Workflow
Client Intake & Onboarding Automation
A new client fills out a form, or sends an email, or calls. Then someone retypes the details into the practice management system, again into billing, again into the CRM, requests the documents by email, chases them, builds the engagement letter from last month's, and tells the team by chat. Client intake automation captures the details once, creates every record from that one source, collects and checks documents automatically, drafts the engagement letter from your own template for a person to review, and gives the whole team one view of where each new client stands. This is a specific workflow inside our workflow automation service, built for law firms, accounting and bookkeeping firms, and consultancies.
Examples, not client case studies
What this can look like
These are illustrative examples, not promises of results. Every project starts with your own workflow.
Client Intake & Onboarding Automation
Before
A prospective client completes a web form. An assistant reads it, runs a conflict check by hand, creates the matter in the practice management system, types the same details into billing and the CRM, and emails a list of documents to send in. Three follow-up emails later, the file is complete enough to start.
After
The form creates the intake record and runs the conflict check against your client list, flagging possible matches to a person. On clearance, the matter, billing codes, and CRM record are created from the one submission. The client gets a secure link to upload the required documents; each upload is checked for completeness and filed. The engagement letter is drafted from your template with the details filled in, and a person reviews and sends it.
Accounting firm client onboarding
Before
A new bookkeeping client is onboarded by email: prior-year returns, bank access, payroll details, and entity documents requested one at a time. Someone keeps a spreadsheet of who has sent what. The engagement letter is a Word file edited by hand.
After
The client receives one checklist link tailored to their entity type and services. Documents are uploaded, recognized, and checked; missing items are chased automatically on a schedule you set. The engagement letter is generated from your template with scope, fees, and terms filled in, reviewed by the partner, and sent for e-signature. The team sees onboarding status per client without asking.
Approach
How it works
- 01
Capture once
Web form, email, or a call logged by staff becomes one intake record. Every downstream record is created from it, never retyped.
- 02
Check before creating
Conflict check against existing clients and parties, duplicate detection, and required-field validation, with possible matches shown to a person.
- 03
Create records and collect documents
Matter or engagement, billing setup, CRM entry, and document requests tailored to the client type, with uploads checked and filed automatically.
- 04
Draft, review, and start
Engagement letter assembled from your template, reviewed by a person, sent for signature. The team is notified when the file is complete.
What we need from you
- Your intake form or questionnaire as it exists today, and the fields the practice management and billing systems require
- Your engagement letter templates and the rules for which template applies to which client or service
- The document checklist by client type, and how long to wait before chasing
- Access to practice management, billing, and CRM systems, scoped to client and matter objects
Rules vs AI
What the rules do, what the model does, and what stays with the professional
Rules: record creation and checklists
Which records get created, with which fields, and which documents are required for which client type are explicit rules. No interpretation.
Rules: conflict and duplicate checks
Names, entities, and related parties are checked against your client list on rules you approve. Possible matches are shown to a person; the system never clears a conflict on its own.
AI: reading what clients send
Recognizing an uploaded document, confirming it is the one requested, and pulling out key fields, each with a confidence score. Low confidence goes to staff.
People: engagement, scope, and judgement
Accepting the client, setting the fee, approving the engagement letter, and any decision about the matter itself are made by the professional. The system prepares; the person decides.
Document collection
Collecting and checking client documents without the email chase
Each client type has a document checklist: identification and entity documents, prior filings or agreements, financial statements, authorizations, whatever your practice requires. The client gets one secure link showing exactly what is outstanding. Uploads are recognized, checked against the checklist, and filed in your document management system under the right matter. Missing items are chased automatically on a schedule you set, and a person is alerted when a deadline is at risk.
Nothing is decided from a document alone. If a document is unreadable, appears to be the wrong type, or is missing a required page, it goes to staff with the issue highlighted rather than being marked complete.
Integration requirements
What we connect to
- Practice management or matter management system, through its API, for matter and client creation
- Time, billing, and trust accounting, for client and billing code setup
- CRM, so business development sees the same client the practice does
- Document management, for filing under the correct matter with your naming rules
- E-signature, for engagement letters and authorizations
- Your web forms or intake tool, or a simple form we provide if you have none
Limits
Confidentiality, error handling, and what the system will not do
Client information stays in your systems
Documents and details are stored in the practice and document management systems you already trust. The workflow moves references and status, not copies into chat or email.
Conflicts are surfaced, not cleared
A possible conflict stops the sequence and goes to a person with the matching records shown. Clearing it is a professional's decision, recorded as such.
Engagement letters are drafted, not sent
Every letter is reviewed by a named person before it goes out. Scope, fees, and terms are filled from the record, but the approval is human.
Everything is logged
Who submitted what, when documents arrived, who reviewed them, when the letter went out. Available per client without searching email.
Where this shows up
Signs this is your problem
- Intake details typed into three systems by hand
- Document requests sent one email at a time and tracked in a spreadsheet
- Engagement letters built by editing last month's and proofreading for missed names
- Nobody can say which new clients are ready to start without asking around
- Conflict checks that depend on someone remembering to run them
- New clients who wait days for a first response because intake sits in an inbox
Scope and cost
What influences the price
Two workflows that sound the same can differ a lot in effort, so we don't quote from a menu. These are the things that move the number. You get a written price and timeline after the free assessment.
- How many client types and service lines, each with its own checklist and template
- Which practice management, billing, CRM, and document systems are involved, and whether each has an API
- Whether conflict checking can run against your data or needs a separate source
- How many engagement letter templates and how variable their terms are
- Whether e-signature and a client portal already exist
- Intake volume: a few clients a month versus a few a day
Often combined with
Related solutions
Where we see this most
Related industries
FAQ
Client Intake & Onboarding Automation: common questions
Does this replace our practice management system?
No. It feeds it. The practice management system stays the system of record for matters and clients. The workflow removes the retyping around it and connects it to billing, CRM, documents, and e-signature.
How is client confidentiality protected?
Documents and details stay in the systems you already use for them. We access only what the project needs, your client information is never used to train outside models, and every automated action is logged. Your firm's confidentiality rules set the boundaries; we build so they are easy to show.
Can it run our conflict check?
It can run the comparison against your client and party lists on rules you approve and show possible matches. It cannot and does not clear a conflict. That decision stays with the responsible professional and is recorded.
Will engagement letters go out automatically?
No. They are drafted from your templates with the client's details, scope, and fees filled in, then reviewed by a person before sending. The review is the point; the drafting is what gets automated.
What if clients send documents by email instead of the upload link?
Emailed documents are recognized and routed into the same checklist, matched to the client, and checked the same way. The link is easier for everyone, but the workflow doesn't depend on clients using it.
Does this work for accounting and bookkeeping firms as well as law firms?
Yes. The checklists, templates, and systems differ, but the workflow is the same: capture once, check, create records, collect documents, draft the engagement letter for review. Our accounting firms page covers the specifics.
Get started
Show us how a new client gets set up today.
Walk us through intake to signed engagement letter for one client type. We'll tell you what can be captured once and what should stay with the professional.
We'll reach out at a time that works for you. No cost, no obligation.
Serving businesses nationwide
We work with businesses in every state.
A few states have their own page with local detail. The list is selective, not a limit on where we work.