FeeSynergy has always been a client service driven company. Since launching in 2007, service excellence has been our ethos and is embedded in our company DNA. Service excellence extends beyond the way we interact with our accounting and legal clients – it also applies to the way we interact with our client’s clients. Client service also extends to the way we design and develop our software, with client experience (CX) being a guiding principle for our product team.
In this 5 part series, we explain how each FeeSynergy team enables and delivers client service excellence in their particular area of responsibility.
- Part 1: Loan Administration – client support
- Part 2: Business Development – presenting solutions
- Part 3: Product – design and development
- Part 4: Implementation – training and support
- Part 5: Outsourced Accounts Receivable – credit management experts
FeeSynergy launched in 2007 as purely a professional fee finance company. At the time of launch there were a dozen fee finance companies operating in Australia. All of these providers had pretty much the same product offering. So how did FeeSynergy become the industry leader within 5 years? We did a couple of things from the outset that differentiated us from everyone else (i) partnered with Reckon APS to include our monthly payment option in their invoice templates (both groundbreaking and disruptive); and (ii) set out with the clear intent of wowing our accounting clients with fantastic levels of service. Both lead to early success but it has been our unwavering dedication to service excellence that sets us apart from other providers – then and now.
When it came to recruiting our first loan administration Manager, the qualities we looked for in that person were first and foremost a strong client service ethos. We were very fortunate at the time to be introduced to Samantha Etheredge (aka Sam). She joined our then small team and has been at the forefront of service delivery in our company ever since.
Part 1: Loan Administration – Client Support
Considering where FeeSynergy started, it was a natural choice to start this series with Samantha sharing her journey with the business.
Over the last 12 years, Samantha has been the smiling face at the end of the phone who has assisted thousands of clients with their fee finance arrangements. Samantha’s area of responsibility has also been a training ground for many University and College students over the years. Under Samantha’s guidance they have had valuable exposure and learnings as to what great service means in the world of finance and business. Many of these young people have gone onto rewarding careers elsewhere but remain grateful for the mentoring provided by Samantha and other team members.
Prior to joining FeeSynergy I had worked in insurance and finance, both of which are service oriented industries. I was the first admin manager appointed by the founders so I had plenty of opportunity to work on improving our internal processes and spend time training and supporting the 100 or so clients we had at that time.
I have been technically in the same role for the last 12 years however because of the growth of FeeSynergy the scope of the role has expanded a lot. Every day throws up something new which keeps things interesting and enjoyable. What I love most about my role however is being able to help our clients. We have 2 key types of clients – the accounting and legal firm staff and their clients who apply for finance with us to pay the firm’s fees in monthly instalments.
My team is great! Over the years, most of them were starting out in their careers and eager to learn and develop their professional service skills. FeeSynergy has a fantastic culture. The directors are the founders and have a lot of corporate and business experience – they set the bar for service excellence and this makes it easy for my team to be effective in their job, for example having flexibility when dealing with customers who need more time to pay.
The whole FeeSynergy team are supportive of each other and anyone can be called upon to help out a client when needed. Our practice has always been to pick up the phone within 3 rings and for that person to be knowledgeable enough to handle the call or transfer it onto the best qualified person – our clients love this about us!
Final words from me, I am lucky to have a role that allows me regular contact with our accounting and legal clients. They are lovely to deal with and appreciative of the service we provide. That’s a pretty good reason to come to work each day!
Samantha Etheredge – FeeSynergy
Don’t Just Take Our Word for It
“I was first introduced to Mal from Feesynergy when I started a new role in 2009 working as a Credit Controller. I worked for this same company for over 7½ years and in that time I found Feesynergy Funding Finance to be an extremely useful tool and a wonderful option available to clients in assisting them to manage their cashflow.
Sam who leads the Funding Contract section has always been friendly, knowledgeable and always eager to assist in anyway she can. The programs used are very straight forward and there is always a support team available if any queries etc. It is wonderful to be able to offer this as an option for our clients to pay off their invoices over 6-12 months and gives them peace of mind.
After leaving the previous firm and having a break temping for a year of so, I was very lucky to be approached by Mal once again as they had just released a new Debtors module called “Collect”. There was a firm he was in early discussions with, regarding the new system and via his introduction, I was able to find a new role within that same company as a Credit Controller. I am currently at that same firm using “Collect” 5½ years later.
Working as a Credit Controller, life has been made so much easier by the “Collect” system. It is user friendly and within the system I am able to set up Feesynergy Funding Contracts and Direct Debits with ease. The system allows me to make notes on individual clients, send out system generated reminder alerts and I feel so lucky to be using such a wonderful program. The program has helped the firm I am working for reduce our Debtor days considerably.
I have watched the company grow over the past 14 x years in my dealings with them. They are professional, have a wonderful support team and I can see they are helping many firms reduce their Debtors. My main dealings have been with Mal, Miki, Sam, Angela, Nick and Marina. Nothing is too much trouble. They are punctual with their responses to emails. I would highly recommend Feesynergy to any Company.”
Tania Pask – Prime Financial
How do you feel about the levels of service you receive when dealing with FeeSynergy?
“We have used FeeSynergy to provide our debtor management loans since February 2014. We have been extremely pleased with the quality of this service and in assistance to our administration team.
FeeSynergy have been extremely proactive in their approach, driving the process for when a client requests funding, managing all paperwork and assisting the admin team on structuring and repayments. The service has been excellent.”
Michael Manak – Titan Partners
How do you feel about the levels of service you receive when dealing with FeeSynergy?
“Excellent service especially from Samantha who I work with closely. She is very patient and understanding particularly if clients have missed a payment, she is extremely supportive to their circumstances but also understands we need to be paid and always comes up with a solution for them. She is amazing to work with and we always have a laugh.
Chris Warby and James Lazell are also great guys to work with, they are always following up our clients and keep us in the loop of any issues. They are also so pleasant yet firm, when it comes down to what they need to do.Feesynergy is one of the best investments we have made as a firm. Big thank you to Mal and Miki who continue to support us. “
Linda Zinni – Boss Private Clients
