In this section of the website, we introduce you to one of our firms. Up next is Claire Sweetnam, Accounts & Auditing Manager in Crowley & McCarthy Accountancy. Read her answers to our questions to get to know her and the firm.
What do you like about working for your firm?
“I enjoy working in Crowley McCarthy because everyday is a new day and no two days are the same. Crowley & McCarthy is a very busy practice and has a wide range of clients, and as a result of this you learn something new everyday. Accounting and auditing standards, revenue requirements and client needs are always changing and we as an accounting practice have to evolve and change to meet these new requirements. When working in Crowley McCarthy you get great satisfaction from helping your clients and over the years you build up a great working relationship with them.”
What are in your words the strengths of your firm?
“I believe the team in Crowley McCarthy have a vast knowledge base as we have such a varied client portfolio. If a client comes to ask you a question about a specific area, you may not know the answer, but someone within the firm will know the answer for sure. That makes it very easy to get back to the client with the correct answer in a timely manner.”
“When working in Crowley McCarthy you get great satisfaction from helping your clients.”
Claire Sweetnam, Accounts & Auditing Manager
What is the most valuable lesson you have learned at your firm?
“Everything I know about Audit and Accountancy I have learned in Crowley & McCarthy. From all this I think the most valuable lesson I have learned is to work as a team. If someone needs help with a client or query, you should help them when you can as you may need their help in a few weeks time. For an accountancy firm to be successful everyone needs to work together and I believe the people in Crowley & McCarthy work together very well.”
What is the best or most rewarding experience you have had at your firm so far?
“Crowley & McCarthy is a training firm and each year new students join the firm to get the work experience they need as part of their training contract. I believe that it is very rewarding to have a new member join your team only knowing the basics but three and half years later they finish their training contract and have a vast knowledge base because of what they learned from working in your team.”
What result you achieved for a client, are you most proud of?
“I was involved in the setup of a client’s management accounting system. The client had many different sectors in this business but could not tell which areas were doing well and which areas were not performing. I went into the clients office and helped set up all the coding and cost centre information on their system and trained the staff on how to input the information correctly. A few years on the client can now get all the information that they need from the system which allows them to make more informed decisions and I believe that this has contributed to the continuous growth and success of this company.”
What is your favourite statement you regularly use when advising clients?
“The statement that I regularly use is “I would prefer to give you no answer rather than the wrong answer”. I then go and find out the correct answer and come back to them.”
“I believe that if a firm does not adapt to this strategy, then they may well see clients leave the firm to go elsewhere.”
Claire Sweetman, Accounts & Auditing Manager
Which conditions do you think a ‘firm of the future’ should meet?
“As the economy has become more service-oriented and increasingly digital, the importance of speed has increased dramatically. I believe the firm of the future will have to use its resources more efficiently to provide its clients with a faster turnaround from the point you obtain the information from the client to the point you present them with their accounts pack. I believe that if a firm does not adapt to this strategy, then they may well see clients leave the firm to go elsewhere.”
How do you see the future of your firm from your perspective?
“I believe the future of Crowley & McCarthy is very bright. New clients are hiring us as their accountants on a regular basis as they have heard from our clients that we provide a quality service. I believe if we strive to continue to provide this quality service, the firm will continue to grow as it has done over the last number of years.”