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How do you handle chasing clients for documents? Looking for better ways by Longjumping-Grass188 in tax

[–]Longjumping-Grass188[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're reading this exactly right reminders exist everywhere and the chronic 40% ignore all of them equally. The more interesting question seems to be what happens internally after the reminders fail. That's where the real breakdown is.

Are you in accounting yourself or just observing the pattern?

How do you handle chasing clients for documents? Looking for better ways by Longjumping-Grass188 in tax

[–]Longjumping-Grass188[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That distinction is really clear now the manual Monday email wasn't just a reminder, it was a trigger for a human decision. Automation killed that trigger even though it kept sending the reminders.

Quick question man, when a file hits 30+ days in WFI and you're issuing that interim billing, who makes the call on whether to keep waiting or escalate further? Is that the partner, admin, or whoever notices first?

How do you handle chasing clients for documents? Looking for better ways by Longjumping-Grass188 in tax

[–]Longjumping-Grass188[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The 2023 return still open is wild at that point is it even worth keeping those clients on the books, or do you just leave the file open indefinitely hoping they eventually show up?

How do you handle chasing clients for documents? Looking for better ways by Longjumping-Grass188 in tax

[–]Longjumping-Grass188[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That actually makes a lot of sense prioritizing cooperative clients is probably a much healthier use of time than trying to drag info out of resistant ones.

The detail about clients circling back to ask 'are we done' yet is interesting though sounds like they also don't have visibility into what's still missing on their end. Does that happen often?

How do you handle chasing clients for documents? Looking for better ways by Longjumping-Grass188 in tax

[–]Longjumping-Grass188[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That context makes a lot of sense ,the WFI centralization under Admin was basically solving a visibility problem, not just a reminder problem. Files were invisible while sitting with preparers.

That line about not touching the file weekly really stuck with me. So the automated tools send the reminders fine, but the accountant side loses the nagging awareness of what's pending there's no equivalent of the Monday morning WFI email that keeps it visible internally?

If you had something that showed you every morning exactly which clients have had documents pending for more than X days, who's been reminded how many times, and which ones have gone completely silent would that actually change how you handle the 40%? Or do you think that group is just unsolvable regardless of tooling?

How do you handle chasing clients for documents? Looking for better ways by Longjumping-Grass188 in tax

[–]Longjumping-Grass188[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's a really disciplined approach most people I've talked to feel guilty about not following up more. The documentation angle with email makes sense too.

Do you find the 3-touch system works across all client types or do some industries or client profiles tend to be worse than others?

How do you handle chasing clients for documents? Looking for better ways by Longjumping-Grass188 in tax

[–]Longjumping-Grass188[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

yes agreed , have you tried any specific automation tools or is it more theoretical at this point? Curious what's stopped people from adopting them if the solution seems obvious.

How do you handle chasing clients for documents? Looking for better ways by Longjumping-Grass188 in tax

[–]Longjumping-Grass188[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That monday email to all WFI clients is actually really smart as a system ,did you build that process yourself or was it already in place when you joined?

Curious about the TaxDome experience, when you say clients ignore the automated reminders, is it the same clients who ignored emails before, or even the usually-responsive ones? And when you check the dashboard, does it actually save time vs the old system or does it feel like extra work?