Sullivan and Gannon, LLC needed a way to access client data from anywhere, at any time, instead of being tied to the office. Solution: The firm migrated from CCH® ProSystem fx® Tax, the on-premise version of Wolters Kluwer’s tax preparation and compliance system, to CCH Axcess Tax, their cloud-based software solution. Visit CCHGroup.com/Axcess to learn more.

1. Tax & Accounting
Sullivan and Gannon,
LLC Fuel Productivity
and Profitability
in the Cloud with
CCH Axcess™
Tax
Case Study:
Digital Tax
Workflow
When you have to be right

2. Sullivan and Gannon, LLC Fuel Productivity and Profitability in the Cloud with CCH Axcess™
Tax2
When Jonalyn Sullivan and co-founder Laura
Gannon founded Sullivan and Gannon, LLC
eight years ago, the firm went paperless from
the start.
“We gather all information
and documents from
clients upfront and
enter the information
into CCH®
ProSystem fx®
Engagement to get it off of
paper and into a digital
system within 24 hours.
Operating that way has
provided us with huge time
savings in our work.”
— Jonalyn Sullivan, CPA, MST,
Principal and Co-Founder,
Sullivan and Gannon, LLC
So when Wolters Kluwer’s cloud-based
tax software became available, the tax,
accounting and consulting firm in Chelmsford,
Massachusetts made the switch as soon
as possible.
“We immediately adopted
CCH Axcess Tax so that we
could have the portability of
being in the cloud. We don’t
want to be tied to a brick-
and-mortar building, and we
want to use the software to
become even more efficient
and effective.”
Challenge: Sullivan and Gannon, LLC needed a way to access client data from
anywhere, at any time, instead of being tied to the office.
Solution: The firm migrated from CCH®
ProSystem fx®
Tax, the on-premise
version of Wolters Kluwer’s tax preparation and compliance system, to
CCH Axcess Tax, their cloud-based software solution, to:
• Save time on workflow tasks and IT duties
• Reduce IT downtime
• Eliminate weather-related productivity losses

3. Sullivan and Gannon, LLC Fuel Productivity and Profitability in the Cloud with CCH Axcess™
Tax 3
Major Benefits as a Result of CCH Axcess™
As the firm goes into its next busy season using
CCH Axcess Tax, Sullivan points out why the
move is paying off in both the short and long
term. Utilizing CCH Axcess the firm is able to:
1. Work and access data from anywhere, at any
time, for better client service and productivity.
The six staff-member firm can more quickly
answer clients’ questions and easily view data
when visiting a client.
“Having access to the most
recent tax files on the fly —
whether at home, visiting
a client or traveling — is
invaluable to us. We can
respond to the client inquiries
when out of the office, which
improves customer service
and makes it easier on us.”
“When we have a snowstorm
in New England, we don’t
miss a beat in terms of
connecting, and we’re still
fully operational. We have
much less downtime now
that we’re in the cloud.”
2. Save on server costs.
The firm still has a server for CCH ProSystem fx
Engagement, but hasn’t had to add servers
related to CCH Axcess Tax since it is in
the cloud.
3. Reduce the number of IT-related tasks
and issues.
Before the firm moved to CCH Axcess Tax,
Sullivan handled all software updates and any
IT issues. That meant doing updates manually
after hours. Additionally, if something did
not work correctly, everyone had to log off,
resulting in downtime for the entire firm.
Now, with Wolters Kluwer doing the updates
automatically overnight, Sullivan personally
saves time and eliminates unwanted stress, in
addition to eliminating firm downtime entirely.
4. Protect the firm’s reputation and high
standard of work.
Utilizing CCH Axcess Tax, the firm always
uses the most recent software version that
addresses current and changing regulations.
“We never have to worry
if we’re using the most
up‑to‑date tax release in
the heat of the busy season.
We know that Wolters
Kluwer automatically
updates new releases
with anything that
has changed.”
Jonalyn Sullivan, CPA, MST
Principal and Co-Founder
Sullivan and Gannon, LLC
Chelmsford, Massachusetts

4. The Power in Peer Relationships
The firm is a member of several organizations,
including:
• American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
• Massachusetts Society of Certified Public
Accountants
• New Hampshire Society of Certified Public
Accountants
• The National Society of Accountants
Sullivan says that it’s very helpful to be active in
professional organizations. The firm attends two
national conferences a year to see what thought
leaders are doing and to preview products.
In addition, the firm’s local memberships result in
business referrals both to and from the firm.
“Another firm might not be a good match
for a client and vice versa. In my opinion,
networking with peers is necessary. I think
you’re doing a disservice if you’re not active,
at least locally.”
Sullivan and Gannon, LLC Fuel Productivity and Profitability in the Cloud with CCH Axcess™
Tax4
5. Gain efficiencies.
The firm uses CCH ProSystem fx Engagement
to integrate the trial balance within
Engagement with the tax return in CCH Axcess
Tax. This allows the firm to gain efficiencies
by having changes automatically update the
workpapers in both solutions. Additionally,
CCH Axcess Tax helps Sullivan and Gannon, LLC
reduce time spent on tax returns by
automatically calculating forms and schedules
for federal, state, county and city entities;
providing alerts and diagnostics, and allowing
for easy electronic filing.
“We’ve always tried to
operate in the smartest
way possible. Even with
CCH Axcess Tax working
somewhat differently than
CCH ProSystem fx Tax, we
continue to save time on each
return, and additionally,
we are able to eliminate
downtime while traveling or
during a storm.”
6. Backed up, safe files.
Having Wolters Kluwer host the firm’s data
helps protects the firm and their clients.
The cloud software also provides a built-in
risk mitigation plan if anything were to ever
happen to the firm’s office.
“We would be fully
operational immediately,
independent of our office
location. It’s hard to measure
the value of something
like that.”

5. Sullivan and Gannon, LLC Fuel Productivity and Profitability in the Cloud with CCH Axcess™
Tax 5
Implementation Best Practices
Sullivan and Gannon, LLC has learned a lot
through the migration process and offers the
following advice for other firms looking to
implement new software.
First, examine files to clean them up and see
how many to pull into the new software.
“It’s important to take the
time to look at your files
and define exactly how
many years you want to
bring forward. You don’t
need to bring everything
with you. We went through
our archives so that we only
brought along current clients
and good, clean files.”
Second, take advantage of Wolters Kluwer’s
Professional and Client Services Team for
training ahead of the software rollout.
Third, after you’ve completed the migration,
consider additional training. That’s what
Sullivan and Gannon, LLC did to help address
questions that arose after staff members
began working with the new software.
Fourth, discuss CCH Axcess Tax during regular
meetings. The firm’s staff meets weekly to
look at what’s new with each software release,
as well as discuss tips and questions from
staff members.
“Mostly, getting proficient
with the software comes
from on-the-job training,
but as a firm, we review the
release notes and highlight
components that are key to
how we use the software so
that everyone knows how to
work efficiently.”

6. Carving Out a Niche
Sullivan and Gannon, LLC work in several niche areas, including franchises, dental offices and oil
distributors, plus a few more. Becoming an expert in a niche area requires more than having an interest,
says Sullivan.
“It’s not that easy to go out and get something just because you’re interested. That area
might not be a viable market or it might be saturated. Learning about the client’s KPIs
allows our firm to understand its local and national needs. We believe this is the only
way you can help owners grow, manage and protect their business.”
Sullivan and Gannon, LLC Fuel Productivity and Profitability in the Cloud with CCH Axcess™
Tax6
Big Payoffs with Wolters Kluwer
Sullivan is absolutely thrilled with the
firm’s move to the cloud and is looking
forward to the upcoming cloud version of
CCH ProSystem fx Engagement. She says that
Wolters Kluwer’s software is the best on
the market.
“CCH Axcess is hands down
the best product on the
market from a technical
perspective. It puts everything
in the right place in regards
to how you actually fill out
a tax form. Because of its
technical superiority, the
software can handle harder
tax returns. Other companies’
software doesn’t say, ‘hey
that doesn’t smell right,’
where CCH Axcess does.”
“You get what you pay for.
People try to downsize on
software costs and then end
up coming back to Wolters
Kluwer because they realize
that the other software doesn’t
do X, Y or Z that CCH Axcess
Tax or CCH ProSystem fx
Engagement does.”

7. When you have to be right
© 2016 CCH Incorporated and its affiliates. All rights reserved.
Contact information:
Wolters Kluwer
2700 Lake Cook Road
Riverwoods, IL 60015
United States
800-739-9998
Please visit CCHGroup.com/Axcess
for more information.
5/16 2016-1064