WOBH Article in Business Plus (March 2021)

The following article appeared in the March 2021 edition of Business Plus.

ACTIVITY We have been working hard to help clients get through the pandemic and we have been assisting clients with government supports, tax warehousing, loan restructures and various funding supports.

We have been in constant communication with all our clients and teams, and our services have had to adapt to remote delivery and interaction with clients. The feedback from clients has been extremely positive.

REMOTE WORKING We have operated our IT systems in the cloud on the Microsoft Azure platform for a number of years, and the transition to remote working was seamless.

The biggest shortcoming in the working model has been the ability to train newer members of the team, and for them to gain experience from other colleagues. For me, the biggest challenge has been to ensure our collaborative and supportive culture across the firm is maintained, while also ensuring we continue to deliver exceptional client service. Ensuring our teams are receiving appropriate supports through the pandemic has been challenging but we are constantly working to ensure everyone is aware of all the supports within the firm.

BUSINESS SUPPORTS Government supports must be maintained for a period after the lockdown to allow businesses get back on their feet. Additional restart supports aimed at specific sectors, and government-backed credit facilities, will be vital for the SME sector to facilitate recovery. Some business sectors have been decimated and may not recover, while for others, recovery may take time. Well-managed businesses with strong financing will bounce back, offering more services and moving to what their customers demand.

ENTERPRISE Walsh O’Brien Harnett works with clients on their strategy and business models, helping them to innovate to meet their own client needs. The team are in constant contact with our clients, supporting them in looking at new ways to do business and innovating for growth opportunities.

FRANK WALSH
Managing Partner
Walsh O’Brien Harnett

The firm has a varied client base of individuals, charity and not-for-profit organisations, and businesses across a wide range of industries and sizes. Frank Walsh specialises in consulting, audit, accountancy and international tax services.