Smart Printing for Smart Accountants: A Case Study with Stephenson Smart

The Overview:

Founded in 1920, Stephenson Smart is a respected and long-established accountancy firm with offices strategically located across East Anglia, including King’s Lynn, Gorleston, Acle, Fakenham, Wisbech, March, and Downham Market.

The firm delivers comprehensive financial and business advisory services to both individuals and companies, with specialist expertise in areas such as tax planning, business start-up guidance, payroll, ATOL reporting, probate and estate management, and succession planning.

Renowned for its approachable and supportive service, Stephenson Smart combines traditional values with a forward-thinking mindset. As the firm continues to grow, it remains committed to investing in modern infrastructure and nurturing internal talent—ensuring it continues to meet the evolving needs of clients while securing long-term business success.

The Challenge:

As a growing multi-site business with a regional presence, Stephenson Smart sought a streamlined and more efficient way to manage its office printing, scanning, and document handling processes. They turned to IT Document Solutions for a single-source managed print service and technology refresh across their locations.

Stephenson Smart faced multiple challenges typical of multi-office organisation including, a fragmented printer fleet inherited through acquisition, with an aging fleet of devices that were no longer meeting the operational needs of the business.

In addition, the business had to contend with multiple contracts and suppliers leading to inefficiencies, including limited and varied service levels from multiple, and transactional account management. This left them with an urgent need for consistency of service delivery and a need for proactive account management.

Overall, Stephenson Smart faced a print infrastructure that was irregular, inconsistent and aging leading to a high cost of ownership.

The Solution:

Following a comprehensive technology audit and consultation process, IT Document Solutions implemented a tailored solution across their mail and print infrastructure. Our manged solution was designed to drive efficiency, reduce costs, and support future scalability for a growing Stephenson Smart.

We implemented the solution with a fleet of franking machines, including four Pitney Bowes franking machines for their four sites with the most need, Wisbech, March, Fakenham and Great Yarmouth.

The existing print fleet of varied devices was consolidated and replaced with a standardised range of Toshiba A4 and A3 Colour Multifunction Devices (MFDs), significantly reducing the number of machines and associated maintenance requirements. To support these devices and remove toner and maintenance stresses from Stephenson Smart’s team, we established a national service agreement including remote diagnostics software for pro-active monitoring. The new solution offered consistent, reliable support across all office locations, without the worry of call-out fees or any additional costs. In addition, to ease financial pressures, flexible financing options were introduced, helping to lower the overall cost of ownership to the business.

Given previous challenges Stephenson Smart faced, a dedicated account manager was appointed to oversee performance, conduct regular service reviews, and ensure compliance with agreed SLAs – ultimately, we wanted to further enhance service quality.

All devices were supplied with original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts and consumables to guarantee performance and longevity. Additionally, centralised billing and detailed reporting provides greater visibility into usage trends and spending.

With this streamlined approach, Stephenson Smart was able to shift internal resources away from device management and back towards core client service delivery, confident that ITDS was maintaining optimal print performance behind the scenes.

The Benefits:

By consolidating all print services under one contract with a single supplier, the firm streamlined procurement and simplified support across its multiple office locations.

The new mail and print infrastructure, carefully selected and optimised for actual usage, resulted in both immediate and sustained cost savings. Modern, high-performance devices significantly improved reliability and reduced downtime, enhancing staff productivity and efficiency.

ITDS’s tailored, proactive service approach aligned seamlessly with Stephenson Smart’s own client-focused value’s. Most importantly, the solution was built with scalability in mind—creating a robust, future-ready print environment capable of adapting as the firm continues to grow.