Could you introduce your firm and yourself in a few words?

In 2009, my brother and I took over the DILIGENTIA firm, which was founded in 1981 by our father, Charles DILLIES. Historically located in Lille and Hazebrouck, the firm expanded to Villeneuve d’Ascq, Armentières, Arras, Roubaix, and Paris. There are 120 of us on the DILIGENTIA team. We offer Chartered Accounting and Statutory Auditing services, and we have also created DILIGENTIA FINANCE (corporate finance and top-of-balance-sheet transactions) as well as DILIGENTIA PATRIMOINE (Family office and wealth management).

What are the contributions and benefits you gain from Synerga? What is the added value for the firm and for yourself?

For me, Synerga is a “professional family”; like any family you feel close to, it makes it easier to navigate the key moments in the life of a chartered accountant—who is, above all, an entrepreneur:

• Stepping back, taking time to reflect: thanks to opportunities for discussion, prospective planning, and testing ideas
• It is also a decision-making accelerator or a driver of change in very diverse areas
• Execution support: technical tools such as methodologies and templates, but also structural tools to assist with management
• Cost savings: reduction of expenses thanks to pooled purchasing
• In hard times, the ability for mutual support between firms
• And the pleasure of camaraderie and the bonds forged with other members: we are always happy to catch up and gather the “Synerga family.”

3 concrete examples to illustrate this, as it is sometimes difficult to pinpoint what a network provides. By definition, each member remains independent, which allows everyone to move forward according to their own priorities and desires. Synerga’s role for its members is therefore to create the right conditions and foster their growth, not to act on their behalf. It can therefore be tricky to recognize that certain changes were made possible—or at least facilitated—by belonging to the group. We tend to take sole credit for our successes without always seeing the other contributors! To realize this, you have to answer (with difficulty) a simple question: if I weren’t a member of Synerga, would I have taken this step or acted in the same way? Under the same conditions?

• Choice of SILAE software: demos and reflection sessions had taken place, some members tested it out, and a framework agreement was established.
  Back when we were on CEGID, I was hearing more and more complaints from the payroll team. I was able to act quickly because feedback from other members was positive and the agreement allowed for significant cost savings.
  The benefit we got from it: a decision made within a few months and a smooth migration. Savings of several thousand euros per year thanks to the pricing agreement. Without Synerga, I think the decision would have taken longer to mature, perhaps postponed by a year (or not taken at all), with the risk of employee burnout or worse, etc.
• Decision to create the company DILIGENTIA FINANCE to provide guidance on acquisitions/divestitures. During a quality exchange session, I was able to better understand the prerequisites and utility of establishing a new service line. The idea was already there, but taking the plunge was much easier after seeing the example of another firm that had already done it. We were then able to continue sharing our practices.
• Decision to enroll in EFFICIAL courses, training on client relationships. Following a presentation meeting attended by two of our firm’s employees, they came back convinced of the need to train ourselves in client relationships. Thanks to conversations with two other Synerga members, I was able to move forward.
  It was thanks to SYNERGA that the opportunity arose;
  It was thanks to SYNERGA that I was able to better understand it;
  It was then much easier to decide to make a major investment in money and time: approximately €40K in training for 10 days of training for 20 people over a year.

Taking this step allowed us to:

• change our practices and culture regarding certain key aspects of client relationships: there was a clear “before” and “after” for the firm. A truly transformative change.
• provide support to teams in areas where they weren’t comfortable (discussing fees, restructuring organization, making requests to clients, etc.)
• grow our revenue.

What is your involvement in Synerga? What is your personal investment?

I served on the Board of Directors of the Group for 9 years. Our firm also tries to contribute through committees or by participating in the annual update of methodological audit guides for accounting engagement files.

I work at Cabinet SEREC in CLERMONT-FERRAND, an accounting firm that has been in business for over 40 years, welcoming nearly 50 employees across our various sites in France.

I am an employment law specialist and head of the social-legal department for the SEREC firms in BELLERIVE SUR ALLIER, LOUVRES, CLERMONT-FERRAND, COMMENTRY, and RIOM.

We have been members of SYNERGA since 2012, and SYNERGA holds a central position in our organization, especially since Mr. Marc ALIBERT, Chartered Accountant and Statutory Auditor partner at SEREC, was elected president of the group.

What are the contributions and benefits you gain from Synerga? What is the added value for the firm and for yourself?

For me, SYNERGA represents a community of independent professionals through which we share our feedback, processes, and insights. The goal is to let other firms in the group benefit from each member’s expertise and to offer technical, interactive support to our teams.

It offers a structured firm the opportunity to expand its engagements, advisory services, and staff training. For a “younger” firm, it is also a chance to access downloadable and customizable documents and content while waiting to develop specific engagements or departments—particularly the employment law and HR department.

What is your involvement in Synerga? What is your personal investment?

As a member of SYNERGA’s employment law committee, I participate in creating, updating, and drafting the various resources distributed to network members. We facilitate the sharing of HR and legal information and advice for members and their clients.

I regularly provide network members with information briefs and infographics on various current topics (hiring incentives, partial activity, COVID-19-related measures, etc.).

The aim is to allow members to customize these briefs with their own logo and firm branding before sharing them. Through this approach, we pool both information and its distribution across the network.