Thomas St John Group needed a single integrated technology system in order to adopt the same processes across all offices and access client data and files from anywhere. The solution for this international firm so that staff members can work as one unified team was utilizing CCH Axcess, Wolters Kluwer’s cloud-based software solution. To learn more visit CCHGroup.com/Axcess today!

1. Tax & Accounting US
Integrated Software
Solution CCH Axcess™
Allows
International CPA Firm with
Multiple Offices to Operate
as One
Case Study:
Thomas St John
Group
When you have to be right

2. Integrated Software Solution CCH Axcess™
Allows International CPA Firm with Multiple Offices to Operate as One2
Challenge: Thomas St John Group needed a single integrated technology
system in order to adopt the same processes across all offices and access
client data and files from anywhere.
Solution: Staff members can work as one unified team because of the firm’s
use of CCH Axcess, Wolters Kluwer’s cloud-based software solution.
Many CPA firms choose to migrate to the cloud
as part of a disaster recovery plan. But the
Operations Managers at Thomas St John Group,
an international tax, business management
and accounting firm with offices in Los Angeles,
London and Amsterdam, chose to move to the
cloud in order to adopt a unified workflow and
better serve their clients.
“The firm’s main goal
is to operate as one
office and not three
different companies.
CCH Axcess enables
us to operate in
that way. That is
invaluable to us and
to our clients.”
— Laura Skinner,
Operations Manager,
Thomas St John Group
Because of the nature of the
firm’s clients, which are mostly
international entertainment
individuals and businesses, the
firm’s 50-plus staff members often
work on the same accounts from
more than one of its offices. The
cloud-based CCH Axcess software
makes that possible.
“We explored many different
options, and we chose
CCH Axcess because it allows
us to do everything we need
to do so that each office can
operate on the same system.
Its look and feel is more user
friendly than other platforms,
and the functionality went
above and beyond.”
— Skinner
The firm also chose CCH Axcess in order to
become more efficient in its processes and
provide global service better than any of its
competitors. Andrew Stepp, the Operations
Manager in the Los Angeles office, says that
the firm has been able to accomplish all of
these goals because of the integration of
Wolters Kluwer’s software solutions.
Andrew Stepp
Operations Manager
Thomas St John Group
Los Angeles
Laura Skinner
Operations Manager
Thomas St John Group
London

3. Integrated Software Solution CCH Axcess™
Allows International CPA Firm with Multiple Offices to Operate as One 3
“CCH Axcess has put us ahead of our competitors. We can
help any client from any office and answer client questions
while on the go. In terms of productivity and efficiency, we
have saved thousands of hours of time.”
— Andrew Stepp,
Operations Manager,
Thomas St John Group
Better Organization, Easier Tax Preparation,
More Automation
To meet its efficiency, operations and client
service goals, the firm rolled out several of
the modules within CCH Axcess in January
2012, including CCH Axcess™
Tax, CCH Axcess™
Document, CCH Axcess™
Practice and
CCH Axcess™
Workstream. It then added
CCH®
ProSystem fx®
Engagement in the fall of
2014, as well as CCH Axcess™
Portal, a secure
portal for communicating with clients.
The time savings, efficiency gains and workflow
improvements have been huge. For instance, the
firm can quickly organize files, prepare returns,
review them, and deliver them to the IRS with
CCH Axcess Tax, which is Wolters Kluwer’s cloud-
based tax preparation and compliance module.
CCH Axcess Tax works with CCH Axcess
Document, Wolters Kluwer’s cloud-based
document management solution, to further
improve efficiency. Together, the software
modules save the firm time by automating
tasks, organizing information in the tax return
and including a bookmarked PDF file with
client source documents with each return.
“We can turn over a project
with all support documents,
which is unique to Wolters
Kluwer. That’s a huge time
saver that’s hard to quantify.”
— Stepp
To further improve efficiency, the U.S. office
uses CCH ProSystem fx Engagement to set up
binders for every tax engagement. The software
automatically populates the templates and
links reports, saving the firm about two to three
hours per report per quarter.
Efficient Project Management and Time Tracking
The firm uses CCH Axcess Workstream, to
manage deliverables, and CCH Axcess Practice
to easily track the workflow, time and billing
on all client projects.
“CCH Axcess Workstream
helps us with the way we set
up projects and the way work
moves through our systems.
Our client-facing team creates
the project. Our production
team goes into the drawer
[electronic file folder in the
cloud], picks up the projects,
looks at the budget and due
dates, and assigns it to the
right department and people.
It’s a very seamless process.”
— Stepp

4. Integrated Software Solution CCH Axcess™
Allows International CPA Firm with Multiple Offices to Operate as One4
Being able to see where a project is in
process is invaluable for staff members, and
helps clients, too. Staff members can easily
see where a project is in its steps toward
completion and update clients as necessary.
Another benefit to having the projects in
CCH Axcess Workstream is that no work is lost
if a staff member leaves or changes roles. For
all of the above uses and more, CCH Axcess
Workstream has become invaluable.
“We know what worksteps a
person was working on and
don’t miss important pieces of
client information.”
— Stepp
“We use Workstream for
absolutely everything. It’s
integral to what we do.”
— Skinner
Additionally, the firm uses CCH Axcess Practice
for automatic time-tracking. Staff members
start the Clocks function in the software
module, which saves at least 10 minutes a day
per staff member because staff does not have
to manually calculate time spent on individual
tasks. That really adds up.
The two software solutions are especially
helpful for knowing people’s workloads to
determine when a team needs to add another
staff member, Skinner adds.
Secure File Transfers
The firm uses CCH Axcess Portal to
communicate with clients so that staff
members do not have to mail out paperwork
or send sensitive documents through email.
That protects clients’ data and saves time for
staff. It also results in better customer service.
“It’s great to publish
something immediately
to the client. We love that.
Clients love that.”
— Skinner

5. Integrated Software Solution CCH Axcess™
Allows International CPA Firm with Multiple Offices to Operate as One 5
Major Time Savings Now and in the Future
Not only does the integrated software allow
the firm to work the way it needs to, but the
efficiency the firm has gained is revolutionary
compared to the systems used before the
implementation of CCH Axcess.
“The time savings is huge. I
don’t have exact numbers,
but it’s thousands and
thousands of dollars of time.
It’s days of time saved. It’s
invaluable.”
— Skinner
Stepp and Skinner explain that the firm laid
down the bones before the first rollouts but
likes the way the modules are set up so that
different components can be turned on later
as needed. Over time, the firm has put each
software module to even more use to gain
ever more efficiencies.
Putting the ‘Wow’ in the Customer Service
Experience
Skinner and Stepp explain that the entire
integrated system puts the firm ahead of its
competitors in terms of customer service.
Being in the cloud is key.
“If we have a client who is
international (a lot are) and
they are in Los Angeles, we
can print the documents
there that we need for a
client meeting. Likewise, if
a client is in the U.K. for a
week, staff members there
can print the documents
they need. With the cloud,
we don’t have hard copies
sitting in one place.”
— Stepp
The firm uses the CCH Axcess™
app to access
information on the go, which improves the
firm’s ability to quickly respond to clients. For
example, Skinner says, a client needed copies
of documents that they didn’t have with them
while out on tour. It was 10 p.m. in the evening
and one of the firm’s Business Managers was
able to access the documents via the mobile
CCH Axcess app, without so much as turning
on a computer.
“That was a wow moment and demonstrated the huge value
Wolters Kluwer has brought to the service we can provide to
our clients.”
— Skinner

6. Steps to a Successful Software Rollout
1. Plan ahead and do the necessary pre-work.
“I worked on it [the client databases and
workflow steps] for a year before it went live.
We sat down and figured how we wanted the
projects to work and set up the templates. We
did that prep work ahead of time.” — Skinner
2. Make sure the data is good.
“You’re only as good as the information that
you put in to the system.” — Skinner
3. Rely on Wolters Kluwer’s Professional and
Client Services to train staff members on the
software modules.
“It takes a while to get your head around
how the integrated solution is meant to
work together.” — Stepp
4. Work with staff members to continually
improve workflow.
“Be open to suggestions. When we talk to the
staff, we hear how they’re using it [the software
modules] and then can change the process and
further improve the workflow.” — Stepp
5. Work with the Wolters Kluwer support team to
continue to improve processes.
“The Wolters Kluwer support team is very good
at figuring things out. They can show us how
to do something that we want to do, or find a
workaround. It’s collaborative.” — Skinner
Integrated Software Solution CCH Axcess™
Allows International CPA Firm with Multiple Offices to Operate as One6

7. When you have to be right
2/16 2016-0014-1 © 2016 CCH Incorporated and its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Please visit CCHGroup.com/Axcess
for more information.
Contact information:
Wolters Kluwer
2700 Lake Cook Road
Riverwoods, IL 60015
United States
800-739-9998