From XU Magazine, 
Issue 30

Digital signing for accountants: When frustration lights a fuse

It’s problem-solving 101. To fix a problem, you have to understand the problem. And nobody understands an accountant’s problems better than an accountant.
This article originated from the Xero blog. The XU Hub is an independent news and media platform - for Xero users, by Xero users. Any content, imagery and associated links below are directly from Xero and not produced by the XU Hub.
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For over a decade, Melissa Voss managed a Chartered Accounting firm in Brisbane, Australia—passionate about increasing productivity and simplifying complex tasks through process automation. She knew the pain points faced by accountants because she lived them too. So, alongside software engineer Scott Barber, she turned her frustration into action. In 2015, FuseWorks was born. These two business partners are now proudly building bespoke software solutions to help accountants across the globe.

“First, we created FuseDocs, a document compilation tool that, in just a few clicks, automates the preparation of professional document packs or client collations. Next, we created FuseCharts, which creates clear, concise structure charts within seconds. These automation tools will save your administration teams hours of time, so they can work on meaningful and more productive tasks. The feedback has been incredible! We couldn’t be happier,”— says Voss, now Head of Clients and Partnerships.

That wasn’t enough for the FuseWorks team.

“We needed to complete the picture; we were still missing a piece of the document delivery puzzle. We wanted to see something purpose-built for the complexity that we deal with every day,” —says Barber, FuseWorks Co-Founder and Head of Product.

So after years of planning and consultation with other accounting firms, in 2020 they launched FuseSign, a digital signing tool now taking Australian and New Zealand accountants by storm.

FuseSign is a digital signing solution like no other. It’s intuitive and easy to use, and introduces an innovative “grid-style” approach to sending complex multi-document signing and viewing combinations to multiple recipients in a single transaction.

Documents sent via FuseSign are signed and returned within minutes for roughly the price of a postage stamp. Experiencing exponential growth in the past 18 months, FuseSign is becoming a highly sought-after alternative to many expensive traditional electronic signing tools.

In addition to all of the industry-specific features, FuseSign’s high-security protocols include a complete audit trail and two-factor authentication, making it legally binding for a wide range of document signing requirements. 

The FuseWorks effect

“We had a client recently telling us that upon implementing both FuseDocs and FuseSign into their four-partner accounting firm, they’ve experienced a 70% decrease in postage costs and 50% reduction in printing costs. They estimate annual savings of $50,000 AUD!  ($53,600 NZD; $26,500 GBP; $36,000 USD). The impact on the bottom line is significant for a fraction of the price and effort it takes to implement these tools.”—says Voss.

FuseWorks’ innovative nature means they dare to do things differently. Their passion and commitment to the accounting industry revolve around client feedback and continuous improvement.

“We have clients asking us for new functionality all the time, and we love being agile enough to turn that feedback into a reality, sometimes in a matter of days. It’s a great pride of our development team to be able to blow a client’s mind from time to time. The needs of our industry are ever-evolving, and we recognise we need to evolve with them.”—says Barber.

FuseSign’s integration with Xero Practice Manager, XPM

FuseWorks recognises that offering the best of breed in digital signing isn’t enough if it doesn’t integrate with other platforms and tools in your tech stack. 

They have recently announced the FuseSign integration with global small business platform Xero, bringing a new digital signing platform to integrate with Xero Practice Manager (XPM). This integration allows Xero accounting firms worldwide to securely sync their contacts from within XPM directly into their FuseSign account to populate signee details, save time, and reduce the risk of errors. 

“The volume of data and documents circulating in and out of a firm at any given time is huge, and we know that accounting firms have data in all different places. Rather than create another data silo, we designed this integration to draw from their single source of truth—their practice management system,” says Barber. 

“Accounting firms need efficiencies at every stage of the process, and utilising systems that enable a quick turnaround on getting documents signed and returned is critical,” says Voss.  

“Managing a practice for over a decade, I saw that limitations in technology were always a source of frustration. Now we make sure every tool, every detail, every feature is aligned with client feedback and ongoing research. Our products are created for accountants by accountants, and we’re turning technology limitations into limitless potential,” says Voss.

Why leave it there?

To find out more about FuseSign

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