Scottish accountancy specialist turns back on office working as business doubles

An accountancy specialist has made a permanent switch to remote working after seeing its client base double during lockdown.

The change has been made by Glenrothes-based Laura Taylor, the owner of Empowered by Cloud, as she sought to help small businesses cope with the fallout from the Covid-19 crisis.

The change has been made by Glenrothes-based Laura Taylor, the owner of Empowered by Cloud, as she sought to help small businesses cope with the fallout from the Covid-19 crisis.

She said: “We were all working from home from 15 March as we went into lockdown a week or so earlier than the rest of the country and by the end of April we had decided we wouldn’t be going back to our previous set-up.

“It just made sound business sense given the circumstances. The move was welcomed by our clients as they could see the benefits. Previously there had been a bit of resistance as they wanted us on site, in front of them, and some were reluctant to explore another way of doing things.

“Now we are able to respond to people more quickly and work more closely with all of our clients who operate in real time.”

Taylor, who is an expert in cloud-based accounting software platform Xero, added: “The digital transformation has been accelerated because of the pandemic and people have had to adapt – and now realise it’s a good way of working.

“I can jump on a call with a client down south, whereas previously I’d have to look at flights, co-ordinate diaries and spend time travelling.”

The firm’s seven Xero consultants are spread across Scotland – in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Fife and Kilmarnock – and the new set-up sees them gather online for a daily briefing to plan the workload.

Most clients are based in Edinburgh, though the business has recently secured contract wins in Liverpool and Bedfordshire.

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