Future Advisory cuts billing admin and recovers thousands in missed fees with Rechargly

Overview

Future Advisory is a fast-growing accounting firm based in Victoria, Australia, serving over 500 client groups with modern, tech-enabled accounting services.

As Director, Jason Robinson wears many hats. From team leadership to client strategy, his time is stretched thin, so when software disbursements started draining hours from the team each month, something had to change.

As the team scaled, tracking software subscriptions became a headache. Different clients were charged in different ways. Discounts varied. And every month, someone had to reconcile it all manually. That job usually fell to Michelle Smith, a key team member working across proposals and admin.

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The challenge: A manual process that didn’t scale

Future Advisory paid for dozens of software tools on behalf of clients, including Xero, Dext and A2X. But how those fees were passed on varied.

Some clients were charged directly. Others had software bundled into monthly retainers. Discounts were handled manually. In many cases, charges were missed entirely.

Tracking all of this meant juggling spreadsheets, chasing approvals and relying on memory.

"If you're managing hundreds of clients and charging them all differently, you need a system," says Jason. "We didn’t have one. Michelle would be pulling her hair out if we were still doing it the old way."

When software prices changed or usage shifted, it often went unnoticed. Proposal updates were delayed. Catch-up invoices were awkward. And costs quietly accumulated.

"Three or four months would go by, and we'd look at our P&L and realise we hadn't passed on hundreds of dollars in subscription fees."

The solution: Automating software disbursements with Rechargly

Jason worked closely with the Rechargly team to define a scalable process.

Rechargly now connects directly to Future Advisory’s Xero account. It imports all software charges, assigns them to clients based on predefined rules, and allows for custom pricing, discounts or margins where needed.

"Even in version one, it was easier to use than expected," says Jason. "Michelle now runs the whole thing on her own. She’s gotten countless hours back every month."

Future Advisory already used Xero for invoicing and Stripe for payments. Rechargly integrated cleanly with both, creating a billing loop that no longer requires spreadsheets or manual reconciliation.

"If a subscription price goes up or down, the client sees it that month. We’re no longer chasing our tails or sending catch-up invoices later."

The system gives clients a consistent, transparent experience. For Jason, it also means the firm can focus on advisory work instead of chasing admin.

The impact: Less admin, better margins, more trust

Since implementing Rechargly, Future Advisory has:

• Reduced time spent managing software disbursements from hours to minutes
• Recovered thousands of dollars in subscription fees that had been missed
• Billed more consistently across all client groups
• Strengthened trust by offering transparent and timely billing

"Rechargly lets us practise what we preach," says Jason. "We tell our clients to value their time and charge for it. Now we’re doing the same. And we’re not burning hours or margin to do it."

Still managing software billing manually?
Join firms like Future Advisory and switch to automated disbursements with Rechargly.