Professional Services – Big 4 Auditing, Tax and Advisory firm

Before State

The Private Business and Tax divisions of this Big 4 Audit, Tax, and Advisory firm were grappling with mounting challenges. Their traditional approach to delivering compliance services—such as annual financial statements, tax returns, and GST—was fragmented across multiple, independently managed offices throughout New Zealand. This lack of standardisation led to inconsistent client experiences, operational inefficiencies, and duplicated efforts. At the same time, clients were increasingly seeking more proactive advisory support and business growth solutions, while industry trends towards offshore outsourcing threatened local job security. The firm found itself under pressure to not only streamline and modernise its operations, but also to deliver higher-value services—all while maintaining its commitment to supporting local employment and sustaining its reputation for quality.

The Challenge

To remain competitive and meet evolving client expectations, the firm needed to rethink how it delivered core compliance services and advisory support. With each office operating in isolation, inconsistencies and inefficiencies were becoming increasingly apparent, making it difficult to provide a seamless client experience or scale new service offerings. The pressure to deliver more value was intensifying, yet the risk of losing work offshore posed a threat to both quality and local employment. The firm required a unified approach that would streamline operations, enable national collaboration, and create capacity for the development of innovative advisory services—all without compromising its commitment to keeping jobs within New Zealand.

The Solution

The firm partnered with Streamline to develop and implement two new connected digital platforms, fully integrated with the Global ASPAC SAP practice management system. These platforms included:

  • A client onboarding, engagement, and pricing platform
  • A workflow and job management platform

The new systems enabled all offices across the Tax and Private Business divisions to connect and standardise processes. This approach allowed work to be shared nationally, leveraged team capacity during seasonal fluctuations, and supported the creation of new advisory services. The platforms were designed to manage all compliance-based services across both divisions, ensuring seamless integration and improved service delivery.

Improved State

With the adoption of these platforms, they achieved:

  • National sharing of work, optimising team capacity and reducing bottlenecks during peak periods
  • Streamlined, standardised processes that significantly lowered the cost of service delivery
  • Improved delivery timeframes for clients
  • Enhanced ability for directors and partners to engage with clients throughout the year, focusing on value-added outcomes rather than just compliance
  • The foundation to develop and offer new advisory services, meeting evolving client demands.

The Result

  • Significant reduction in the cost and time required for compliance service delivery
  • Increased operational flexibility and national resource optimisation
  • New advisory services launched, enhancing client engagement and satisfaction
  • Retention of local jobs by insourcing rather than outsourcing service delivery
  • Strengthened the firm’s market position as a provider of both compliance and high-value advisory service

Conclusion

To address market demands for greater value and advisory support, This Big 4 firm moved away from fragmented, office-based compliance delivery. By partnering with Streamline and investing in integrated digital platforms, they standardised and optimised its service delivery while retaining work locally. This transformation enabled the firm to deliver more efficient, responsive, and value-driven services to clients across New Zealand.

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