When Natalie Perkins started Bodyworks Physiotherapy on the Northern Beaches of Sydney in 1998, they had one clear goal in mind: To determine the actual cause of their patient’s pain. They wanted to create treatments to alleviate immediate symptoms, but also to prevent the pain from returning by addressing the underlying factors responsible for the pain.
When they engaged their new advisor, SME Agency, they knew they needed help, but didn’t know what “treatment” they needed. When SME Agent Georgie suggested adding Zerlock to Xero, they were finally able to address the underlying factors responsible for the less than perfect Xero data health of their business practices, too.
“They didn’t have a background in accounting, they were health professionals,” says their advisor, Georgie. “But they knew there was fear, pain and a bit of bleeding. They just didn’t know where to look to find it. Introducing Zerlock made that so easy.”
Assessing the Health of the Business
Stepping into Bodyworks facilities, one element stands out: They treat each patient as a valued customer with unique individual with specific needs. The friendly chatter and the genuine connection they have with their clients is no charade. For Natalie, it is a critical part of the services they provide. “Without trust and open communication, we can’t do our best work. It is the bedrock of our practice.”
For Georgie, this created the platform to introduce Zerlock to her client in a seamless way. “They were my valued customer with unique and specific needs, and I knew I had a solution that would create value and save time and confirm the integrity of their financial data. So we set out on the Zerlock journey together, and the results have been transformative.”
Finding the Root Cause of Business Pain
Georgie: “I knew I needed to find the underlying factors that created “pain” business cycle after business cycle, and my goal was to help them address it so they could prevent it from returning. They were losing opportunities to maximize revenue and minimize impost. I was able to align my goal of pain-free business practices with their overall business purpose. They were willing to place trust in the process and lean in. It was an advisors dream! Now when it comes to checking on the health of their business, Bodyworks Physiotherapy puts their trust in me and in the Zerlock Health score directly integrated to their Xero data file.”
Reviewing the Health Score
“We opened the Xero Health Score by Zerlock, and quickly identified there were no receipts for spend money filed in Xero. I was able to show them, in a matter of minutes, the inconsistencies within their GST categorisation within the same contacts and accounts. I was able to show them their duplicate contacts, their missing or inconsistent ABN records. It was such a relief for them to know they had found the source of pain, and that the treatment was not expensive or elusive.”
Starting The Treatment Plan
“Before Zerlock, we had no clarity within our accounts,” says Natalie. When Georgie created a new chart of accounts in Xero, it was a revelation to us. She provided key team members with an education on what a COA is, and why it was so important. She took us though a layout of our management reports and showed us how to measure our performance against our newly defined goals. The process was just what we needed.”
Where Does It Really Hurt?
For Georgie, she knew GST compliance was her clients biggest source of worry and pain: “I introduced a new data entry process for Bodyworks to make sure the data entered into Xero was valuable on review. It’s so hard to make important business decisions when you can’t trust your own data. There is prevention, and there is cure. I was lucky to partner with a business who understood this on a professional and business level, but Zerlock makes it so easy to navigate I use this analogy with all my clients now.”
The Future Is A Pain-Free Month End
Now when month end rolls in, SME Agency uses Zerlock to do the grunt work for them. “We know that most financial pain points are human data entry errors – so when I was able to educate the team I reduced the time I spend checking the integrity of their Xero data. With Zerlock and the direct links to the Xero transactions, it takes me less than half an hour per month. It saves me hours of menial data entry checking and correcting before I can get to the proactive advisory work I have been hired to do.”
“As part of my Zerlock review, I can instantly check on what has been voided or deleted since my last review and know I can start at the same place I left off. The time saved with Zerlock is amazing. In a matter of minutes, I can see what transactions don’t have a receipt or an invoice, and I can send those links to the client for updating.”
Growing from Strength to Strength
Seeing the relief that her clients get when they understand their business better is why Georgie loves what she does.
“It’s so rewarding to reeducate and truly partner with a business. The Xero Health Score by Zerlock is the tool I needed to open up that dialogue, and pass back the onus of dirty-data where it belongs! Now I can deliver more value, cost savings and don’t have to write-off my time,” she says. “The hassle free month end speaks for itself. Everyone wins. Their newfound business health impacts my business health too!”
Want to find out more about the Xero Health Score by Zerlock. Visit the Xero app marketplace and see how integrating Zerlock with Xero can drop hours of grunt work from your practice.
