From Complexity to Control: How Nephos Group improved efficiency and output by moving from TaxCalc to IRIS Accountancy Suite

Nephos Group isn’t your average accounting firm. In just over two years, it has grown from a team of five to more than 40 staff, with offices in England, Dubai and South Africa. With six companies in the group, Nephos work across accounting, cryptocurrency, corporate services and other sectors. To support that trajectory, Ryan Groves, Director at Nephos Group, knew the firm needed software built for professional accountants at scale, rather than the tools that had been inherited at an earlier stage in their journey.

Ryan tells us, “We sell time; that’s what we make money. Something looking great but being slower to use or giving you less output is redundant. Moving to IRIS Accountancy Suite was a no-brainer.”

Outgrowing previous software

Previously using TaxCalc for their accounts production and Karbon for practice management, Ryan says both were inadequate at the job once the business grew past a certain point.  As Nephos began recruiting senior hires from larger practices and bringing increasingly complex clients, the cracks became impossible to ignore.

Ryan tells us, “As we started to bring on bigger clients and some from overseas, our previous software became unfit for purpose. The reports no longer provided the same level of quality we now get with IRIS.” He mentions a customer noted their reports lacked clarity, catalysing the need for a change. “The reports look a lot cleaner and clearer in IRIS. Our clients have responded very positively to our move.”

The unspoken cost of the wrong software

All accountants know that time equals money, but this extends further than a simple timesheet. The right software should save you time in all aspects of the job, even the administrative planning. Nephos were previously using Karbon for practice management before moving to IRIS, and found there were opportunities to improve efficiency on a weekly basis once they made the move.

Ryan says, “The biggest driver for moving to IRIS was that we were losing too much time. Nephos is a well organised firm, very driven with time and we pay close attention to the small efficiencies that add up over time. Despite investing considerable time (over 200 hours) into configuring our previous system, we found it challenging to achieve the output we were looking for.”

With the IRIS Practice Management module integrated into IRIS Accountancy Suite, Nephos can save hours a week by completely replacing the need for a weekly team meeting with transparent and efficient software.

Everything under one roof

For Nephos, one of the biggest advantages of moving to IRIS has been bringing everything together into a single, connected system.

Working across multiple tools previously created unnecessary friction, with information constantly needing to be moved, duplicated or manually tracked between systems. Ryan says, “Having everything under one roof and having the products talking to each other is a huge benefit of IRIS Accountancy Suite.” Their previous fragmented approach not only slowed the team down but also led to unnecessary admin and duplication. “We were uploading a lot into our previous system because when you’re working across multiple tools, you tend to think, ‘I’d better put this in here in case it’s needed,’” Ryan explains.

Since moving to IRIS, that has changed. With a single, centralised system and shared data across modules, the team can access and update information seamlessly without switching between platforms. As a result, processes have become far more streamlined.

Ryan highlights the immediate impact this has had on the team. Tasks that were previously over-engineers across systems are now simpler and more efficient in one platform. For example, onboarding workflows have been significantly refined. Ryan tells us, “We had 53 points in an onboarding work item on the previous software. I replicated this in IRIS and got it down to 27. Then, our admin team lead brought it down to 12! Straight away, we’ve gone down from 53 to 12 points which is so much better.”

With everything held in a single system, data is entered once and used everywhere it’s needed, removing duplication and improving consistency.

Why IAS supports future growth

For Nephos, moving to IRIS wasn’t just about solving immediate challenges, it was about investing in a platform that could support the firm’s long-term ambitions. Ryan sees IRIS as the next step up for firms looking to scale, particularly as client complexity increases. He says “If you’re moving from TaxCalc to IRIS, you’ll notice a more streamlined experience. As your client base grows, the difference becomes clear. Features like the notes function are more intuitive, and the ability to tailor reports makes a real impact.”

Beyond individual features, it’s the depth and control that stands out, “TaxCalc provides a more guided approach, whereas with IRIS, you have greater control over how the system works for you. It encourages you to think more like an accountant, rather than simply processing tasks.”

Looking ahead, Nephos is committed to continuing their journey with IRIS, with plans to extend its use of the wider suite over time. Ryan says, “We’ve made this move and we’re completely committed to it. It’s about maximising it as much as we possibly can. As the software continues to develop, we’ll keep adding more until we’re fully embedded.”

For firms considering a similar move, Ryans advice is clear: focus on output, efficiency and long-term capability over surface-level features. He tells us, “Something might look great, but if it’s slower to use or gives you less output, it’s redundant. IRIS gives us a better way of doing the job - it’s faster, more efficient, and ultimately helps us deliver more for our clients.”