The Big Question: Do bigger firms provide a better service?

The Big Question: Do bigger firms provide a better service?

Despite a recent wave of accountancy firm mergers, 54% of more than 200 finance directors questioned do not agree with the age old adage that bigger is better.

The majority of FDs said smaller firms offered just as good a service as bigger firms, and often a better one.

They cited the personal touch and the offer of specialised knowledge as reasons for their choice.

‘Smaller firms have a more personal touch. You feel as though they are giving you better personal attention,’ said Crispin Corbett, financial director of Silver Platter Information Ltd. ‘Large firms are too impersonal for dealing with small to medium companies,’ said another.

Others were more cynical in their reasons for supporting of smaller firms. ‘When has super big led to quality? The reason for amalgamation is always greater bargaining power plus higher returns for senior partners,’ said an anonymous respondent.

With 22% preferring to sit on the fence, a meagre 24% came out in defence of larger firms, but were not forthcoming with their names.

‘The quality of a bigger firm outweighs the speed of service of a smaller firm,’ said one anonymous participant. Another said bigger firms had ‘advantages in diversity and specialism of niche knowledge.’

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