Future Advisory cuts disbursement time by 61% and recovers thousands in missed fees

Before Rechargly, Future Advisory managed software disbursements across Xero, Dext, A2X and more through a mix of spreadsheets, manual tracking and inconsistent pricing models.

With 500+ client groups and multiple billing approaches across the firm, tracking who was paying for what had become fragmented. Discounts varied, pricing updates were often missed, and reconciling everything each month required hours of manual work.

Since implementing Rechargly, the firm has centralised subscription tracking, standardised billing, and automated price updates. The team has reduced admin time by 61% and eliminated missed pricing changes across all clients.

The result is a consistent, scalable system that improves margins, reduces admin, and gives clients full visibility over their software costs.

At-a-glance stats

• Firm size: 500+ client groups
• Location: Victoria, Australia
• Client type: Tech-enabled SMEs and growing businesses
• Core systems: Xero, Dext, A2X, Stripe
• Key outcome: Centralised and standardised software billing with no missed price changes
• Efficiency gain: 61% reduction in time spent on disbursements

Before: What life looked like pre-change

Context

Future Advisory is a fast-growing accounting firm based in Victoria, Australia, providing tech-enabled accounting services to over 500 client groups.

As the firm scaled, so did the complexity of managing client software subscriptions. Tools like Xero, Dext and A2X were used across many clients, each with different pricing structures, discounts and billing approaches.

Managing these subscriptions became a growing operational burden, particularly for team members responsible for admin and proposals.

Old workflow

Software disbursements were handled manually, with no consistent system in place. The process typically involved:

• Tracking subscriptions across spreadsheets
• Applying discounts manually
• Bundling some software into retainers
• Charging some clients directly
• Reconciling charges each month

Responsibility for managing this sat largely with one team member, who had to piece together information from multiple sources.

Where the process broke down

Inconsistent billing across clients

Different clients were billed in different ways:

• Some were charged directly
• Others had software bundled into fixed fees
• Discounts varied case by case

This lack of consistency made it difficult to manage pricing at scale.

Manual tracking created bottlenecks

Tracking subscriptions relied heavily on spreadsheets, memory, and manual checks. Each month required:

• Reviewing multiple data sources
• Checking pricing changes
• Updating records manually

"If you're managing hundreds of clients and charging them all differently, you need a system. We didn’t have one." — Jason Robinson, Director, Future Advisory

Missed charges and delayed updates

When software prices changed or usage shifted, updates were often missed. This led to:

• Undercharging clients
• Delayed proposal updates
• Catch-up invoices that created friction

"Three or four months would go by, and we'd look at our P&L and realise we hadn't passed on hundreds of dollars in subscription fees." — Jason Robinson, Director, Future Advisory

The trigger

The team recognised that the process could not scale with the firm’s growth. Managing hundreds of clients with inconsistent billing and manual tracking created too much risk and wasted time.

They needed a system that could standardise billing, automate tracking, and ensure nothing was missed.

During: How the firm made the change

Implementation

Rechargly was implemented to centralise and automate software disbursements.

It connects directly to Xero and:

• Imports all software charges
• Assigns them to clients using predefined rules
• Applies pricing, discounts or margins automatically

"Even in version one, it was easier to use than expected. Michelle now runs the whole thing on her own." — Jason Robinson, Director, Future Advisory

Standardising pricing and billing

A key shift was moving away from inconsistent billing approaches.

With Rechargly:

• Pricing rules are applied consistently
• Discounts and margins are controlled centrally
• All clients are billed in a structured way

This removed the need for manual adjustments and ad hoc decisions.

Integration with existing systems

Future Advisory already used Xero for invoicing and Stripe for payments.

Rechargly integrates with both, creating a complete billing loop:

• Charges flow from software providers into Xero
• Rechargly assigns and processes them
• Payments are collected through Stripe

This eliminated the need for spreadsheets and manual reconciliation.

The new playbook

The updated workflow is simple and repeatable:

• Software charges are imported automatically
• Clients are assigned based on rules
• Pricing updates are reflected in real time
• Billing runs through Xero and Stripe

"If a subscription price goes up or down, the client sees it that month. We’re no longer chasing our tails." — Jason Robinson, Director, Future Advisory

After: Results + proof

What changed (Before to After)

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Day-to-day impact

The team no longer spends hours reconciling software subscriptions or checking for missed charges.

Instead, the process runs in the background, with pricing updates automatically applied and billing handled consistently across all clients.

Admin workload has dropped significantly, and responsibility no longer sits with a single team member managing a complex manual process.

Business impact

The improvements have had a direct impact on both operations and revenue:

• Significant reduction in time spent on admin
• Thousands of dollars recovered from missed fees
• More consistent billing across 500+ client groups
• Increased transparency for clients

The firm can now scale without adding operational complexity.

Bottom line

Future Advisory replaced an inconsistent, manual billing process with a structured and automated system. By centralising subscription tracking and standardising pricing, the firm reduced admin time, improved margins, and ensured every software cost is captured accurately as they continue to scale.