Accountants
Client and deadline systems for accountants
An accountancy practice does not really have a client problem. It has a chasing problem: the records that arrive in January for a deadline everybody knew about since April.
Deadlines - next 60 days
218 clients · chasing automatic
An illustration of the kind of screen this builds towards - yours is built around how your accountancy practice actually runs.
The reality
Where the time and money goes in an accountancy practice
Chasing records is the whole job in January
The same clients every year, the same reminders, the same late arrival of a carrier bag of receipts a fortnight before the deadline.
Onboarding takes a fortnight of back and forth
Engagement letters, identity checks, authorisation codes and previous accountant clearance, all by email and post, and nothing can start until it is done.
Deadlines tracked in several places
VAT quarters, year ends, self assessment, payroll, confirmation statements - spread across software, spreadsheets and somebody's memory.
Clients cannot see what they owe you
Not money - documents. Half the delay is that nobody has told the client plainly which four things are outstanding.
Pricing conversations start from scratch every time
A limited company enquiry needs a fee quote, and working one out from first principles for every enquiry is slow and inconsistent.
The approach
How we'd fix it
The chasing problem is solvable because it is entirely predictable. Every client has a set of deadlines and a known list of records needed for each. The system knows what is outstanding, tells the client plainly, and escalates as the deadline approaches - without anybody in the practice writing the email. Clients see a simple list of what is still needed, which turns out to be far more effective than a polite general reminder that they should send their records in.
Onboarding is the other place to remove friction, because it is the point where a new client is most likely to drift. Engagement letters signed online, identity verification handled digitally, and the information you need to get started captured in one structured go rather than across six emails. Add fixed-fee packages priced on the site - sole trader, limited company, payroll, VAT - and enquiries arrive knowing roughly what things cost, which makes the first conversation a much better one.
What we build
Built for accountancy practices
Automatic record chasing
The system knows what is outstanding per client per deadline, and escalates as the date approaches without anyone writing an email.
Deadline tracking across the practice
VAT, year ends, self assessment, payroll and confirmation statements in one view, sorted by what is closest.
Online onboarding
Engagement letters signed digitally, identity verification handled online, and the starting information captured in one go.
Secure client portal
Documents exchanged and stored properly rather than as email attachments, with a clear record of what was sent and when.
Fixed-fee packages on the site
Sole trader, limited company, payroll and VAT priced openly, so enquiries arrive already expecting the right ballpark.
Service pages per client type
Separate pages for contractors, landlords, limited companies and sole traders, because they search for different things.
What changes
The difference it makes
- Records arrive earlier because chasing is automatic and specific
- January stops being three weeks of firefighting
- New clients get onboarded in days rather than a fortnight
- Fee conversations start from a shared expectation instead of nothing
In practice
A worked example: telling clients exactly what is missing
A practice sent the usual reminders through the autumn - a general note asking clients to send their records in. The response was the usual too: most of them arrived in the second half of January.
Changing the reminder from a general request to a specific list made a substantial difference. Instead of "please send your records", clients received "we still need your bank statements for November to March, your dividend vouchers and confirmation of the vehicle purchase". People respond to a short, concrete list far better than to a general nudge, because they can see it is nearly done. Records started arriving in November, and January stopped being three weeks of firefighting.
The systems behind it
What this is built from
Everything on this page is put together from the same handful of systems, shaped around how accountancy practices actually work.
Questions
Accountants - the questions I get asked
Can it chase clients for records automatically?
Yes, and the important detail is that it chases for specific items rather than sending a general reminder. A client who is told exactly which four things are outstanding responds far better than one asked to send their records in, because they can see how close it is to done.
Will it replace our practice software?
No, and it should not try to. Your accounts production, tax and bookkeeping software stays as it is. What gets built around it is the client-facing side - onboarding, document exchange, chasing and deadline visibility - which is usually where the time goes rather than in the technical work itself.
Can new clients be onboarded online?
Yes - engagement letters signed digitally, identity verification handled online, and the information needed to get started captured in one structured form. It takes a process that commonly runs to a fortnight of emails down to a couple of days, at exactly the point where a new client is most likely to drift.
Should we publish our fees?
For standard work, generally yes. Publishing fixed-fee packages for sole traders, limited companies, payroll and VAT filters out the people looking for something you do not offer and starts the first conversation from a shared expectation. Bespoke work can still be quoted properly; it is the standard packages that benefit from being visible.
Is a client portal more secure than email?
Considerably. Financial records and identity documents sent as email attachments sit in inboxes on both sides indefinitely. A portal encrypts in transit and at rest, controls who can see what, and keeps a record of what was exchanged and when - which is useful for you as well as for the client.
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Run an accountancy practice? Let's have a look at it
Tell me how things work at the moment and I'll come back with a clear, fixed quote - and an honest view on whether it's worth the money. No pressure and no jargon.