Practice management for a UK accounting firm

The business

A UK accounting practice serving around a hundred clients across annual accounts, tax returns, VAT, bookkeeping, payroll, and advisory services. The firm used Xero for client accounting and a mix of Word, Outlook, and spreadsheets for everything else.

The partner wanted to modernise — not to chase scale, but because the admin burden was eating into the time the team could spend on actual advisory work. Every new client meant a manual process that nobody enjoyed and nobody fully trusted was consistent.

The challenge

Three problems were compounding each other.

Onboarding was manual and slow. For every new client, someone had to look up the company on Companies House, copy details into a Word template, select the right service lines, calculate the fee, format the letter, and email it for signature. The same data was re-entered three or four times across different documents. Mistakes crept in — wrong company numbers, outdated addresses, mismatched director names.

Compliance checks were inconsistent. KYC and AML screening happened, but the process varied by person. Some staff ran checks early, some late, some documented them thoroughly, some didn't. There was no single record showing when checks were done, what was found, and whether anything was outstanding.

Expiry tracking was reactive. Engagement letters have renewal dates. Proposals have follow-up windows. The practice had no systematic way to see what was expiring next week, next month, or next quarter. Renewals were missed. Follow-ups were forgotten. Revenue that should have been automatic required someone to remember.

What we built

A practice management portal that replaces the Word-and-email workflow with a structured, data-driven process.

Companies House integration. Search by company name or number, and the portal pulls registered address, incorporation date, SIC codes, director names, and appointment dates directly from the Companies House API. No manual data entry. No copy-paste errors. One click and the client profile is populated.

Automated KYC and AML. Identity verification and AML screening are built into the onboarding flow. Results are recorded against the client record with timestamps. Nothing falls through the cracks because the system won't let you proceed without completing the checks.

Live engagement letter builder. Select services, confirm fees, and the letter builds itself in real time. Letterhead, scope table, fee summary, regulatory paragraphs, and signature blocks are all generated from the structured data. The letter updates as selections change. Export to DOCX or send directly via DocuSign.

Proposal generation. Tiered pricing proposals with scope breakdowns, delivery timelines, and acceptance tracking. The practice knows when a prospect has opened the proposal, how long they spent on it, and whether they've shared it.

Practice dashboard. Total clients, active letters, pending signatures, upcoming expiries, and recent activity in one view. The partner opens this once a day and knows exactly where things stand.

The results

Onboarding went from 45 minutes to under three. The time saved isn't just efficiency — it's consistency. Every letter is generated from the same structured data, formatted the same way, with the same regulatory paragraphs. No more "which version of the template did you use?"

Compliance became systematic. Every client has a verifiable KYC and AML record. The practice can now demonstrate to its professional body that checks are being done consistently, with evidence, for every client.

Nothing expires quietly. The dashboard surfaces upcoming renewals and pending signatures automatically. Revenue that used to require someone to remember now surfaces on its own.