# Accountancy practice: client onboarding that runs itself URL: https://up2.digital/examples/accountant-client-onboarding > An example of a typical project for a small accountancy practice: bringing client records into one place and automating the paperwork that goes out to every new client. ## The situation Meet Sarah, an illustrative example: she runs a four-person accountancy practice, where onboarding a new client takes a dozen emails and small steps, like confirming VAT status, go missing often enough to be a pattern. See [why admin eats evenings in accountancy and advisory practices, and the fix](/solutions/drowning-in-admin/professional-services) for the full picture. This example picks up from there and covers the fuller project: bringing client records into one CRM and automating the paperwork that goes out to every new client. ## What we'd set up - **[A CRM set up around how the practice actually works](/services/crm)**, holding every client's details, status and history in one place instead of spread across inboxes and spreadsheets. - **[Importing existing clients and their history](/services/crm)**, so nothing gets retyped or lost in the move from whatever's being used today. - **[Document automation](/services/automation)** for engagement letters and onboarding paperwork, generated from the client's details already in the system rather than typed out fresh each time. - **[Team training and a written guide](/services/crm)**, so every member of staff onboards a client the same, reliable way. ## How the project would run **Weeks 1-2**: a free call to map the current onboarding steps, followed by importing existing clients and setting up the CRM structure around real client types, from sole traders to limited companies. **Weeks 3-4**: the CRM is configured fully, with a clear onboarding pipeline so a partner can see at a glance exactly which stage every new client is at. **Week 5**: engagement letter and onboarding document automation is built, pulling client details straight from the CRM rather than being typed from a template each time. **Week 6**: a short training session for the team, a written guide to the whole setup, and a brief period running alongside the old process before switching over fully. ## What changes day to day A new client's engagement letter goes out within minutes of their first call, generated with the right details already filled in, rather than being typed up whenever there's a free half hour. A partner can see exactly which stage every new client is at without checking three different places. And when someone's on leave, their onboarding clients don't stall, because the next step is visible to anyone on the team rather than living in one person's head. The advice the practice gives doesn't change. What changes is how much of the admin around new clients runs without anyone chasing it. ## What you get back Chasing records every month stops being something Sarah has to remember to do, because reminders go out on a schedule instead of when there's a spare moment. Writing an engagement letter from a template stops taking up the first hour of a new client's file, because it generates itself from details already in the system. And a partner checking where a client's onboarding has got to stops meaning an inbox search and a question to a colleague on leave, because the answer is visible in one place. If this sounds familiar, [start my project like this](/start?goal=admin). ## Tools involved A project like this typically connects to practice software Sarah's practice already uses, such as Xero, QuickBooks or a dedicated practice management tool, and can pull client data from existing spreadsheets or email during the move. Document automation usually generates straightforward Word or PDF letters, ready to send or e-sign, rather than anything requiring new software to open. ## Related If this sounds like your practice, see [The business runs on a spreadsheet that's creaking](/solutions/spreadsheet-chaos) and [Admin eats our evenings and weekends](/solutions/drowning-in-admin). Further reading: [7 signs your business has outgrown spreadsheets](/guides/outgrown-spreadsheets) and [How to automate client onboarding](/guides/client-onboarding-automation). For the wider picture on this sector, see [professional services](/industries/professional-services). ## Frequently asked questions ### How long does a project like this typically take? Around five to six weeks from the first call to full handover, though the CRM setup and client import can often be usable within the first two to three weeks while the document automation is finished. ### Will this work with our existing practice management software? Usually, yes. A project like this is typically built to connect with whatever you already use for accounts and compliance work, rather than asking you to replace it. ### Is client data safe to hold in a CRM like this? Yes, provided it's set up properly, which is part of the project: proper access controls, so only the right people see sensitive client information, and a clear record of who can access what. ### Can this scale if we take on more clients or staff? That's largely the point. A CRM and automated onboarding process built properly from the start tends to cope with growth far better than a spreadsheet that gets more fragile the bigger it gets.