Case Study: Al Hewitt Inc achieves paperless, automated tax workflows—$20,000 saved and 1,000 staff hours reclaimed—with Laserfiche

Al Hewitt Inc - Customer Case Study

Al Hewitt Inc./Hewitt Financial Group is a Palmdale, CA–based combination fee-only Registered Investment Advisor and tax preparation firm serving about 6,000 clients across two offices. During tax season staff doubles from 15 to 30, and by 2010 the firm had outgrown a proprietary, non‑SQL Lacerte add‑on used for document storage: PDF conversion was error‑prone, there was no security or audit trail, files were hard to find, and growing paper volume created operational bottlenecks and misplaced documents.

In December 2010 HFG deployed a 15‑user Laserfiche Avante system (with Web Access and Audit Trail), integrating it with Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Intuit Lacerte and Office, and using Laserfiche Workflow to automate approvals. The 30‑day rollout required minimal training, mirrored familiar folder structures, eliminated much physical filing, and enabled delivery on CD. Results included a first‑year ROI, about $20,000 annual savings in part‑time clerk costs, roughly 1,000 hours reclaimed from preparers, lower paper/postage use, improved accountability and expandability as the firm moves toward full paperless operations.

Al Hewitt Inc

Ali Mroue

Chief Operating Officer