Ignition helps Frankenberger Associates double growth and eliminate AR
Frankenberger Associates streamlined client agreements, automated billing, and eliminated AR thanks to Ignition. The business was also able to grow and scale quickly without increasing overhead or operational complexity.
“We’ve essentially doubled our business in the past year and will likely double it again in the coming year. I could never have done what I do, and continue to do, without Ignition.”
- Ted Backes, Director of Cognitive Training at Frankenberger Associates
The challenge: scaling services while keeping payments simple
A company that serves neurodiverse students, Frankenberger Associates provides several virtual offerings, including educational and psychological evaluations, cognitive training, executive function coaching, and social learning programs.
Frankenberger Associates typically sells packages based on a set number of hours (e.g., 10 hours of executive functioning coaching) and also offers a 14-week social skills program. Ted Backes, Director of Cognitive Training at Frankenberger Associates, says that the company initially meant to sell these services on a one-off basis but soon found that clients repeatedly renewed their services, driving the need for recurring billing and payments.
With 200 clients (and growing), Frankenberger Associates grappled with managing contracts, as well as invoicing and collecting payments at scale.
Challenging and laborious processes for the company and its clients
According to Ted, managing client billing was time-consuming and prone to delays.
"We were at a point where we were sending out Docusign, collecting money through credit card payments, and waiting for checks. It had become a hugely laborious process and challenging for some of our clients, particularly on payment plans."
Frankenberger Associates also wanted flexibility for those who paid in installments, so the business needed to adapt its billing processes to meet varying client preferences.
"It's really up to the client. We want to meet their budget and have the facility to bill them weekly, monthly, and biweekly," explains Ted.
When it came to getting paid, the company had no automated way to collect payments, so the team was either manually charging cards or waiting for checks. As such, the business needed a solution to streamline and automate billing while maintaining client flexibility.
The solution: automating and integrating contracts and billing
Frankenberger Associates switched to Ignition, which proved to be a game-changer for the rapidly growing business.
Simplifying the client onboarding processes
Frankenberger Associates leverages Ignition to streamline its client proposals and billing processes, and consolidate multiple apps into one solution, saving Ted and his team time.
"Between sending out the agreement through Ignition and writing an email that coincides with that, it's about a five-minute process."
- Ted Backes
Eliminating billing inefficiencies and late payments
According to Ted, manually managing billing for a growing number of clients would have been unsustainable.
"It would've been ridiculous charging numerous client credit cards every month. With Ignition, we create an agreement, enter the payment information, set up the payment plan, and it's done. The fact that it integrates with QuickBooks eliminates an amazing amount of manual work," he shares.
Beyond improving the company's billing process, Ignition brought Frankenberger Associates' accounts receivable down to zero, thanks to automatic payments. Clients now provide their payment details upfront when they sign the agreement, and Ignition automatically raises invoices in QuickBooks Online and collects the payment. As Ted puts it, there’s no more “manual billing and individual credit card processing.”
"Ignition essentially eliminated receivables. If we had the same level of receivables now that we had had in the past, I would have a hundred thousand dollars that we're waiting for in checks instead of those funds in my bank account."
In addition, Ignition made it easy for Frankenberger Associates to manage repeat business. Rather than crafting an agreement from scratch, Ted and his team can easily renew the previous agreement and make updates as needed.
“We get a lot of repeat work, so we just duplicate the last agreement and update when re-billing for repeat services.”
Scaling smarter with Ignition
Another important win, says Ted, is that Ignition gave Frankenberger Associates the capabilities to handle rapid business growth without overextending their budget or resources. In other words, the business was able to minimize growing pains and operate smoothly.
“I could never have done what I do—and continue to do—without Ignition. It would've required hiring a full-time bookkeeper. I’ll still need to do it eventually, but now I can wait until next year.”
Ted continues, "As a result of the time saving, the ease of collections, and the integration with QuickBooks, Ignition has made my life so much nicer than it would've been otherwise. I'm eternally grateful.”
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