Flexible four-day working model allows Trustpilot-rated ‘Excellent’ firm to prioritise clients through enhanced accessibility
Caroola Accountancy, one of the UK’s largest specialist providers of accountancy services for contractors, freelancers and small businesses, has introduced extended weekday opening hours until 7pm, becoming the first firm in the country to do so.
Operating from offices in Blackpool and Warrington while supporting clients nationwide through digital services, with a strong concentration in London, the company implemented the new schedule in March 2026.
Clients can now access Caroola’s services for up to 11 hours each working day, establishing a new benchmark for availability within the UK accountancy industry.
The move was spearheaded by Director of Operations Carl Bridges as part of a broader customer-first strategy under Managing Director Paul Goodwin. During Goodwin’s tenure, the firm has focused heavily on delivering high-quality service and maintaining strong client relationships, achieving an ‘Excellent’ Trustpilot score of 4.8 from more than 6,400 verified reviews.
This operational transformation has been enabled by the introduction of a four-day working week across the operations team. By redistributing working hours across the week instead of following a conventional five-day structure, Caroola has successfully increased its availability without adding staff or reducing service standards.
Findings from Robert Walters in 2025 indicate that only 20% of UK professionals now work within traditional office hours. More than a third report either starting earlier or finishing later each day, while 43% say their schedules fluctuate depending on workload.
For Caroola’s core audience of contractors, freelancers and small business owners, many of whom organise their finances around demanding and irregular workloads, the traditional 9 to 5 model has increasingly become outdated.
Additional research from Trustpilot highlights that 54% of UK consumers consider prompt responses to be the most important aspect of customer service, while 51% prefer speaking directly with a real person instead of interacting with automated systems.
Caroola’s extended availability responds directly to these expectations. Clients can now contact a qualified, dedicated accountant by phone or email until 7pm every weekday, ensuring consistent access to personalised support.
Carl Bridges, Director of Operations at Caroola Accountancy, has more than 14 years of experience with the business, having joined Nixon Williams in 2011 before its integration into the Caroola Group.
Working alongside Managing Director Paul Goodwin and Commercial Director Stephen Chapman, Bridges has played a key role in reshaping and strengthening the operations team to deliver a service model centred entirely on client needs.
“The accountancy industry has operated on a 9 to 5 model for decades, but our clients have never worked that way,” said Bridges. “Contractors finishing a day on site, freelancers wrapping up a project in the evening, small business owners who can only sit down with their finances after their own customers have gone home. These are the people we serve, and we should be available when they actually need us.”
“The four day work week gave us the framework to make this work. Our team now operates across a staggered schedule, which means we have full coverage from 8am to 7pm without anyone working longer hours. Staff wellbeing has improved, client satisfaction has increased, and we haven’t added a single penny in additional cost. It has been a genuine win for everyone involved.”
Caroola’s approach reflects a growing body of research supporting shorter working weeks. A major UK four-day week trial conducted in 2022 by the University of Cambridge in partnership with the think tank Autonomy examined 61 organisations over a six-month period.
The findings revealed that 71% of employees experienced lower levels of burnout, 39% reported reduced stress, and sick leave dropped by 65%. Notably, 92% of participating organisations chose to continue with the model after the trial concluded.
Rather than treating the four-day week solely as an employee benefit, Caroola has applied it strategically to improve client service. The result is a model that enhances customer experience while also supporting employee wellbeing.
Caroola Accountancy maintains an ‘Excellent’ Trustpilot rating of 4.8 out of 5, based on over 6,400 verified reviews. The firm is also an FCSA Accredited Member and an ACCA Platinum Trainee provider, with more than 30 years of experience serving the UK contractor and freelancer market.
The extended opening hours are now fully in place. Caroola’s team of dedicated accountants is available Monday to Friday from 8am to 7pm via phone on 0333 034 2481 or by email through each client’s assigned accountant.
