Walker Hill

Overview

Walker Hill is a Brisbane-based accounting and digital marketing firm that services hundreds of clients across Australia. The firm relies on Xero, Dext, and ApprovalMax to streamline the operations of their clients.‍

The challenge: Managing Dext disbursements

As Director, Ashleigh Turner oversees Walker Hill’s operations. As the firm’s client base has grown, managing software disbursements became increasingly complex.

Initially, software charges were manually added as line items in their proposal management software, but these needed frequent updates due to plan changes, new clients, and fluctuating usage. Over time, this process became inefficient and unsustainable, leading to three major challenges:

• Time-consuming administration: Manually reviewing Dext invoices, usage CSVs, and updating repeating invoices in Xero each month.
• Recoverability concerns: Difficulty reconciling charges against invoices, increasing the risk of missed costs.‍
• Lack of scalability: Tracking and adjusting invoices for new and departing clients was error-prone and inefficient. With only one person managing disbursements, any absence—such as leave or competing priorities—created bottlenecks and delays.

The solution: Automating Dext billing with Rechargly

To eliminate manual work and improve billing accuracy, Ashleigh led the implementation of Rechargly, allowing Walker Hill to automate software disbursements across Xero, Dext, and ApprovalMax. With Rechargly, Walker Hill:

• Implemented fixed pricing for Dext: Instead of tracking individual client usage and adjusting invoices each month, the firm set a fixed price, making billing more predictable. When clients signed up or left the firm, adjustments were handled automatically, eliminating hours of manual updates each month.
• Reduced admin overhead: Manual tracking of software charges in spreadsheets was no longer required. By automating disbursements, the team saved 2-3 hours per month, and many more if Xero changes its pricing again.
• Recoverability: 100% of software costs are now being accurately tracked, preventing revenue leakage and ensuring profitability.‍

The results: A scalable and efficient billing process

Since implementing Rechargly, Walker Hill has significantly reduced the time spent managing Dext disbursements while maintaining profitability. Clients now benefit from a transparent and predictable pricing model, and the firm has streamlined its billing process without sacrificing margin.

"Since implementing Rechargly, we have full confidence that our clients are being invoiced accurately. This has freed up valuable time, allowing us to focus on higher-impact projects."

Advice for Firms Considering Rechargly

1. Migrate existing direct debits to Rechargly early: If your clients are set up with direct debit on another platform, consider migrating them to Rechargly from the start. We chose not to, which meant we had to ask all our clients to sign new direct debit agreements later—a time-consuming process.
2. Communicate the change early: We found that notifying clients two weeks in advance was sufficient for them to understand the transition and what it meant for them. Clear communication helps ensure a smooth rollout.
3. Audit your disbursements: If you struggle to reconcile disbursements and ensure all costs are correctly passed on to clients, Rechargly is a no-brainer. Automating this process removes the risk of missed charges and improves cost recovery.‍

Ready to take control of your software disbursements?

Forward-thinking accounting firms like Walker Hill are using Rechargly to automate software disbursements, simplify pricing, and reduce admin workload. Start streamlining your disbursements for Xero, Dext or any other software you buy on behalf of your clients today.