How Clarico deliver peace of mind through clear communication
Starting a new business can feel like working in the dark. It’s difficult to see what’s next or even if you’re facing the right way. But for clients working with Clarico, the light is always on.
Led by Andy Wang and Caitie Copley, Clarico is built on two fundamental tenets. “Accountants should meet two emotional needs for clients,” Andy says, “One is peace of mind and the other is clarity. If you can give clients both of those, then you're doing really well.”
Based in Adelaide, Australia, Clarico are a team of seven people working both remotely and locally. They combine technology and a progressive mindset to help their clients, specializing in the health and wellness sector. But their specialty isn’t restrictive; Clarico’s priority is to “look for personality first, industry second.”
Andy and Caitie find that their passion for creation and growth aligns most with small-business owners, so they comprise the majority of Clarico’s clients.
A clear purpose
Having worked for over 10 years as an accountant prior to starting Clarico, Andy knows the common issues facing clients. They’re usually centered around one of two basic problems:
Impenetrable accounting concepts
A lack of communication
Translating and simplifying
Between professionals who have studied accountancy and are used to it, it’s fine to use esoteric language. But for many business owners—especially small business owners—that language is not only foreign, but also intimidating.
That’s what the team at Clarico make their point of emphasis. They break down confusing concepts into ideas and terms their clients understand. Once their clients know the way the processes work, they’re able to make more informed business decisions. That gives them peace of mind.
Communicating for clarity
To be able to break down complex concepts, Andy, Caitie and their team first create an atmosphere that welcomes discussion. As Andy puts it, “We’d rather have a client say to us, ‘Hey, you’re communicating too much’ rather than ‘You're not communicating enough’. That’s always something we can dial back.”
If clients are hesitant to ask questions, they’re not going to know everything that’s going on with their business, and that’s what Andy and Caitie want to avoid. It’s in the name: Clarico is a marriage between Clarity and Company.
Finding clients that fit
A stuffy, overly-formal accounting style isn’t what they deliver at Clarico. Instead, they have a straight-up, helpful, and clear approach. Andy and Caitie want their team to be themselves, always.
They look to attract clients who resonate with their style of business. And if a client isn’t for them, or they aren’t for a client, there are no hard feelings. Andy is proud to say that they “don’t approach things with a competitive or combative mindset.”
Using technology to stay at the top of the game
Clarico have always had a strong IT focus. Initially, a lot of their work was helping clients choose and implement the right technology. This worked for them because as a young business, they have a keen interest in technology themselves: finding it, testing it, and discovering new ways to use it to be more efficient.
“It is a lot of fun seeing technology grow and develop, and seeing how we can implement it in our business; testing it out first before teaching it to clients,” Andy says. “It's amazing, so much fun, and really fulfilling. There is a real sense of challenge and growth, I love it.”
How Karbon helps Clarico help their clients
Clarico and Karbon began their relationship with the need for a streamlined workflow and in-house communication. Now, Andy says he can’t imagine life without Karbon.
« Karbon is our brain outside of our brain. It is our organization's organizer. »
A user interface that makes sense
When looking for practice management software, it was Karbon’s interface that first caught Clarico’s attention.
“When Karbon came up, it was sexy. The user interface and the user experience meant a lot to us, because if we don’t want to use something, we’re not going to use it. With Karbon, the user experience is so smooth.”
While he estimates Karbon saves his employees 30 minutes a day through Triage and other features, Andy believes Karbon’s true value to Clarico lies in encouraging them to do things they wouldn’t normally do.
Clarico take comprehensive notes on everything now, they’re attached to jobs and clients so it’s laid out clearly for the whole team to see. Without Karbon’s interface and functionality, Andy doesn’t think his team would be able to work that way, and thinks they would suffer for it.
More than just a subscription
Karbon has been a particularly good fit for Clarico because the interactive relationship didn’t end once they signed up. In fact, it was the opposite: Andy felt real, ongoing support.
In his experience with a lot of SaaS companies, once the salesperson finishes a sale—having sold themselves as being the person who would oversee onboarding—they hand off to a client manager who often doesn’t show the same level of care.
« We didn’t get [a cold handover] with Karbon. We had that same person, where it felt like they really cared the whole way through. »
Clear skies on the horizon
Andy wants to see Clarico and their clients succeed well into the future. He is excited to build on what they’ve already achieved. But Andy acknowledges his priority: “We want to grow in scale without sacrificing quality.”
He’s determined to move forward without sacrificing clarity and peace of mind—his own or his clients’.
Key results
Can do more in less time with optimized workflows
Able to access any email at any time without sifting through inboxes
Seamless Karbon onboarding experience resulting in quick increases in efficiency
