Accounting firm field guide

The work your firm still handles in manual mode.

Use this checklist to mark the recurring tasks your team still handles by inbox, spreadsheet, memory, or copy paste. The score gives you a clean first pass at what may be worth turning into an owned workflow.

Start the checklist See the service path

Client Onboarding

Where signed clients become real jobs.

Check the tasks your team still does manually.

  • New client data entry

    Entering client info into practice management after signing.

    2-3 hrs/week

  • Engagement letter generation

    Creating and sending engagement letters one client at a time.

    1-2 hrs/week

  • Portal setup and invitations

    Creating portal accounts and sending access emails by hand.

    1 hr/week

  • Welcome sequences

    Sending onboarding emails, checklists, and first steps one by one.

    2 hrs/week

Document Collection

The chase that clogs calendars and inboxes.

  • Document request emails

    Sending request emails to each client from scratch.

    3-5 hrs/week

  • Follow-up reminders

    Chasing clients who have not uploaded documents yet.

    4-6 hrs/week

  • Document organization

    Sorting uploaded files into folders and categories.

    2-3 hrs/week

  • Missing document tracking

    Tracking which clients still owe which documents.

    2 hrs/week

Client Communication

Status, reminders, and repeat answers.

  • Status update emails

    Responding to individual status questions from clients.

    3-4 hrs/week

  • Appointment scheduling

    Trading emails to find meeting times.

    2 hrs/week

  • Deadline reminders

    Sending estimated tax, filing deadline, and extension reminders.

    1-2 hrs/week

  • Review ready notifications

    Emailing clients when returns or reports are ready for review.

    1 hr/week

Workflow and Pipeline

The handoffs that decide whether work moves.

  • Proposal to job creation

    Creating jobs after proposals are signed.

    1-2 hrs/week

  • Task assignment

    Assigning team members based on workload and memory.

    1 hr/week

  • Status updates between tools

    Copying status info from tax software into practice management.

    2-3 hrs/week

  • Weekly reporting

    Compiling client status, AR aging, and capacity reports.

    2-4 hrs/week

Billing and Payments

The money work that should not depend on memory.

  • Invoice generation

    Creating invoices after work is complete.

    2 hrs/week

  • Payment reminders

    Chasing overdue invoices with individual follow-up emails.

    1-2 hrs/week

  • Payment reconciliation

    Matching payments to invoices across multiple systems.

    1-2 hrs/week

  • Recurring billing

    Handling monthly billing steps for recurring clients.

    1 hr/week

Your Results

This is a directional score, not a diagnosis. It helps name where manual drag is showing up so the first conversation can stay practical.

0
Workflows checked
0
Est. hours/week
0
Est. hours/year

Scoring guide:
0-5 checked: Your firm has fewer obvious manual drags.
6-12 checked: There is likely a clear first workflow to map.
13-20 checked: The team may be carrying too much recurring work by hand.

Want help picking the first workflow? Bring the score to a 15-minute Fit Check.

Book a Fit Check

Sending your results...

If the score points to a real bottleneck

Start with one workflow your team can own.

The Fit Check is a short call to decide whether there is a useful next step. If there is, the service path moves from map to build without making the firm dependent on black box tools.

Book a Fit Check