Terra Firma Business Solutions Ltd
Ian Crates
Qualified Support Person
Ian Crates, owner and director of business consulting firm Terra Firma Business Solutions, has been an Accredo reseller for over 14 years. Over that time he has used Accredo to "take care of business" for more than 50 firms.
"I only resell one accounting software package and that's Accredo," says Ian. "I have been dealing with the company since its Profax days when the system was still DOS based." What he likes best about Accredo is the personal touch - having direct access to the people who run the company.
"This is what separates Accredo from most other software providers. I have always been a firm believer in dealing with New Zealand companies, because the level of on-the-ground support for the reseller and the customer is easily superior to what overseas software companies can provide."
He says his experience with multinational software companies is the exact reverse. "With bigger corporates, it is difficult to get software changes made to accommodate the specific needs of local customers. That is why I have stuck with Accredo. They focus on New Zealand companies and have an in-depth knowledge of the business issues that importers, manufacturers, and retailers in this country face."
He believes customers take to Accredo because it is a versatile, easy-to-use system that can be customised to suit the particular business processes of each organisation.
Terra Firma's consulting business focuses on supporting medium-sized companies and Ian says he has Accredo sites with up to 100 users. "I have a sister company called Innovative IT which deals with network and hardware solutions. When a large site wants to install Accredo I use resources from both companies, centrally deploying the application and then delivering the user interface via terminal services. This can reduce costs quite significantly for bigger customers."
Ian says his background in manufacturing and his original training as a fitter and turner has equipped him well for his current business consulting role. "Our aim when we partner with a customer is to look at the way they can streamline their business, reduce costs and increase profits. We achieve that with Accredo by automating key business procedures."
city/town: West Auckland
phone: 09 837 0910
mobile: 027 497 8854
email: ian.crates@innovativeit.co.nz