How Loewen Kruse CPA reduced WIP by 40% and saved 350 hours in manual admin work

When Curtis Braun joined Loewen Kruse CPA from PwC in 2019, he knew modernization was overdue. The firm was still running on desktop platforms, managing work statuses through shared Outlook folders, and keeping a physical server to run virtually all of its applications including their dated billing software.

After joining the partnership in 2022, Curtis and his partner Jonathan embarked on a multi-year IT transformation journey. And in May 2025, they made the switch to Karbon Billing & Payments, and the results have exceeded expectations.

The challenge: Legacy systems blocking growth

Before Karbon Billing & Payments, the firm's invoicing process was manual, time-consuming, and disconnected from their workflow.

"Our legacy software had significant challenges providing meaningful reporting," Curtis explains. "Only one person at the firm knew how to set up new reports because it was so archaic. And if you wanted to do any analysis—pivot tables, trend analysis—you had to export to Excel and spend 30 minutes to an hour just doing data cleanup."

The invoicing workflow itself was equally painful. When a partner finished an engagement, the admin team had to PDF each invoice, save it to a client folder, look up the billing contact, draft an email, attach the invoice, and send. The process took 3-5 minutes per invoice—multiplied by hundreds during every busy season.

As an audit and assurance-focused accounting firm, client engagements often span six to nine months. The firm wanted to implement progress billing—invoicing 30-40% of fees at key milestones—but couldn't justify doubling invoice volume with such a manual process. 

"Our admin team just didn't have capacity. We had to find a tool where invoicing was more streamlined and automated," says Curtis.

The solution: Billing from the same system where work is tracked

The firm had been using Karbon for workflow management since 2020, and the decision to consolidate billing into the same platform was strategic. 

"I know integrations are all the rage, but there's something to be said about having more things within one system," explains Curtis. “If you already have your workflow in Karbon, this ties right into time entry, which ties into billing and payments—you have a whole infrastructure in one platform.”

The impact: Transformed cash flow and operations

Reducing WIP by 40% through progress billing

With streamlined invoicing finally in place, the firm launched progress billing on audit engagements in December 2025. The impact was immediate.

“Our WIP was reduced by 40%, and our AR was up by 40%. We moved that WIP into AR so much faster than before, and we collected most of the AR in January.”

Previously, the firm would wait anywhere from two to six months just to invoice WIP. "It's actually thrown my forecasting out of whack," Curtis laughs. "I'm not used to getting cash collection this soon."

Accelerating payment collection

"Our invoices look more modern now. They're clearer on how to pay, with multiple payment options," Curtis explains. "And we're getting invoices out quicker. Before, some partners would wait until month-end. Now I can prep an invoice right away—that cuts payment time by two or three weeks."

For clients using Karbon's payment options, the improvement is even more dramatic. "Some clients who previously waited for the month-end to pay us—now pay the day they get the invoice, and it comes into our bank four days later."

Saving 350+ hours of admin time annually

Perhaps the most significant operational change: for the first time in years, the firm didn't hire a seasonal administrator for tax season.

“Five or six years ago, we had two and a half admin staff during the busy season. Now we're down to 1.5 FTE for admin—the whole firm, the whole year. Because we're not hiring the seasonal admin role, we're saving at least 350 hours. Karbon Billing & Payments definitely played a big part in that.”

That unlocked capacity has allowed the firm to give their administrator more meaningful work. "We are all about freeing up our team members from repetitive administrative tasks to more valuable work that enriches their career.”

Unlocking data-driven decisions

With time tracking, billing, and payments connected to client work in Karbon, Curtis can answer questions that were previously impossible to answer (or required hours of manual data manipulation). 

He can now identify which engagements are hitting margin targets, enabling him to have data-backed performance conversations with the team. The firm has even started using budgets for engagements, something they never did with their legacy system.

“We closely monitor realization, but we also look at rate per hour. We know what we need to charge to cover costs and earn our desired margin. Now I can see which clients are hitting that target and which ones aren't—then have targeted conversations. Before, we'd have spent hours manipulating data to get anything close to that insight.”

"Before, no one really had an idea of how long things should take. It was all anecdotal and based on a gut feeling. But we had no data to back that up. Now we can have meaningful conversations with our team members and clients about budgets and fees," Curtis reflects. 

“This new capability puts us on a journey of figuring out how to set better metrics, communicate them to the team, and actually monitor performance."

Advice for firms considering the switch to Karbon

“Consider Karbon, especially if you're on a legacy desktop platform. The opportunities and payout far exceed the cost to implement and train. You can improve cash collection, improve profitability, and have far superior reporting and insights.”

Curtis suggests framing the change as an opportunity for the whole team: "Sell it to your admin team on cutting down their time so you can give them more exciting work. And for owners—if you're already using Karbon for workflow, why have billing somewhere else? Having it all in one platform just makes everything connect."

But he emphasized success requires methodical project management and thoughtful rollout from the firm leaders. As the driver of this implementation, Curtis spent time documenting scenarios, building FAQ guides, and creating step-by-step process flows. 

He ran training sessions and personally reviewed every timesheet for the first few weeks to make sure good habits were formed from the beginning and course correction took place before it was too late.

"Our approach to any IT change is that we don't rush it, and we involve as many team members as possible early. That way, when we launch, the heavy users and long-tenured staff are already bought in, and junior team members see that buy-in from leadership."

Key Karbon features that made the difference

• Streamlined invoicing: Eliminated the manual PDF-save-email workflow, cutting per-invoice time from three-to-five minutes to just seconds.

• Flexible billing runs: Partners can invoice immediately when work is complete, rather than batching at month-end.

• Multiple payment options: Credit card, PAD, and auto-pay make it easier for clients to pay promptly.

• QBOA integration: Automatic invoice posting and AR clearing reduces bookkeeping overhead.

• Automated performance analytics: Realization and profitability insights are available without manual data manipulation.

Key results

• 40% reduction in WIP through progress billing

• Cash collection accelerated by 2-6 months

• 350+ admin hours saved annually

• Admin team reduced from 2.5-3 FTE to 1.5 FTE

• Invoice processing cut from 3-5 minutes per invoice and client to seconds

• Eliminated physical server dependency