Testimonials

At Bird Luckin we believe in building long term partnerships with our clients. By listening carefully to our clients’ needs we can work together to achieve true business success. But don’t just take our word for it, here’s what our clients have to say:

		Mr Alex Tanner George Tanner (Shalford) Ltd “In the last 20 years our business has changed considerably, from family building contractor into a residential developer, and as the focus of our business has changed, Bird Luckin have moved with us. Their service and advice have kept pace with our needs.”
		Richard Stubbings Cliffords Limited and Channels Golf Club “Over the years, Bird Luckin have been instrumental in assisting our business development. They are pro-active and innovational, and have tailored their services to meet our needs.”
		Colin Webb Walthamstow Stadium "In my relatively lengthy career, I can honestly say that Bird Luckin are the best firm of accountants and auditors I have ever dealt with - and I don't say that lightly!" "They understand the needs of their customers in every area - not just simply accounting but pensions, employment issues and a whole host of other areas. They use straightforward language, they are down to earth, and they are not pompous in any way - they do not talk down to their clients." "I have worked with David Huggins for many years, but that professionalism and approach has filtered down through the team; I've yet to come across anyone within the team who doesn't share that approach, there hasn't been anyone who we couldn't work well with." "And as well as the right approach, their presentation is perfect; obviously we receive copious amounts of reports and notes with our audits, but it is presented in such a style, and written in such a language, that it is easy to understand. It means that you actually want to read the reports, because you can understand the information they contain."
		Jane Bennett Bennetts Funeral Directors, Brentwood As one of the oldest established businesses in Brentwood, Bennetts Funeral Directors appreciate the relationship they have built up with Bird Luckin, and the level of customer service they receive. "Our first encounter with Bird Luckin was when they judged us for the Essex Business Awards Customer Care and Service category in 2002. We subsequently won our category and overall Business of the Year," explained Jane Bennett, Managing Director. "Bird Luckin have taken care of all of our accounting needs, from the basic compliance issues such as tax returns and P11D's, to more complex areas such as developing our Sage package and providing the support we needed to keep it running smoothly." "They have also been most helpful on proactive issues such as business planning; as we developed, their Business Solutions team were able to work closely with us on matters such as pricing strategy and the range of services we provide. "It's important for us to know that we will always be able to contact the right people to give us the right advice and support." Bennetts Funeral Directors have been established in Brentwood for more than a century, and now also have premises in Billericay. www.bennettsbrentwood.co.uk
		Jeremy Ruggles J.S. Wright & Sons Ltd, Great Leighs J.S. Wright & Sons Ltd are the world's leading supplier of cricket bat willow; as well as supplying blades to bat manufacturers throughout the UK, the company also exports products around the globe from their premises in Great Leighs. The family-run firm has been supplying cricket bat willow and other timber for more than a century; until recently however, the company had relied on manual accounting systems, using cash books, sales and purchase ledgers and private ledgers. Bird Luckin have worked with J.S. Wright and Sons for many years and, as company director Jeremy Ruggles (great-grandson of the firm's founder, Jessie Wright) explains, the move to using Sage Line 50 underlined the strong relationship. "Bird Luckin have been very supportive in the move to using Sage; the training was excellent, and they have generally been very helpful and practical," says Jeremy. "That level of service is something we have always received from Bird Luckin, who have advised us on the full range of accounting issues, from payroll through to developing the business. "I've probably got a dozen different Bird Luckin contacts in my e-mail address book. Although we deal mainly with one Partner, Janis Osborne, we also know that if we need to contact someone else who is a specialist in another area, we can get the advice we need quickly and easily. "It's because of that level of service that we wouldn't dream of going elsewhere," adds Jeremy. To learn more about the history of J.S. Wright & Sons, and the processes involved in growing, harvesting and preparing cricket bat willow, visit the company's website at www.cricketbatwillow.com.
		Matthew Sullivan Strategic Network Consulting Limited When IT solutions specialists Strategic Network Consulting Limited (SNC) decided to switch to Sage software for in-house accounting, the company initially approached IT-based Sage resellers. But, as Matthew Sullivan of SNC explains, it soon became clear that an accounts-based reseller would be the better partner; "From our perspective it was much more effective to work with an accounts-based reseller than an IT-based one. The IT people understood the software, but just didn't grasp our aims or the accounting issues." The company contacted Sage, and were introduced to Bird Luckin, who were asked to install, set up and train on the Network version of Sage Line 50 Financial Controller. "They were very thorough, very professional and had a good understanding of our business and what we were trying to achieve," says Matthew. "Bird Luckin got us to a stage which would have taken us months - if not years - to reach on our own, and they got us there in a matter of weeks." Since then SNC, which is based in Piccadilly, London, have now also installed Sage Job Costing, Sage Financial Forecasting and Sage Payroll; "We've been very happy with the installation, training and support we've received from Bird Luckin," adds Matthew. To find out more about the services offered by SNC, visit the company's website at www.stranet.com.
		John Hall Western Road Dental Practice, Romford For John Hall, a Partner in the Western Road Dental Practice in Romford, Excel spreadsheets had for many years provided a solid system for maintaining the Practice's accounting records. There were clear benefits, however, from a change to Sage software. "I had written Excel spreadsheets for many years, and could use them for almost any computing purpose," explains John, "but the biggest problem was bank reconciliation. It can be easy to lose your way using multiple spreadsheets. Using Sage we have been able to provide bank reconciliations on a monthly basis, right down to the last penny and a complete audit trail. Bird Luckin Manager Colin Taylor worked with John to set up the Sage Line 50 system and provide training at home (where one of the business computers is placed) and ongoing support. Bird Luckin designed a tailored accounting package to handle the specialist needs of a dental practice, something that is unlikely to be provided by an IT-based Sage trainer. The Practice has also installed the Sage payroll system on another computer in the Practice, with another Partner having taken the Sage payroll training course. "Bird Luckin have been extremely helpful and provided a very good service. It has been quite a steep learning curve for us to learn to use the Sage Accounting and Sage Payroll software but having Colin, or one of his colleagues from the IT office, at the other end of the telephone any time we run into difficulties has been a great help to us both."
		Understanding agriculture is an asset Family firm W A Church (Bures) Ltd has more than a century of experience in the agricultural industry, and director Robert Church believes Bird Luckin's own knowledge of the agricultural sector is a major asset. "There is clearly a level of experience within Bird Luckin in relation to working with agricultural clients, which is a real benefit to those within that sector," says Robert, the fourth generation of the Church family to be involved in the running of the Suffolk-based seed suppliers. "You can be a good accountant, but if you don't have an understanding of the industry it can be very difficult. "There are two or three people we have regular contact with at Bird Luckin who know our business well, and it makes a difference; they have worked with us on a range of issues, including audit, tax planning and business planning. "We have been with Bird Luckin for four years now, since our accountant moved to join the firm, and we wanted to maintain some continuity. "I would rate them as good to excellent, and I would certainly recommend them to other agricultural businesses." To find out more about W A Church (Bures) Ltd, visit the company's website at www.churchofbures.co.uk.
		Cornerstone helps to keep The Artful Angel flying high When Steve and Amy Barker set up their silver and costume jewellery business, they initially planned to sell their products on the internet, and then through their small shop in Brentwood. But since the launch of their company, The Artful Angel, in 2002, Steve and Amy have worked with Bird Luckin – and the firm’s specialist Management Information Systems (MIS) partners Cornerstone – to develop their business, and already have their fourth shop in Leigh on Sea. “Until we started working with Bird Luckin, we saw accountants once or maybe twice a year,” explains Steve. “We would send our books in, then have a meeting to sign off our tax return, and that would be it. “To be honest, when we first moved to Bird Luckin, we felt the firm might be a bit too big for us, but we had good advice from day one which really made a difference.” The couple have worked closely with Bird Luckin and Cornerstone on a range of issues, including traditional statutory and compliance areas such as tax and VAT returns, as well as business planning and developing tailored IT systems. As The Artful Angel expanded, Colin Taylor of Bird Luckin and Michael Killick of Cornerstone were able to help Steve and Amy develop management information and electronic point of sale (EPOS) systems which have proved essential in enabling the business to grow. “We can do so much more with the information we get, not just in providing an accurate picture of where we are, but in forecasting where we are likely to be in the future, and planning ahead,” explained Steve. “Michael has helped us a lot, and has taken on a consultative approach with us; we can bounce ideas off him without feeling like the meter’s always running. “All these things costs money, and for a small business there’s never enough money about, but the reality is that if you don’t spend and invest, you can’t grow. Without the help we’ve had from Bird Luckin and Cornerstone, I think we would have made a lot more mistakes along the way, and we would have struggled to get to where we are now. “As a business you need good advice, and through Bird Luckin we’ve been able to get expert advice on a wide range of issues. There are a lot of small businesses out there which are probably going to the wall because they haven’t got that advice.”