INDUSTRY
Chartered accountancy
SIZE
300 employees
LOCATION
4 UK locations
CLIENT SINCE
2023
About the organisation
Mercer & Hole is an independent top 50 UK chartered accountancy firm founded in 1905. With 28 partners and around 300 staff across four offices in London, St Albans, Rickmansworth and Milton Keynes, it provides audit, tax, advisory and financial planning to corporate and private clients – in a sector where reliability, data security and compliance are non-negotiable.
THE CHALLENGE
Situation
With four offices, around 300 staff, and an FCA-regulated financial planning practice to support, Mercer & Hole needed an IT partner capable of managing a complex, multi-site environment with consistency and care. Previous supplier relationships had fallen short – leaving the firm feeling like a number on a ledger rather than a client with specific needs.
Problem
The firm required a supplier that would take the time to understand how Mercer & Hole actually works – across its offices, its service lines, and its regulatory obligations – and build a relationship accordingly. What they had instead was a transactional arrangement that prioritised neither responsiveness nor value.
Pain points
• Previous suppliers treating a significant professional services firm as an undifferentiated account
• Poor responsiveness and a lack of proactive communication across a multi-site environment
• No consistent relationship or account ownership to drive strategic IT decisions
• Invoicing and cost management lacking the transparency the firm required
THE SOLUTION
Our approach Highgate took on management of Mercer & Hole’s IT environment across its four offices, providing a single, consistent relationship with clear communication and proactive account management.
Rather than a reactive, break-fix approach, the team worked to understand the firm’s priorities and build an IT function that supported them – across cloud, connectivity and workplace technology.
What we delivered
• Microsoft licensing managed through Highgate’s CSP portal on an annual commit – one relationship, predictable costs
• Dell laptop refresh of 350 units across four offices, with lease payment plan and white-glove Autopilot deployment
• Voice solution integrated into Microsoft Teams – reducing costs and simplifying communications across all sites
THE RESULTS
Since partnering with Highgate, Mercer & Hole has experienced a step change in the quality of its IT supplier relationship. Responsiveness improved immediately, invoicing became cleaner and more transparent, and the firm now has an account management relationship built around its own priorities rather than a supplier’s.
The firm has consolidated its IT requirements under one trusted partner – reducing complexity and giving leadership the confidence that IT is being managed proactively, not just reactively.
'What sets Highgate apart is the relationship. We’re a complex business with demanding requirements across four offices, and they treat us accordingly – responsive, fairly priced, and genuinely invested in getting it right. A vendor you can truly rely on.'
– Tom Luknar, IT Manager at Mercer & Hole
