Case Studies

Worldwide ISDN

Placing your needs at the heart of our business: that’s what sister companies Worldwide ISDN and Telecom IT promise clients of their hightech communications services, which include web and video conferencing, cost-efficient phone rentals, memorable telephone numbers and delivery of faxes as emails.

It’s an approach that directors Dave Hodgkinson and Peter Smith also find at Murphy Salisbury. As Peter says: “Murphy Salisbury have got under the skin of our business.”

Worldwide ISDN began life in 1999 when Dave had the idea for a business specialising in telecoms services for video conferencing, drawing on his experience of working in those sectors. He then approached Peter, whom he knew through a family connection, and who had just taken voluntary redundancy from Lloyds TSB, to come on board, bringing with him his business expertise.

Within a year, the business moved from a back bedroom into rented offices and by 2006 had a turnover of around £2 million, which shot up to £5 million following the acquisition of Telecom IT. Today, the business supports clients including local authorities, NHS trusts, universities, small businesses and corporates.

Initially, Dave and Peter worked with a small accountancy firm based in Cheshire, subsequently switching to a national firm. Peter says: “We thought that was the right move, to find someone who could deal with bigger issues and be in tune with our needs. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out – they just weren’t responsive enough.”

A year on, they were looking for another accountant and this time asked a contact at solicitors Needham & James, which has a Stratford-upon-Avon office, for a recommendation. The name he put forward was Murphy Salisbury and since they began working together in 2007, Dave and Peter have been more than happy that they asked for that advice.

Murphy Salisbury, where Peter and Dave work with Steve Smith, provides services including annual accounts preparation and corporate and personal tax compliance and planning.

Other key projects include the purchase of shares from minority shareholders, with a tight deadline of the end of the 2007-08 financial year, ahead of the axing of taper relief on capital gains tax and Steve has also carried out work on the business’s executive pension scheme.

Peter explains: “Steve is very easy to work with and everything operates very smoothly. For example, our annual accounts have been produced a lot earlier than previously, which gives us more time to decide what we need to do beforehand in terms of tax management.

“They understand businesses of our size and very quickly understood our business. They are local too, which was one of the things we were looking for, and we like their accessibility and responsiveness. It’s essential for us to be able to rely on a quick response from someone who understands our business and that’s what we get from Murphy Salisbury.”

To find out more about how our leading firm of accountants in Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwickshire can help you, please contact us.