Essex-based chartered accountancy firm Rickard Keen has been advising Systematics International Ltd since the successful buyout by its current management team in 2007. Here, Rickard Keen partner Kate Bell talks about the successful relationship she has built up with Systematics in that time.
Having worked with Systematics for more than five years now, we do have a close relationship with them and can see how hard they work. They keep their clients as their number one focus and work to develop their business around their clients needs. This helps them not only maintain their extremely high client retention rate but also in winning new business.
I find Christine and Manuel a pleasure to work with because they have such a fresh approach to business. They are always looking for new opportunities and new ways to develop their business and service lines.
Christine is a very dynamic person. She invests her time and energies into the business, spending a lot of time travelling to meet clients and potential clients. Christine also researches each and every market that Systematics moves into thoroughly – this is why they pick up so much new business: they really are experts in their field. With their dedication to personal service and the value they place on relationships, this really sets them apart from the competition.
Manuel came on board last summer to support Christine, keeping the ship running while she is visiting clients. They are also supported by a dedicated and experienced team which Christine and Manuel have helped to train and develop over the years.
They deliberately set themselves high targets to meet – and are always on track with them. They never stand still – they are always pushing themselves further and looking at new marketplaces and ways to innovate their business.
One of the things we do to help Systematics is working with them on a monthly basis, providing our management accounting and review service. As well as reviewing the performance of the business for the month, we help them to track this against budgets and help them to forecast for the rest of the year. We work with them to forecast and manage their cashflow and working capital and to help them set Key Performance Indicators to track their business in a more detailed way. By Systematics investing in this service on a monthly basis, this has given them an excellent handhold on the business and means they can react quickly if and when any issues arise.
Systematics really is a vibrant and dynamic business and their successful rate of growth and development over the past five years, whilst maintaining their core values, is really a testament to Christine’s vision and leadership.
