Based in the North East of Scotland, M Squared Accountants is a fast-growing general practice supporting nearly 2,000 clients across a wide range of industries.
While the local economy is rooted in farming and fishing, the firm has built a strong reputation as a modern, forward-thinking adviser. In just four years, the team has grown from five people to a 25-strong practice, creating new challenges around visibility, capacity planning, and operational control.
Susan Lyon, PA to the directors, has had a front-row seat to that growth and the systems that needed to evolve alongside it.
Before Engager, the firm relied heavily on Excel spreadsheets, supported by TaxCalc for compliance work. They had also briefly trialled another practice management tool, an experience Susan describes simply as “an epic fail.”
Why Spreadsheets Stopped Working
As the firm expanded, it became clear that spreadsheets could no longer keep up. The biggest challenge wasn’t just tracking work; it was trying to predict what was coming next.
“It was about trying to see into the future,” Susan explains. “Busy periods like VAT deadlines, knowing when we’d need more people. The spreadsheet gave us visibility, but it also scared my boss when he saw the workload. That’s when we realised we needed better systems.”
Alongside capacity planning, risk and human error were growing concerns.
“It’s so easy for someone to update a spreadsheet incorrectly or accidentally delete something. You can only password protect things so much.”
Their earlier attempt with another PM system only reinforced the need to choose carefully this time.
“It was overcomplicated, and even the people behind it struggled to explain how it worked. That gave us real hesitation about trying again.”
The Decision to Move to Engager
The turning point came after one of the firm’s directors, Michael, attended an industry event in London and returned full of ideas.
“He came back buzzing, saying ‘we’re going to do this, we’re going to do that’, and asked me to look at Engager. Straight away, it felt like exactly what we needed.”
Ease of use was critical, especially for a growing team.
“It’s intuitive. Even new starters get shown once and they’re away with it. That was a massive plus for us.”
Implementation Without Disruption
Migrating to Engager required preparation, but the process itself was refreshingly straightforward.
“Getting the import spreadsheet ready took time, but the fact that Engager handled the import while we just carried on working was perfect.”
This contrasted sharply with their earlier experience, where the firm had been left to manage migration alone.
“With Engager, any questions were answered really quickly. No waiting.”
One feature quickly became indispensable for Susan: bulk updates.
“If a new manager joins or clients are reassigned, I don’t have to go into 100 individual records. I just use bulk update. That’s been a massive change for me.”
The Benefits They’ve Seen
Today, Engager sits at the centre of how M Squared Accountants manages work and deadlines.
The leadership team relies heavily on the Kanban-style workflow view.
“They love it. You can instantly see how much work each person has, who’s overloaded, and where things might be stuck. And because it’s numbers and data, accountants really buy into it.”
The firm uses Engager in a way that fits their current needs, without forcing unnecessary complexity.
“We’re not using every feature yet. Fees are still handled in Xero, for example. But the beauty of Engager is you can use what’s relevant to your firm without it feeling overwhelming.”
Advice for Other Firms
When asked what she’d say to other firms still relying on spreadsheets, Susan didn’t hesitate.
“Go for it. You won’t regret it.”
She also highlighted the importance of support and responsiveness during and after the switch.
“Use the support. You really can’t fault it. And I love that feedback is actually listened to, rather than just being told ‘that’s not how it works’.”
The Future with Engager
Looking ahead, the team at M Squared Accountants is particularly excited about deeper integrations, especially with TaxCalc.
“Anything that makes life easier is a win. Right now, if a client’s address changes, it has to be updated in multiple places. The Engager–TaxCalc sync is going to save so much time.”
Susan also sees opportunities to refine reporting further as the firm continues to grow.
“When we export deadline reports, there’s a lot of columns we don’t use. If there was a way to choose which ones we wanted, that would be brilliant. It’s not the end of the world, but it would make management reporting a lot smoother.”
From Spreadsheets to Scalable Systems
For M Squared Accountants, switching to Engager wasn’t about adding another tool. It was about replacing fragile, spreadsheet-led processes with a platform that could scale alongside the firm.
Today, Engager gives the team clearer visibility, stronger control, and the confidence to grow without chaos.
As Susan puts it:
“Go for it. You won’t regret it.”
Want to see how Engager could work for your firm?
Learn more about Engager and explore how it helps growing practices replace spreadsheets, reduce risk, and stay in control.
