As Australia’s largest bookkeeping franchise, with an extensive national network of professional bookkeepers who operate their own businesses, we’ve seen resounding results from choosing Annature as our preferred partner for eSigning.
We use Annature’s technology in our head office, and over 30 of our franchisees also use Annature for their day-to-day work with clients. The response from bookkeepers and their clients about the time saved and ease of use has been overwhelmingly positive.
The problem
Before adopting Annature, we faced challenges with onboarding new franchisees and securing timely eSignatures. Our previous solution was not as efficient, making the process slower and more cumbersome.
The solution
We adopted Annature internally at First Class Accounts in August 2021, at a time when COVID-19 highlighted the critical need for digital signing. Compared to our previous solution, we found it far easier to onboard new franchisees quickly and efficiently using Annature’s eSigning platform. For example, we enjoyed features such as the ability for two people to sign at once, which saved valuable time. This intuitive technology was also far more cost-effective than others we’ve trialled.
In addition to onboarding new franchisees, existing franchisees can seamlessly eSign their renewals via Annature. We also use the platform to complete quality control reviews that go out to the entire network, along with any changes to HR laws and policies that franchisees need to read and sign. Annature’s automatic reminders also ensure documents are signed without delay.
The outcome
Time sensitivity is a key concern for bookkeepers. Our franchisees use Annature every day to secure eSignatures from their clients—for example, for prepayment agreements or to sign their business activity statements (BAS). Annature has made this so much easier, reduced unnecessary admin, and ensured compliance.
Some franchisees also use Annature via its integration with Xero/Xero Practice Manager, which further improves their efficiencies.
Because we also partner with Annature internally at First Class Accounts, our franchisees learn about it first through us. They come to our events and workshops and see that Annature is our preferred partner for eSigning, which provides them with the seal of approval they need to adopt it for their own practices.
We expect the number of franchisees using Annature to grow significantly in 2024, as more bookkeepers discover its potential to streamline their processes and save valuable time.
