Stitely & Karstetter, PLLC needed a way to optimize workflow in order to save time and gain a competitive advantage. To increase profit margins, the firm switched from Lacerte® tax preparation software, which it had used for 14 years, to CCH Axcess — the award-winning, cloud-based tax preparation, workflow and firm management solution. Visit CCHGroup.com/DigitalTaxWorkflow to learn more!

1. Tax & Accounting
CCH Axcess™
Keeps
Stitely & Karstetter,
PLLC Ahead of the
Technology Curve
Case Study:
Digital Tax
Workflow
When you have to be right

2. CCH Axcess™
Keeps Stitely & Karstetter, PLLC Ahead of the Technology Curve2
Challenge: Stitely & Karstetter, PLLC needed a way to optimize workflow in
order to save time and gain a competitive advantage.
Solution: Since switching from Lacerte®
to CCH Axcess™
, the firm has
been able to increase profits, improve accuracy, retain talent and attract
new clients.
Focusing on Success
Stitely & Karstetter, PLLC is a 10-staff member firm in Chantilly, Virginia, a suburb of Washington,
D.C. The firm specializes in taxes, compilations and reviews.
To increase profit margins, the firm switched from Lacerte®
tax preparation software, which
it had used for 14 years, to CCH Axcess — the award-winning, cloud-based tax preparation,
workflow and firm management solution.
In explaining the move, Stitely says, “We felt that Lacerte®
was
a bit of a dead-end product and that we needed a vendor that
invests in platforms for the future, which is in the cloud. We’re
very dedicated to cloud products, so going to CCH Axcess,
which is cloud-based, was a natural fit for us right from
the start. We’re definitely glad that we did. We were even
surprised by some of the things we can do that we really
hadn’t thought of, that turned out to be game changers.”
— Frank Stitely, CPA, CVA,
Partner, Stitely & Karstetter, PLLC

3. “Workflow management is a
big deal for us. It’s literally how
we make our money. With
CCH Axcess, we’re doing twice as
much revenue with four or five
fewer employees than we had
back in the early 2000s.”
CCH Axcess™
Keeps Stitely & Karstetter, PLLC Ahead of the Technology Curve 3
Automated Workflows Result in Higher Profits
The firm has optimized the way it operates
by taking full advantage of the software’s
automation. With CCH Axcess as the
cornerstone, the new workflow starts with
an admin taking a client’s source documents,
scanning them using CCH®
ProSystem fx®
Scan,
and then saving them into a single PDF. Next,
the firm uses AutoFlow Technology to import
the data and automatically populate the tax
return in CCH Axcess™
Tax. Once completed,
an entry-level staff member validates that the
data is correct and where it belongs on the
return, before an experienced tax preparer
completes the return, and the Partner or
Manager reviews it.
Stitely cites as an example, a partnership
return that involved more than 40 partners,
with 25 ownership changes and a negative
allocation of capital.
“I was dreading that return
because I thought, ‘It’s going
to take me two days just
to have somebody do the
data entry.’ But we used
the software to export a
spreadsheet and let the client
validate that it was correct,
then we pulled it right back
into CCH Axcess. It saved
us two to three days just on
data entry alone.”
This type of automation saves the firm major
amounts of time. It has also allowed the firm
to assign tasks to lower-level staff members,
freeing up experienced staff to concentrate
on higher-level work, which improves the
firm’s profits.
“We can use less expensive
people for tasks and save
our expensive, experienced
preparers for Schedule Cs, Ds,
Es, etc., as opposed to having
them type in W-2s and
1099s, which isn’t a
particularly good use
of their time — or our
money.”
This strategic use of staff
results in higher profit margins.
“What we’re really saving is the
difference in labor rates between
an entry-level employee and
an experienced CPA. That goes
directly to our bottom line.”
Frank Stitely, CPA, CVA
Partner
Stitely & Karstetter, PLLC
Chantilly, Virginia

4. The firm estimates that it saves 5 to 10
minutes per tax return solely as a result
of the common database in CCH Axcess.
CCH Axcess™
Keeps Stitely & Karstetter, PLLC Ahead of the Technology Curve4
Integration between Software Modules
The firm also uses CCH Axcess™
Practice,
which provides easy-to-use, comprehensive
time and billing features and allows them
to maximize billable hours and streamline
administrative work in the most efficient way
possible. Integrating within CCH Axcess Tax,
the Practice module improves the firm’s back
office flow for better client service and more
efficient operations. Here’s an example: If a
staff member changes a client’s data, such as
an address, in one place, the data updates in
all software modules, from the billing invoice
to the tax return.
This also helps the firm preserve its
reputation because it doesn’t have to ask a
client for the right address and can be assured
that the data is correct everywhere.
“It’s hard to even imagine
how much time you waste
that way until you’re not
wasting it anymore. Then
you realize that this was
something we didn’t foresee
being a great benefit, but it
turns out it’s a benefit from
admin all the way through
to reviewers.”
When Accuracy and Cloud Technology Meet
CCH Axcess delivers an outstanding level of
accuracy. The automation of tasks eliminates
data entry errors, plus the software interface
allows the firm to quickly review returns.
“We really like the software’s
on-screen review tools, as
well as the ability to expand
into sub-schedules. It’s just a
much more visual product
than Lacerte®
.”
Because of this, Stitely says, it’s easy to
identify when a number on a return doesn’t
look right and quickly research how it was
derived, and fix it if it’s incorrect.

5. CCH Axcess™
Keeps Stitely & Karstetter, PLLC Ahead of the Technology Curve 5
Anywhere, Anytime Benefits
As the firm grows, it has no intention of adding
office space because CCH Axcess allows staff
members to work from anywhere, anytime.
“We have a lot of part-time
staff. None of them ever set
foot in the firm’s offices. We
also have full-time staff
around the country.”
This means that the firm can generate revenue
by renting out one of the two office units it
owns, since, with cloud technology, it needs
less office space.
Additionally, the firm experiences no
downtime if there’s a weather-related event
that affects staff.
“We tend to get a lot of ice
storms, so what happens
is that we tell people, ‘Stay
home today. There’s no use
risking your life to get to the
office.’ When that happens,
our staff members can be
productive from home.”
Another benefit of the virtual office is higher
staff retention. Staff members can continue
to work for the firm even if they relocate to a
different city or state, which allows the firm to
keep its good employees.
A Competitive Edge in Staff Recruitment and
Mentoring
The firm reports that the use of advanced
technology makes the firm more attractive to
potential staff members.
“We’re very digital, very
electronic. We communicate
with our clients electronically,
and having a product like
CCH Axcess fits in with our
persona of being forward-
looking that makes us,
hopefully, attractive for
an entry-level person over
other firms.”
In addition, the firm can train these entry‑level
staff members and help them to become some of
the firm’s tenured, experienced tax preparers.
“Recently we were able to hire
two new entry-level people
right out of college to validate
AutoFlow’s data entry, and
they were productive and
billable almost from day
one. Before we would have
been reluctant to hire them
because we wouldn’t have
known what to do with them
for the first six months.”

6. Wolters Kluwer Provides High-Quality Software Support
Stitely notes an important distinction between Wolters Kluwer and its competitors: the level of
technical support.
“We’ve had some tender, loving support from Wolters Kluwer in
our conversion from the previous vendor to CCH Axcess. We’ve
used support a lot, and no one ever said, ‘Hey, you’re using way
too much support.’ One of the new things that has been added to
CCH Axcess is a support button where you can get support chat
from within the software. I think that’s fantastic.”
CCH Axcess™
Keeps Stitely & Karstetter, PLLC Ahead of the Technology Curve6
Using the Latest Technology to Attract and
Retain Clients
With CCH Axcess, the firm is able to deliver a
more seamless customer experience.
“The benefit to us of staying
ahead of technology is that
it changes the demographics
of our clients. It allows
us to serve a younger
client who doesn’t want
to communicate in the old
ways and who doesn’t want
to be interrupted by phone
calls or come into the office
for meetings.”
Stitely says that because CCH Axcess is cloud-
based, the firm can retain current clients even
if they move out of the area, and the firm can
work with clients in other cities.
“We have clients in nearly
every state in the U.S.
because we can work with
them from anywhere. We’re
definitely glad that we made
the move to Wolters Kluwer.
It’s a lot more fun to be at
the edge of the technology
curve than it is to be trying
to catch up to everybody
down the road.”

7. When you have to be right
© 2016 CCH Incorporated and its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Contact information:
Wolters Kluwer
2700 Lake Cook Road
Riverwoods, IL 60015
United States
800-739-9998
Please visit CCHGroup.com/DigitalTaxWorkflow
for more information.
5/16 2016-0014-11