Coronavirus Diary: Moose Accountancy

Moose is a small accountancy firm with offices in London and Birmingham. We established the business in 2012 to provide support for sole traders and small businesses, the majority of whom work in the creative sector, across a range of disciplines. Many of our clients have been with us since the early days and our business model favours a hands-on approach, customised to each business we work with. When the pandemic first hit, being a small firm was both a blessing and a curse. Our communication with clients up until this point was tailored to the individual but we realised quickly in those first few weeks of lockdown that we couldn’t service all 250 clients in this way anymore. Following the initial shock, we quickly moved from a reactive to proactive approach and issued e-newsletters to our client database as they happened in real time. We also hosted a webinar one month into lockdown to lay out the facts and answer any concerns and questions our clients had. As well as this, we put our social media channels and website journal to good use to help inform and support our clients as best we could, every step of the way. When the Chancellor announced the business grants and the furlough scheme, it was our job to help define new processes for clients and support those who weren’t eligible for furlough or grants to help them get through the early summer. We had many clients who fell through the cracks when it came to protection for limited company directors and others who we worked hard to ensure could make the most of the Bounce Back Loan scheme so they could safely see out the rest of the year. We took charge of everything from providing clients with the relevant deadlines to helping them fill out applications and paperwork and we made the decision early on not to charge for the additional services we provided, believing instead that it was our duty to help clients through these difficult and stressful times. As we come out the other side of this all, we have hired two new members of staff to help with the new business we have secured these past few months. We also anticipate that Brexit will throw us another curveball this autumn that we need to be prepared for, nevermind the US presidential debate and the likelihood of a second wave of COVID-19, all of which make for a potentially turbulent storm that we will need to safely steer our clients through this winter. Barry Cumberlidge, client director at Moose