation farm, situated on the banks of the River Ouse outside the village of Drax. Phil and Anne Roberts run the family farm, which mainly grows wheat and oil seed rape. In 2011 Rusholme Windfarm was completed and they also have eight turbines across the farm.
Sharon Cox at Hunter Gee Holroyd has worked with Phil for over 25 years and introduced the farm to Xero cloud accounting and a much smarter way of working.
We spoke Phil about how cloud accounting has transformed the way they do business.
What triggered you to consider cloud accounting?
“As a business, we want to move with the times and be proactive in anticipating and accommodating new rules and regulations, so we needed a better ‘real-time’ picture of where we are. At the time we were using a manual excel spreadsheet system and Sharon suggested using Xero. James Pullein from Hunter Gee Holroyd came down and showed us how it works, and we were really impressed with it. Despite not having much experience with computers, we haven’t looked back since.”
Did you have any concerns about cloud accounting?
“A little, but the way that James showed us how it worked answered all the questions that we had and the subsequent support they have given us has been fantastic.”
How long was the process between being introduced to the software, the training and implementation?
“Not very long at all – I’d say a couple of weeks. James came down and we did the first VAT return together and the next one I did myself and, being cloud based, I was able to get James to check it in no time at all. It just saves so much time and makes it so much easier. The information is up to date all the time.”
Has using Xero proactively improved what you do?
“Absolutely. Reconciling is so much simpler, also photos used for small one-off invoices so straight forward. All the data is there. Hunter Gee Holroyd’s time is spent advising us instead of inputting all the figures. It has easily more than halved the time we used to spend on paperwork. The personal touch is still just a phone call away if ever I need help from Sharon and the team. As a farmer, the last thing I want to worry about is my finances or accounting, and with Xero I don’t have to – it’s superb.”
Sharon, what for you is the big advantage for farmers using Xero?
“Farmers are not too interested in paperwork and bookkeeping is often over-complicated. I really like showing them that using the right software can make bookkeeping and accounts relatively straightforward and non-stressful. Software queries are just a phone call away. Safe in the knowledge that the figures are correct, we can utilise the time to provide more advisory work such as potential tax savings. “
As a certified Xero Gold Partner, the team at Hunter Gee Holroyd can provide expert advice and support on using this cloud software solution for your business. It is not too late to use Xero so please get in touch to arrange your free consultation.
