Abacus First Solutions

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of operations for Pure Foods Management. We own and operate 70 Popeyes locations, and we’ll be diversifying with additional brands soon.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Abacus First Solutions?

Our company hired them to handle our accounting.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Abacus First Solutions handles our accounting, profit and loss statements (P&Ls), and finance. They analyze reports and help us identify areas where we’re spending too much money on all kinds of different things, including energy bills, maintenance, and labor hours. They bring those things to our attention and give us recommendations. They’ve also helped us analyze our staffing.

What is the team composition?

Abacus First Solutions has a lot of employees, and I deal directly with about four people from their team.

How did you come to work with Abacus First Solutions?

Abacus First Solutions was already working with the company when I started working here two and a half years ago. I’m sure our company went through a due diligence process to find the right company to partner with. Typically, our company accepts bids, speaks to a lot of different companies, contacts referrals, and screens potential partners through up to three rounds of interviews before making a decision.

What is the status of this engagement?

My company started working with them in May 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

They streamline processes and save us a lot of time and money. Their recommendations each save us anywhere from $1,000–$50,000. It’s hard to put an exact number on their impact because once they make us aware of something and we make a change, for months and years afterward we continue to save money. 

My role is very involved in operations and my company introduced me to Abacus First Solutions almost immediately after I was hired because they were such a strong partner of ours.

We have a few thousand employees, and they were the people that we had to rely on during the COVID-19 pandemic. We sometimes had 3–4 times the turnover rate in our markets because of everything that was going on in 2020, and Abacus First Solutions was there to guide us.

They save me a lot of time because I can just ask them for whatever I need and they give me the information. I don’t have to go find it myself.

How did Abacus First Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

Their scheduling has been really good. They use QuickBooks, and we communicate with them via Zoom, email, and phone calls. I’m able to get results very quickly, especially by phone. The beauty of it is that I can call them and get results quickly — there’s no need to send four emails back and forth. They save me a lot of time because I can just ask them for whatever I need, and they give me the information.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re all extremely smart, and their communication is on point. They have an impressive ability to streamline processes. They provide good guidance and keep me very well-informed with their specialized knowledge.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, but if they’re facing staffing issues like seemingly everybody is, I hope they can find more employees. It seems like they’re all super hard workers.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Meet with them to tell them exactly what you need upfront so they can use their expertise to guide you. Do that, and you’ll be in good shape.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a partner at TJ Cleaning Services LLC, a cleaning service franchise.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Abacus First Solutions?

We needed help with our accounting services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Abacus First Solutions does all our accounting, including payroll, tax services, monthly franchise reports, invoice payments, and any other tasks we have along those lines. We provide them with the key information, and they take care of everything else from that point.

What is the team composition?

We’ve been working with 2–3 members of their team.

How did you come to work with Abacus First Solutions?

They were referred to us by a colleague of mine.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent around $25,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in February 2019, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

They’ve been very punctual with their reports, which are accurate because they handle the payments, invoicing, and payroll, so nothing is missing. That kind of work helps us get a good read on the different expenses, which they break into monthly and yearly percentages. Overall, their work is very good.

How did Abacus First Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management has been good; I haven’t had any issues with communication and sticking to deadlines. Also, I can reach out to them by phone call every time I need something and get a response the same day.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their consistency is outstanding; we’ve had ups and downs with other providers, but Abacus First Solutions has been solid throughout the engagement.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think there’s anything they can improve on — we’re happy with their services.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Ensure that you’re providing access to all of the information so they can deliver the results you expect.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Gourmet Burger Chain, I am the General Manager of the Restaruant

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Abacus First Solutions, and what were your goals?

they provide bookkeeping and accounting services

SOLUTION

How did you select this firm and what were the deciding factors?

This services where being provided by LA based company but we realized that we got better service and lesser cost by engaging with ABACUS First Solutions

Describe the engagement and overall scope of work in detail, including the stages of the partnership and any software or documents used.

Accounting Services

Describe their billing or cost structure.

Monthly Fee for providing these Services

How many resources from the firm's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Team leader plus a team of five that works on our accounting

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the engagement or general feedback about the services?

They are accurate and timely with their monthly P&L Statements

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

They are very easy to work with and always respond in a timely manner.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Very easy to work with and cost-effective

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

NO, very happy with their services

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Hi Tech Solution LLC provides software and app development based on client requirements. I am the owner and president of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Abacus First Solutions?

We utilize their bookkeeping and payroll services.

SOLUTION

How did you select this firm and what were the deciding factors?

We looked at lot of options and decided on AFS based on their cost and service level.

Describe the project in detail and walk through their service package.

AFS provides us full accounting services including but not limited to bookkeeping, cash flow, tax filings, vendor management, payroll services.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We work with an account manager who has a team of 5-6 people dedicated to our business.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the engagement that demonstrate progress or success?

Their services not only saved us costs but also the production of accurate and timely profit & loss statements has helped in streamlining our pricing structure.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They are easy to approach and always timely in their replies.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

None.