Change management is never easy, especially within accounting firms, where longstanding processes are the norm and teams are often skeptical of anything new. But for REDW, adopting a new system for engagement letters wasn’t optional. The firm leaned into clear expectations, tight controls, and a strong partnership with Aiwyn to make it happen.
In this interview, we sat down with Dianne Bonitatibus, Assistant Director, Desirae Astle, Technology Operations Coordinator, and Megan Roybal, Executive Assistant, the team behind the implementation of Aiwyn’s Engagement Letter solution, to talk about how they approached the transition, what worked (and didn’t), and why setting the tone from the start made all the difference.
The interview
Q: You mentioned in our conversation that not all departments adopted the platform at the same pace. What were some of the reasons?
A (Dianne): Some of it was technical – formatting, complexity, or a missing checkbox. But a lot of it came down to comfort. Certain departments were used to doing things a particular way. If you gave them a choice, they’d just keep doing it the way they always had.
Q: So how did you handle that on the tax side?
A (Megan): We didn’t give an option. We put the templates in and said, “This is what you’re using now.” We didn’t let people go around it. And I think that’s why adoption stuck. It wasn’t about being strict. It was about giving people something that worked and telling them, clearly, that it was the new standard.
Q: That sounds simple, but it’s not always easy. How did the team support that shift?
A (Dianne): We trained our admin team across departments. We centralized how engagement letters were created and sent. Once people saw that we could get letters out in 10 seconds, that the data auto-filled, and that everything was stored in one place, it became easier to bring others on board.
Q: Any lessons you’d share with other firms trying to drive change?
A (Megan): Don’t make it optional. If you want adoption, set expectations from the beginning. Also, be patient. We didn’t have full buy-in overnight. But we kept reinforcing the why. That made a big difference.
Q: What role did your partnership with Aiwyn play in the process?
A (Dianne): They didn’t just tell us “No.” If we had an issue or a gap, they worked with us to find a workaround or escalated a feature request. That’s why we kept going with them. it felt like a true partnership.
(Desirae) And Aiwyn moved fast. When we needed dynamic templates sooner, they made it happen. That responsiveness gave us confidence to keep pushing adoption internally.
Q: What’s next?
A (Dianne): Between dynamic templates and more departments coming on board, we’re close. Change is hard, but if you commit, it works.
Leading with clarity and executing with consistency
Change management requires clear leadership and follow-through. At REDW, meaningful progress came from making a firm-wide decision, setting expectations, and staying the course. Rather than letting individual preferences stall momentum, they aligned leadership around a single approach and committed to consistency.
For other firms navigating similar complexity, REDW’s path offers a practical example: success doesn’t come from avoiding friction, it comes from managing it. Read the team’s full success story here.
