Kerseys

Kerseys solicitors have just celebrated their 125th anniversary providing their clients with legal assistance on a range of personal and business issues. Their services range from drafting legal documentations to commercial litigation, and from property conveyancing to representation in court and before tribunals. Kerseys offices house around 60 people including 11 partners and are based in Ipswich, Suffolk.

Case Study:

Download a PDF copy of the case study.

Left to right: Paul Copsey and John Heathcock, Auditel Consultants; Graham Nunn, Kerseys Managing Partner and Stephen Heathcock, Auditel Consultant.

John Heathcock of Auditel first met Graham Nunn, the managing partner at Kerseys Solicitors in 2002. Graham invited John and his colleague Stephen Heathcock to review Kerseys expenditure after hearing how they had successfully managed the essential business costs of a number of other local businesses. Additionally, the self financing Auditel approach appealed to the financially astute firm who realised that they had little to lose.

Kerseys had always maintained a tight rein on expenditure; negotiating hard with suppliers and watching costs. However as their own client base continued to grow, the increasing workload for all staff meant that there was less time for these ‘non-essential’ duties. The opportunity for an independent risk-free assessment by a local and proven consultancy offered the chance to free these responsibilities from the busy employees, and therefore increase the earning potential for Kerseys as a whole.

The first phase involved looking at Kerseys electricity expenditure which was due for renewal. By drawing on their expertise and knowledge of the electricity market John and Stephen invited suppliers to tender. In doing this a 56% saving was realised on the incumbent supplier’s renewal prices. They then repeated this tendering process twenty four months later and saved another 30%. Timing of energy contract renewals is important in the current volatile market and daily updates on energy under Auditel’s management service played a large part in ensuring the best prices were obtained.

Having achieved outstanding results in reducing their electricity costs Kerseys invited Auditel to look at their gas, fixed line, and data costs. During the initial gas review Auditel recommended that Kerseys remain with their incumbent provider as they offered the best value. Subsequent investigations continued to show that Kerseys were getting the best deal until very recently, when John asked colleague Paul Copsey to review again. Paul identified potential savings of 22% with an alternative but trusted gas supplier. Auditel are now managing the implementation and transfer. Further savings of £3,276 per annum were found when Auditel looked at their broadband provider. Kerseys are now appreciating a supplier that is not only cheaper but is more suited to their needs, and provides the quality of service they require.

Kerseys fixed line contract tied them in to their incumbent supplier for a long period. Despite this, with persistence and patience Auditel managed to negotiate an improved tariff. Without time and dedicated resources it is unlikely that Kerseys would have been able to manage this task as they are quite simply too busy practicing law. In fact Auditel’s persistence meant that they were able to review the tariff twice over the course of two years meaning substantial savings were made. In addition to achieving ongoing cost savings, John and Paul also obtained refunds totaling £26,235 for billing errors and overcharging by the fixed line supplier and maintenance provider.

With Auditel managing their essential business costs Kerseys can concentrate on their clients with the knowledge that they aren’t paying more than they should for their utilities and other core overheads.

Savings Achieved:

31% Savings for Electricity (currently)
22% Savings for Gas (estimated)
46% Savings for Fixed Line Calls
43% Savings for Broadband

Download a PDF copy of the case study.