A signed client, and weeks of admin before any work starts
A new client agrees to your proposal. Then the admin begins. Send the engagement letter. Request ID for the anti-money laundering checks. Ask for the previous accountant's details and write for professional clearance. Set up HMRC agent authorisation and wait for the code to arrive by post. Get access to their Xero. Ask for last year's accounts. Each is a separate email, often from a different person in the practice.
The client, who was keen a week ago, starts to wonder why nothing has happened. And the first piece of work, perhaps a VAT return with a deadline, gets closer while the practice waits for access.
Why onboarding stalls
- Steps are handled separately by different people, with no single checklist.
- Clients get several emails asking for different things and lose track.
- ID and AML documents arrive by email and are stored inconsistently.
- Professional clearance depends on the previous accountant replying.
- HMRC authorisation involves codes sent to the client by post, which they forget to pass on.
- Nobody can see, across all new clients, which step each one is stuck on.
None of the steps is hard. The problem is that there are many of them, they depend on other people, and they are tracked in inboxes.
What slow onboarding costs
New clients get a poor first impression of a practice they have just chosen. Deadlines for first pieces of work get tight. Onboarding staff spend time chasing rather than working. And compliance steps done inconsistently are an exposure if your AML supervisor reviews your files.
| Step | Usual blocker | What the flow does |
|---|---|---|
| Engagement letter | Sent, not signed | E-signature with reminders |
| ID and AML | Documents by email, inconsistent storage | Guided upload or electronic ID check, recorded on file |
| Professional clearance | Waiting on previous accountant | Letter generated, reply tracked, chaser scheduled |
| HMRC authorisation | Code sent by post, not passed on | Reminder to the client to enter the code |
| Software access | Client unsure how to invite you | Step-by-step instructions and a check |
How we build the onboarding flow
- Once a proposal is accepted, in a tool such as GoProposal, Ignition or your own process, the new client is created in your practice management system and an onboarding checklist is generated for their services.
- The client receives one link to a guided flow: sign the engagement letter, provide identity documents or complete an electronic ID check through a provider you choose, give previous accountant details and business information.
- The professional clearance letter is generated from your template and sent, with a follow-up scheduled if no reply arrives.
- HMRC authorisation requests are prompted, and the client receives reminders to enter the code when it arrives.
- Instructions guide the client to invite the practice to Xero, QuickBooks or their bank feeds, with a check that access has been granted.
- Everything is recorded against the client, including AML evidence and the date each step completed, for your compliance file.
- A board shows every new client and their current step, with alerts when a step stalls.
Your AML procedures, risk assessments and decisions remain yours. The flow gathers and records evidence consistently. It does not make compliance judgements.
The flow adapts to the client type. A sole trader, a limited company with two directors and a partnership need different documents and different identity checks, so the steps shown depend on the answers given at the start. That avoids asking a sole trader for a list of shareholders, which is the kind of thing that makes a new client doubt the practice.
What changes
A new client gets one clear link with every step in order, and can see their progress. The onboarding team works from a board instead of a set of email threads. Stalled steps are visible and chased automatically. The compliance file for each client is complete and consistent, which makes reviews less stressful. First pieces of work can start once access is in place rather than whenever someone notices it has arrived.
Does this describe your onboarding?
- Onboarding a new client involves several emails from different people.
- Clients ask what they still need to do.
- AML documents are stored differently from client to client.
- You wait on HMRC codes or software access more often than you should.
- You cannot see across all new clients which step each one is stuck on.