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The Crunch: The Annual Accounting Firm Benchmark Report

THE CRUNCH is the annual benchmark report for Australian accounting firms. This exclusive report offers valuable insights tailored specifically for firms across Australia. Discover how your firm measures up in the competitive landscape.

As a participant, your firm will receive a personalised Benchmark Report, meticulously analysing your performance metrics. This report goes beyond numbers, revealing the distinctive practices of top-performing firms and providing strategic recommendations to direct your firm’s efforts and resources effectively.

Working in collaboration with SmithInk, The Benchmarking Group will analyse and compare core business metrics such as charge out rates, employee productivity, firm profitability, operational expenses, wages and salaries, and much more.

Register your firm today for this unique opportunity and see how your firm stacks up against the industry’s best.

Are you a Benchmarking Suite subscriber? All subscribers can participate in the Crunch Report for FREE! Contact us now to register your firm.

THE CRUNCH – THE ANNUAL AUSTRALIAN ACCOUNTING FIRM BENCHMARK REPORT

REGISTER TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CRUNCH

Why participate in The Crunch?

Accounting Industry

Identify your firm’s strengths and areas for improvement

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Understand what sets top accounting firms apart and discover ways to enhance your own firm’s performance

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Leverage your report results to promote your firm to potential clients and attract new employees

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Analyse competitor charge out rates and pricing strategies to maintain a competitive edge

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Review your employee productivity ratios and ensure your firm offers competitive remuneration

What’s included in The Crunch:
The Annual Accounting Firm Benchmark Report?

Financial Performance Benchmarks

In the accounting industry, analysing financial performance against competitors is important for Australian accounting firms to maintain a competitive edge. By comparing key metrics such as revenue, expenses, profitability, and efficiency ratios, your firm can gain valuable insights into its strengths and weaknesses. This analysis will highlight areas for improvement, enabling you to refine growth strategies and streamline operations.

Moreover, benchmarking financial performance provides a standard for setting realistic goals and tracking progress over time. Ultimately, analysing your financial performance against competitors will empower you to make data-driven decisions to achieve sustainable growth for your accounting firm.

Employee Productivity & Trends

Examining employee productivity helps accounting firms enhance efficiency and optimise resource allocation. By gaining insights into productivity benchmarks, firms can develop strategies to implement best practices and boost overall performance.

The Accounting Industry Benchmark Report measures your firm’s productivity against competitors and top-performing firms. This comparison enables you to pinpoint bottlenecks, identify areas for improvement, and invest strategically in professional development.

The report also reviews employee salaries, allowing you to assess whether your firm offers competitive remuneration. Moreover, enhancing productivity and ensuring your staff feel valued can increase overall employee satisfaction and retention.

Pricing Strategies & Charge Out Rates

Benchmarking your pricing strategies against competitors allows your firm to ensure prices are competitive and aligned with market standards. Additionally, you can see what industry leaders charge and how they add value to their services.

By understanding how competitors price their services, your accounting firm can adjust rates accordingly to attract and retain clients. Alternatively, you may decide to enhance the value you offer to clients.

Analysing competitors’ pricing strategies also helps identify pricing gaps and potential opportunities for differentiation. Your firm can assess the value you provide and determine if your prices are justified in comparison.

Ultimately, this analysis equips you with the tools to optimise your pricing strategies, maximise profitability, and strengthen your market position.

Expenses & Operations Analysis

Comparing your operational expenses against competitors allows your accounting firm to identify areas where you may be overspending, revealing opportunities to reduce unnecessary overheads.

By benchmarking against industry peers, you can uncover cost-saving opportunities and implement strategies to streamline operations.

Additionally, the report helps you focus your expenses on the most valuable areas. By understanding how high-performing competitors allocate their resources, you can prioritise investments that deliver the greatest value and competitive advantage.

The Principal’s Position

For accounting firms in Australia, having a clear understanding of business equity and the financial position of all principal owners is important.

Knowing your firm’s financial position and equity enables you to make informed decisions about investments, expansions, and strategic partnerships. It helps you assess your firm’s stability and evaluate potential risks and opportunities.

Additionally, comparing the remuneration of principal owners with that of other firms is important for ensuring competitive compensation. This approach helps attract and retain top talent, maintain fairness within the organisation, and align remuneration with industry standards. Such analysis supports the firm’s reputation, employee satisfaction, and overall financial health.

About SmithInk

Smithink is an Australian advisory company that helps accountants transform their practices into successful businesses. They offer practical innovations for firms, drawing from their extensive experience as practising accountants and business consultants over several decades. Their expertise comes from firsthand implementation, allowing them to identify which strategies yield the best results.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Crunch?

The Crunch is a new report that will benchmark Australian accounting firms against each other. It will be a 20-30 page report highlighting industry insights, trends and challenges and forecasts.

Can I see a sample?

You can download a sample of the Crunch Report here: https://benchmarking.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Crunch-Example-Report.pdf

Why should I participate?

When your firm participates, you receive a custom version of the report tailored to your firm. This means you can clearly see how you are performing against similar firms. The report will also provide recommendations based on your results.

How much does it cost?

The final report will cost $495. However, firms that opt to participate before March 14th receive a 50% discount, making the cost only $247.

We are part of a group, what's the cost?

For accounting groups that participate the cost is $247 +$100 per additional site. For accounting groups larger that 5 sites, please contact us for a custom quote.

I thought it was free?

Participation in the report is free for all Benchmarking Suite Subscribers. Find out more about becoming a subscriber here: https://benchmarking.com.au/benchmarking-for/accountants/

What's the process and timeframes?

Once you have signed up, you will receive an email with instructions on how to enter your details. After data entry is complete, we will analyse the results and create a custom report for you by end of May.

I have more questions, who can I contact?

Please reach out to us via:

  • The chat at the bottom right of this page
  • phone 02 9262 5564
  • or any of our other contact methods here

What People Say

This report is FANTASTIC!! Thank you to you and your team for doing this. And to think a revised version will come in April with even more data, even better. This is beyond what I was expecting and I dare say you’ll have all of us signing up again next year and spreading the word to get others involved. I’m so glad I responded to the initial email and made the time to get involved, rather than just grumbling about being time poor and lazily hitting the delete button.

Best money and time I’ve spent in a very long time!

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Matthew Tucker | Principal | Creative Crunchers