Bishop Fleming: Leading the Way in Accountancy CX
“Regarding CX, we’re not looking for a score or a badge of honour. We want to measure and manage our clients’ experience; feeding both the positive and negative back into the business to continually improve.”
Paul Seymour, Chief Marketing Officer at Bishop Fleming
Bishop Fleming is an independent, leading provider of audit, accountancy, tax, and advisory services in the UK, currently ranked 33 in the Accountancy Age league table.
With eight offices spanning from the West Midlands to the South West, the firm has 41 partners and nearly 500 staff and is a certified Great Place to Work®.
From owner-managed businesses, SMEs, and large businesses; to entrepreneurs and private individuals; Bishop Fleming has a wealth of knowledge and experience in areas such as internal and external audit, corporate and personal tax, corporate finance and deals and accounting services.
Bishop Fleming: Project Overview
Recognising that people are the heart of its business, Bishop Fleming set out on a journey to become the most rewarding accountancy firm in the UK for their clients, their people and their communities.
Supporting their mission to achieve this, Rhian Huxtable, insight6 Devon and Cornwall, has been working with the business in a phased approach to assess, benchmark and improve their customer experience (CX) delivery.
Previously, Bishop Fleming sought client feedback anecdotally and formally every two years. To set a benchmark from which to move forward, an initial all client pulse survey and series of interviews with 20 of the businesses’ key clients and a mystery shopping exercise was undertaken. Employees were also consulted, allowing them to put forward their ideas, deliver feedback and identify areas in CX where they believed improvements could be made providing a unique gap analysis in client service feedback.
Following the initial ‘Pulse Survey,’ the business implemented a change in strategy—moving from a sector to a market focus—but most importantly, it embedded a client-centric culture.
Our Approach
With benchmarking complete and the Pulse Survey set up, the next step for Bishop Fleming was to embed CX into the business at every level and maintain consistent momentum.
The business recognised that excellent service didn’t necessarily look the same across its markets and service lines. Through evaluating the customer journey of each service line, different approaches and procedures could be mapped out to fit and deliver the best service for clients.
The wider environment and its impact on client expectations and satisfaction also needed to be factored into its business strategy. Understanding the world is changing at pace, Bishop Fleming wanted to ensure it was listening to clients regularly and asking the right questions.
CX Solutions
The instantinsight platform has been instrumental in developing and refining Bishop Fleming’s annual Pulse Survey. Offering a deep dive into multiple areas, providing clear and trackable data for each team to report, the survey goes beyond sentiment.
Bishop Fleming is committed to transparency and accountability. Part of the Pulse Survey involves communicating key feedback and action points to clients.
A number of Pulse Surveys have been tailored to service lines with tailored questions and timings to suit the different types of work and clients. Being able to demonstrate what excellent service means for each of these service lines has been extremely valuable for internal conferences and onboarding new starters.
The results from the Pulse Surveys also help the business to reward and inspire its people. CX is a key focus in personal development plans and feedback is always shared, acknowledged, and encouraged, The positives are celebrated to reinforce excellent service.
Constantly evolving, the survey is now being used to drive new business as well. By asking owner-managed businesses, ‘Is there anything else we could help you with?’, Bishop Fleming received over 100 new enquiries from the last Pulse Survey.
Project Outcomes
Bishop Fleming is now in its 4th year of the Pulse Survey. Client feedback remains highly positive with an overall client service experience of 8.5 out of 10 and an NPS score 9 points ahead of the industry average.
The business is committed to acting on feedback and the impact shows through its growth. Now in its third consecutive year of double-digit growth, last year saw a growth of almost 13%.
Bishop Fleming recently won four prestigious awards at the Accountancy Excellence Client Service Awards, including Client Service of the Year—a win they supported with data and insights from their partnership with insight6. The firm is also proudly recognized as a certified Great Place to Work®.
Recognised for Customer Experience (CX) Excellence
Bishop Fleming has been recognised for its unwavering commitment to CX excellence, earning our prestigious insight6 CX Excellence Mark! The accolade highlights their dedication to putting customers at the heart of their business and continuously enhancing their customer experience.
Discover how your business can achieve the same recognition. Learn more about the CX Excellence Recognition Scheme and how to apply today.
insight6's end-to-end customer experience (CX) solutions have earned us a reputation as the partner of choice for many forward-thinking companies. Our network of local specialists provides on-the-ground support. Don't let an inadequate customer experience ruin your reputation or impact your success. Get in touch today to schedule a no-obligation chat with your local CX specialist or a free demo of our total feedback solution—instant insight.