Blog, Case study: 27.10.26SwissTranslate: a fiduciary alone is not enough to run a business

Adrien had a fiduciary. What he did not have was accounting that helped him run his business. Five years after choosing Synergix, the co-founder of SwissTranslate has no doubt about what he should have done sooner.

Founded in Geneva in 2015, SwissTranslate has established itself in ten years as one of Switzerland’s leading language service providers. More than 900 recurring clients, turnover of over CHF 2.5 million, 3,000 language experts covering more than 100 languages, and offices in Geneva, Zurich and Paris. The agency holds five ISO certifications, including ISO 17100, ISO 18587 and ISO 9001, and has a formal CSR approach.

Adrien, co-founder and CEO, has a solid background in finance and business management. He knows how to read a balance sheet, analyse a margin and anticipate a cash requirement. Yet this expertise was not enough to make up for what his fiduciary at the time did not give him: real financial visibility and management suited to the pace of a growing company.

In the early years, everything was done by hand. Every month, binders of documents had to be put together, sorted according to the bank statement and physically taken to the fiduciary. One binder at first, then two, then three, as the agency grew. SwissTranslate was already processing more than 150 invoices a month, with a relatively low average order value: every invoice had to be printed, sorted and filed.

Mistakes can happen quickly and lead us into a wrong reading of the figures, but also into the wrong decisions.

But the deepest problem was not operational. It was the lack of financial visibility during the quarter. It was impossible to plan against budget forecasts, monitor working capital or know for certain whether the agency was meeting its targets. Accounting that arrived too late to be useful for decision-making.

At the same time, HR management was handled entirely in-house: permit applications for cross-border employees, insurance follow-up, calculation of sales commissions. All legally complex matters, handled without dedicated expertise or a legal safety net.

Adrien then made a simple calculation, but one often overlooked by business owners: what is the real cost of an in-house position compared with outsourcing?

Compared with a 70% accounting and administration manager, or even 80% with employer contributions, outsourcing costs half as much. The decision was quickly made.

The conclusion was clear. It was not a question of in-house competence: it was a question of structure and economic common sense. That is the logic behind accounting outsourcing.

For five years, Synergix has been supporting SwissTranslate on two structural fronts.

Real-time accounting with IODD
The IODD platform has transformed the agency’s day-to-day operations. Invoices are scanned, submitted for approval and then sent directly to the bank. Expense claims follow the same paperless process. Employees access their payslips on their own.

With IODD, I can scan everything. But above all I have a complete history: I no longer come back with the same questions year after year, especially when I have auditors.

What has changed in practice: daily financial visibility where there used to be only quarterly visibility, full traceability across the entire accounting chain, and the complete elimination of paper. Every payment approval is made directly from the platform, linked in real time to the bank.

Payroll and HR in expert hands
Synergix handles all payroll management: processing payslips, managing legal deadlines and calculating commissions. A systematic reminder on the 20th of the month ensures that salaries are paid on the 25th, without exception.

Beyond execution, it is the advisory dimension that makes the difference. Every sensitive legal or HR question, whether a dismissal, an employer obligation or a cross-border worker’s status, receives a qualified answer within 24 hours.

The results are both measurable and structural. Measurable first: one day of administration saved every week, 150 to 200 invoices processed every month without tying up any in-house resources, more than 200 payslips handled every year outside the agency.

Structural next: accounting that finally keeps pace with the business, real-time financial management, and guaranteed HR compliance. And above all, an expert point of contact, available, who answers within 24 hours on all administrative, tax and HR matters. Something the previous fiduciary did not offer.

It is a real partnership I can rely on. When I call with questions about invoices or even tax questions, I always get an answer within 24 hours.

The first gain is management time freed up and redeployed to what creates value: business development, client relationships and the agency’s growth. This is the fundamental trade-off Synergix makes possible: outsourcing what is endured in order to focus on what is chosen.

Three words to describe this partnership, according to Adrien: responsiveness, professionalism and quality of advice.

I should have done it sooner. The investment in having a real professional look after the health of your company will pay for itself, because you can focus on your core business. Don’t hesitate to do it as early as possible.

Quotes translated from French. To watch the video interview (in French), click here.