Client onboarding for accountants and CPAs

Tremendous benefits can be gained from successful client onboarding, which, when done right ensures great results like:

• Strengthening client's trust;
• Increasing client engagement;
• Strengthening client/advisor bond;
• Conveys your value as an accountant;
• Increases referral likelihood

The onboarding process is the first time your customer will experience your services and methods. It's your chance to prove your business is professional, competent and trustworthy.

By using a well-structured system you will not have to worry about missing crucial steps. This checklist guides you through the exact process, including every detail you will need while leaving room for you to keep your business' trusted methods.

If you're looking for more onboarding checklists, see 3 Checklists to Perfect Your Client Onboarding Process.

This guide teaches a high-touch approach to onboarding. For more information, see this post on concierge onboarding.

Once you have agreed to work with a new client, make sure to send a welcome email. It should include:

• Welcome cover letter;
• Brief company history;
• Office details;
• Initial meeting agenda;
• Directions to office;
• Parking information.

You can use the template below or create your own, personalized email.

Keep in mind - this email is not for selling purposes. You are thanking your client and welcoming them in the company. The main purpose of this email is to express interest and gratitude.

If you use Gmail, find out how to make Gmail your default mail client.

(Sources: nelsonandcompanycpa.com & clientwise.com)

Being in touch with clients' other trusted advisers, such as CPAs, attorneys and insurance agents, makes you a comprehensive accountant in your client's eyes.

Gather their names and contact details as a part of onboarding and establish a relationship with these professionals early in the process.

(Source: practicemanagementblog.onefpa.org)

Reserve a time for a quick kick-off call (10-30 minutes) to get in touch with your client personally. During the call, discuss key project information and offer your client a free consultation. 

Whilst not a long and laborious task, it will reaffirm to your client that he/she has made a smart decision hiring you and it will help you to establish a great provider/client relationship from the start.

(Source: bourncreative.com)

Connecting with a person on their social media sites will also mean always being able to reach them via phone. Nowadays people have mobile access to all their social media sites, as well as email, mobile banking, videos and more. 

Connecting with your client on such social media platforms as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook will provide valuable information about your client's life from aspects you might be interested in such as:

• Job changes;
• Promotions;
• New purchases;
• Family growth.

All of those aspects are important for you as an accountant as they bring immediate monetary attachment. A more personal approach can be achieved if you know what your client's interests are — you can achieve a lift in results of 1.5 to 2 times when combining multiple channels during the onboarding process.

(Sources: practicemanagementblog.onefpa.org & thefinancialbrand.com)

Once you have established a more personalized approach to the client you can send them the contract for review. Let your client read through it and take their time before responding, let them know you are available for a call at any time and they can contact you if they have any questions.

If you haven't heard back from the client within a week, make a follow-up call to ensure everything is fine.

Here's an example consulting contract you can use for free.

Once your client has read and approved the contract he/she will most likely want to discuss it in person. You should call them on the phone and invite them personally. During the phone-call you can find out the best time for your client to attend the meeting.

After the call send a confirmation email stating the time, date and agenda your client wants to discuss, as well as the topics you want to discuss with them.

Find out how to manage small business calendars in the cloud, making scheduling appointments easy.

Make sure that during the call you formulate the meeting agenda and get the necessary information for a follow up email.

Before the meeting ask your client to fill in a financial statement questionnaire. It will provide you with all the information you will need in the future, like their:

• Monetary situation;
• Business information;
• Best times to contact them.

A good sample of a questionnaire you can use is found on Accountants First.

(Source: accountantsfirst.co.nz)

Two days before the meeting the client should email their documents and account information you asked them for, such as the questionnaire and anything that will assist you during the initiation process and overall understanding of their business structure.

You should remind your client to send the documents a week before the meeting; it will also serve as a reminder of the meeting.

For an easy way to send reminder emails, check out Boomerang for Gmail

(Source: cjeffersoncpa.com)

Confirm the appointment with your client 24 hours before the scheduled meeting. Include the details you sent in the welcome and reminder emails:

• Office details;
• Initial meeting agenda;
• Directions to office;
• Parking information;
• Documents they need to bring (if they have not been sent yet).

(Sources: cjeffersoncpa.com & clientwise.com)

Ensure that the reception area as well as the conference room and/or your office are extra clean and look professional. Don't leave any unnecessary items around. It might be distracting and will look unprofessional if your office is not tidy and organized.

If you have a cleaner in the office notify him/her of the guest and ask them to pay special attention to detail. You can arrange your office to be cleaned on the day rather than the evening before.

(Source: clientwise.com)

Let your receptionist know that a client is coming that day. Advise him/her to be extra helpful and friendly when the client arrives.

Ensure you have eliminated all distractions before the meeting.

Advise your receptionist to take all the calls addressed to you and let the callers know you will get back to them after the meeting. Instruct everyone in the office to not enter the meeting room and turn off all your devices.

(Source: clientwise.com)

You want to be well versed in the fields of your company. Whilst sometimes meetings can be nerve-racking (especially if it is an important client or one of the first clients for your company) the stress can make you forgetful or tongue-tied. 

To avoid that, ensure you have notes ready for when you can't find words or when the conversation is moving too far away from the agenda.

A good meeting plan can be found on Sageworks Blog. You should prepare questions about their business, expectations and time limits (if any). 

Ensure you have a plan laid out for you to structure the meeting well, have notes on your clients business to show them you have paid attention and done your research. Prepare answers to the questions your client has asked you over email if any are left unanswered.

(Sources: technori.com & americanbar.org & linkedin.com & sageworks.com)

Be informed about the attendees of the meeting from your company and the client's. Keep in mind - your client might want to bring along their trusted advisers and you might want a person present from your company attending the meeting too.

Knowing the amount of people in advance will help you prepare. You should be aware of how many

• Chairs
• Pens
• Notepads
• Coffee cups 

and other necessities you might need to set up before the meeting starts. 

Knowing the amount of people your client brings might help you decide on who you want present from your team. You don't want to have too many people present. Make sure the number of people from your team is equal or smaller than your client's. Ideally you should have three or less people with you in the meeting.

Confirm the attendance of client, ensure you will be meeting with the client instead one of his/her representatives. 

(Source: technori.com & lawpractice-management.com)

For compliance reasons, accounting firms might prefer to record the meetings with clients. Make sure you set the equipment up before the meeting to avoid delays. 

Nowadays it's easier to set up the sound equipment considering that you can use small and simple voice recorders like Olympus VN-722PC.

An important step is to notify your client of the recording equipment and let them know of the reasoning behind it. Ensure your client knows it is beneficial for him/her as much as it is for you.

(Source: amazon.com)

Clients will feel more comfortable about the business if they know what to expect when working with you. Decide on the best methods of communication early on in the process, so you and the client can work in a well-balanced environment from the very beginning. 

Let your client know about the rest of the team (if applicable), their roles. Introduce them early on as they will be interacting with the client via phone, email and in person.

(Source: practicemanagementblog.onefpa.org)

Once the client knows you and your team better, you should offer them to go through the questionnaire together to ensure all the details are filled in.

Make sure that the client has filled in the questionnaire prior to the meeting so you can check and collect it.

Look out for the details - has your client filled in:

• Full name;
• Occupation;
• Address(es);
• Phone number(s);
• Email(s);
• Social security number (if applicable);
• Best contact times;
• Business information you require;
• Financial information?

You should also verify the client's identity by taking a copy of their driver's license. Explain to your client that it is a standard procedure; don't make them feel like you don't trust them.

(Source: lawpractice-management.com)

Your client should have read the contract prior the meeting and he/she most likely has discussed it with their lawyer. During the meeting you should find time to either sign the contract together with your client or collect the signed contract from them. 

For an online solution, check out HelloSign.

When meeting a potential client let them know how the onboarding process works, what documents and materials will be required. Create a financial plan at the beginning of the business relationship.

Find out the exact expectations your client has from you and in return let them know what is expected from them. Discuss major milestones and deadlines and penalties or steps to take in case of missing said deadlines. 

(Sources: practicemanagementblog.onefpa.org & bourncreative.com & cjeffersoncpa.com)

Confirming goals is different from setting expectations and should not be overlooked. If not done properly, the missing information will cause setbacks during projects and the expectations will not be fulfilled. 

You and your client must create a plan together, to ensure expectations and goals are achievable and can be done in a timely manner.

(Source: accountingtoday.com)

Your client will be interested in the costs of your services. Don't open the meeting by throwing numbers at your client; leave it to a later stage when the atmosphere of the meeting is less tense.

Even if you have given your pricing to your client you should go through it again with the client present. During this time you should explain what you plan to do, if you will need outside experts (a legal advisor for example). Let them know about your hourly and flat fees or alternative fee arrangements. 

Give your client information about extra costs that might be involved, let them know about circumstances that would make the costs higher. Advise your client on how to calculate your fees, so they can see you are being honest. 

Inform your client on how you expect to be paid, and when. Be prepared to answer all your client's questions, include some data you have previously prepared.

(Source: lawpractice-management.com)

You should never end a meeting without going over the next steps.

Once you have discussed everything on the agenda and the meeting is nearing the end it is time to decide on the future actions. 

You can either propose to schedule the next meeting in a few months (or earlier if necessary) to discuss some aspects in more detail, offer your client a free training/consultation in how to operate the company software if they have an online account set with you or confirm the follow-up steps you are planning to take (e.g. send an overview of their data or send an email responding to some questions that require more research).

Keep in mind - follow up activities are important for building a high quality, ongoing business relationship.

(Source: software.intel.com)

Straight after the meeting sit down in your office uninterrupted and make notes of the meeting. Listen to the recording of the meeting and pay attention to detail. 

Once you have prepared the notes give them to the members of your team who will be dealing with the client.

Create and share notes without wasting paper by using Evernote.

Evernote is a cloud-based note-sharing app that automatically syncs to your coworker's devices including desktop and mobile

(Source: clientwise.com)

Click here to find out more about how to use Evernote for business document management.

Thank your client straight after the meeting via text or email. Afterwards send a handwritten thank you card by direct mail. Inform them on the information you will be sending them for your future business relationship to be most efficient.

38 percent of the U.S. households surveyed stated that they prefer receiving postal mail for financial communication. Only 17 percent said they would prefer their information delivered over digital channels. 

Some companies send out thank you baskets from local merchants as appreciation packages.

(Sources: bourncreative.com & thefinancialbrand.com & clientwise.com)

If your company uses online accounts for clients you should schedule a training session to ensure he/she knows how to access their account and get the best use out of it. 

Making your client confident and well informed in how to use your company's online systems takes you one more step closer to finish the onboarding process and have a satisfied client.

When working with clients, a key to success is constant communication.

Ensuring your client can contact you on various social media platforms and access their account anywhere will improve your relationship.

(Source: clientwise.com & accountingtoday.com)

Even after the meeting your client might have questions and/or concerns. They might have already shared it with the PM you've assigned to your client. However, it is good business practice to check in with your client personally.

Send him/her an email to check in how they're doing and to see if they have any questions directly to you. It is also a good chance to follow up on the meeting and see if your client is still happy with all the arrangements.

It is also your chance to ask for missing information from the questionnaire and report on the current progress.

(Sources: clientwise.com & sakasandcompany.com)

Ensure your client is added to your CRM system with complete information. All good CRM systems for small businesses have the opportunity to tag each person.

You can use relevant keywords to help you keep the interactions with your client personalized and ensure your client feels important. You can also add short, relevant keywords about their project to make it easier to search and filter.

(Source: bourncreative.com)

After a month of the onboarding process you should ask your client to take a survey regarding their experience and opinions of the process. Explain your client that you would appreciate their honest opinion so you can improve the onboarding process in the future. 

Make sure the questions are relevant to their first month of onboarding and include questions that will help you provide a better service for your client. 

You can use one of these survey building tools.

(Source: zapier.com)

Go through your client's account, make sure everything is in order and you are on schedule. This is also a good time to check if all the payments are received.

It is possible you will need to schedule a meeting with your client to go over their account and discuss in person their possible questions and concerns.

Six months in the onboarding you should schedule another meeting with the client. Call them on the phone and find out best time and date for them to have a meeting with. To prepare for this meeting you can use the same preparations you did when preparing to meet your client for the first time. 

During this meeting you should go over your client's personal account and review the current situation. It is also an opportunity for your client to ask any questions they have about the process. Ask your client if they have any information they want you to prepare for the meeting.

After a year of your business relationship, send your client a one-year anniversary thank you card. A good idea is the send a goods basket as it feels more personal. If you don't practice sending gifts you should at least send a hand-signed card via direct mail.

When sending the thank you card keep in mind that is purely to appreciate your client. Don't attach any business related information; this is your chance to let your client know you care about them not only their account.

(Source: clientwise.com)

Shortly after the thank you not you should get in touch with your client to schedule a meeting to go over the first year of working together. During this time you can review the yearly progress and formulate next year plan. 

In some cases this will also be a time to renew the contract and review the initial terms of your agreement. 

You can also ask your client for feedback and see if they have any suggestions that would make your work better together.

Nelson and Company, P.C. - New Client Opening Letter

Chris Holman - Creating an Exceptional New Client Onboarding Checklist

Ray Sclafani - 5 Strategies for Successful Client Onboarding

Jennifer Bourn - How To Implement A New Client Onboarding Process And Set Expectations​

Jim Marous - 21 Steps to Onboarding Success in Banking​

Accountants First - Financial Statements Questionnaire for Business 

Cheryl Jefferson & Associates CPA - Client Onboarding Process

Paddy Padmanabhan - 5 Ways to Have the Best Client Meetings Ever

American Bar Association - Ten Tips to a Successful First Client Meeting

Dar'shun Kendrick - How to Prepare For Your Meeting with a Prospective Client

Sageworks - An accountant's checklist for client meetings

Irene Leonard - Be Efficient by using a Checklist for New Client Meetings

Guy Pearson - Best Solutions for Accountants to Reduce Acquisition Costs and Minimize Client Onboarding

Kevin Murphy - 10 Preparation Tips For Pitching to a New Client

Karl Sakas - Prevent client blowups by creating a Client Onboarding Process for your agency

Matthew Guay - The 20 Best Online Survey Builder Tools