How Kindred eliminated tedious work when clients changed their Xero plans

Before Rechargly, Kindred Accounting managed client software subscriptions through spreadsheets and manual reconciliation.

With 150+ clients whose Xero subscriptions were managed through the firm, even small changes created ongoing admin work. Every time a client upgraded their Xero plan or changed their subscription, someone had to update internal records, verify the charges, and ensure billing still matched the client proposal.

Within three months of implementing Rechargly, 98% of clients moved onto direct debit, subscription changes were handled automatically, and the firm reduced the time spent managing plan changes by 84% each month. The result was a simpler billing process and far less operational overhead for the team.

At-a-glance stats

• Team size: 15
• Clients managing subscriptions through the firm: 150+
• Clients on direct debit within 90 days: 98%
• Admin time managing subscription plan changes: ↓ 84%
• Primary integrations: Xero + Stripe

Before: What life looked like pre-change

Context

Kindred Accounting is a fast-growing accounting firm based in New South Wales, Australia, serving more than 300 clients. As director, Andrew is responsible for many operational areas across the business. One task that remained difficult to delegate was managing the firm’s software disbursements, particularly Xero subscriptions. With more clients adopting cloud software, subscription billing had become a recurring administrative burden.

Old workflow

Managing software subscriptions required a manual reconciliation process each month. The process looked like this:

• Export the Xero invoice as a CSV file
• Compare each line item against a spreadsheet tracking client subscriptions
• Confirm the amount matched the pricing documented in the client proposal
• Update the spreadsheet whenever a client changed plans
• Adjust proposals when subscription pricing changed
  

The spreadsheet effectively acted as the source of truth for subscription billing, but maintaining it required constant attention.

Where the process broke down

Plan changes created ongoing admin work. 

Whenever a client upgraded or downgraded their Xero plan, Andrew needed to update the spreadsheet manually. As more clients adopted cloud software, these changes became increasingly frequent.

No clear view of subscription payments. 

The spreadsheet tracked expected charges but didn’t clearly show which clients had actually paid their subscriptions. This meant additional reconciliation work every month.

Vendor price changes required manual updates. 

When software vendors updated their pricing, the changes needed to be reflected manually in both the spreadsheet and the client proposals. Over time, maintaining accuracy became increasingly time-consuming.

The trigger

The process technically worked, but it relied heavily on manual oversight. As Kindred continued to grow, Andrew recognised the firm needed a system that could:

• Automatically match vendor charges to clients
• Detect plan changes without manual tracking
• Create a single source of truth for subscription billing
• Reduce time spent updating proposals and spreadsheets

During: How the firm made the change

Implementation

Kindred implemented Rechargly by integrating it directly with its existing systems, including Xero and Stripe. This allowed subscription billing, payment collection, and reconciliation to be automated within the firm’s existing workflow. Instead of exporting CSV files and maintaining spreadsheets, the system now handles subscription management automatically.

The new playbook

With Rechargly in place, the workflow now operates as follows:

• Vendor subscriptions flow through Xero
• Rechargly automatically matches each subscription to the correct client
• Plan changes are detected automatically
• Clients are billed through direct debit
• Payments and reconciliation occur automatically through Stripe and Xero

The spreadsheet that previously tracked subscriptions is no longer required.

After: Results + proof

What changed (Before → After)

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Adoption

Within 90 days, 98% of clients transitioned to direct debit for their subscriptions. This allowed the firm to standardise how subscription costs were billed and collected across the client base.

Day-to-day impact

The biggest improvement has been the removal of repetitive monthly admin work. Instead of checking spreadsheets and updating proposals every time a subscription changes, the system now handles those updates automatically. This reduced the time spent managing subscription changes by 84% each month.

Business impact

By removing the manual reconciliation process, the firm freed up a meaningful amount of leadership time. Tasks that previously required careful oversight now run in the background. As Andrew explains:

“Rechargly has freed up a considerable amount of time. If you're a director and still handling software disbursements in your firm, Rechargly is a must-try solution. It's lifted a significant burden off my shoulders.”— Andrew Haynes, Director, Kindred Accounting

Bottom line

Kindred Accounting removed a manual system that had grown alongside the firm. By replacing spreadsheets and CSV reconciliation with automated subscription tracking and direct debit payments, the firm reduced admin workload by 84%, achieved 98% client adoption, and created a billing system that scales as the practice continues to grow.