Trust, credibility and consistency are the qualities Prestige Partners Chartered Accountants decided to build their business on when it was established in 2012.
The Perth-based accounting firm specialises in assisting small-to-medium (SME) enterprises. Entering the 2024 Client Choice Awards presented an opportunity to recognise the staff’s hard work and collect unbiased client feedback to benchmark the firm’s standing against similar firms.
So, when James Wyrewenaden, CPA Director at the firm, discovered his team had won the category of Best Accounting and Consulting Services Firm (<$30m revenue), he initially didn’t believe it.
“As a national award and due to the calibre of nominees, we certainly hadn’t expected to even be a finalist. So, it came as a massive surprise when we actually won,” he said.
“On the day that we won, I arrived back at the office after a client meeting and the article had been pinned to our staff social board. I actually thought that it was a joke and had been photoshopped, grabbed my coffee and it wasn’t until I had a few emails come through from clients that I realised we had actually won.”
Once the reality of the situation dawned, Wyrewenaden said he quickly rustled up a bottle of champagne to share around the office. He said he was looking forward to celebrating with his team and clients at the firm’s end of financial year event in June.
“As a boutique practice, receiving this award was such an honour, and a testament to the hard work of all staff in cultivating relationships and our commitment to providing the highest standard of service,” he said.
The Client Choice Awards are free to enter and the only professional services awards that determine winners based on extensive client feedback, rather than judging panels or industry experts.
Tens of thousands of clients across Australia and New Zealand are surveyed via the Beaton Benchmarks survey every year to judge the awards. These clients rate firms on a range of key performance indicators (KPIs), and the firms with the best overall client satisfaction ratings in their industry and size category are named winners.
Previously, Prestige Partners had collected client feedback on an informal and ad hoc basis. Clients would offer up feedback occasionally over a phone call or meeting. However, the unbiased feedback Beaton collected and provided to the firm in the 2024 Client Choice Awards painted a more comprehensive picture of what clients valued.
Wyrewenaden noted this feedback would be used to help his team “understand the pathway for continued improvement”.
“Growth is not to be looked at in isolation, it is a carefully planned growth for staff, clients, and scope of services,” he said.
“Receiving the award showed us that our client satisfaction is a strong competitive advantage for us. To be honest, we’ve worked hard for this to be the norm within Element, but the award proved the perspective to be true.”
Prestige Partners was named Best Accounting and Consulting Services Firm (<$30m revenue) in the 2024 Client Choice Awards. This award is presented by Westpac as principal partner, with major partner FeeSynergy.
The 2025 Client Choice Awards are now open for entry. Click here to enter.