Accountants
Accountancy client onboarding: from website enquiry to engagement letter to Xero, without retyping
Good accountancy onboarding collects a new client's details once, on the website, and passes them on to everything else: the ID and anti-money laundering checks, the engagement letter, the practice management system and the client's ledger in Xero, Sage or FreeAgent. With us, a single onboarding automation starts from £650 and a connected system joining two or three tools from £1,950.
Most practices type the same name, address and UTR into four systems. That is where the errors and the delays come from.
What does accountancy onboarding usually look like?
An enquiry arrives by email or a web form. Someone replies, books a call, then sends a list of documents to collect. The client sends some of them. Somebody chases the rest. The details go into the practice management system, then into a separate ID checking tool, then into the engagement letter, then into Xero or Sage when the ledger is set up.
Every one of those steps is reasonable on its own. Together they take days, and the client's first experience of the firm is being asked for the same things twice. When MTD for Income Tax brings in quarterly clients, the problem multiplies, because each client touches the practice four times a year instead of once.
Which steps can be joined up?
| Step | What can happen on its own | What stays with a person |
|---|---|---|
| Enquiry | The website form asks the qualifying questions and creates the contact in your CRM or practice system | Deciding whether to take the client on |
| Proposal and fees | A proposal generated from the services chosen, at your published rates | Pricing anything unusual |
| ID and AML checks | The client is sent your checking tool's link; the result is filed against their record | Reviewing the result and the risk assessment |
| Engagement letter | Drafted from the agreed services, sent for e-signature, filed when signed | Approving the scope |
| Ledger set-up | The contact created in Xero, Sage or FreeAgent with the details already collected | Chart of accounts and opening balances |
| Records collection | Reminders before each quarter or deadline, and uploads filed to the right client | Reviewing what arrives |
What do the anti-money laundering rules mean for onboarding?
They mean the checks are not optional, and the records must be kept. HMRC's accountancy sector guidance sets out customer due diligence, record keeping and suspicious activity reporting as core duties for accountancy service providers, alongside a firm-wide risk assessment.
Automation helps here in a narrow but useful way. It makes sure every new client is sent the checks before work starts, that the result is filed in one place, and that nothing proceeds until someone has reviewed it. It does not make the judgement, and it should not. If your practice is supervised by a professional body, follow its guidance on what to record.
Should we use the integrations Xero and our practice software already have?
Yes, first. Xero's app store lists connected products by category, and many practice management and proposal tools already connect to Xero, and often to Sage, QuickBooks and FreeAgent. If your tools have a supported connection that does what you need, turn it on and save the money.
Build something only for the gaps: the website form that should feed your practice system, the engagement letter that should be drafted from the proposal, or the reminder sequence your current tools cannot send. Our guides to Xero integration and Sage integration cover what each platform allows.
What does it cost to automate accountancy onboarding?
With us, a single automation, such as the website form feeding your practice system, starts from £650. A connected system joining two or three tools, such as the website, the proposal tool and Xero, starts from £1,950. Larger integrations across four or more systems start from £3,500. Every price is on the price list.
If you are not sure where the time goes, a free systems audit (normally £495, free for a limited time) maps the process and shows which steps are worth joining first. Our wider guide to client onboarding automation covers the same approach for any firm.
Questions practices ask about onboarding
Can accountancy client onboarding be automated?
Most of the admin can: the enquiry form, proposal, sending ID and AML checks, the engagement letter and setting up the client in Xero, Sage or FreeAgent. Deciding whether to take on a client, reviewing check results and approving scope stay with a person.
Does automation replace AML checks?
No. It makes sure every new client is sent the checks before work starts and that the results are filed together, but a person still reviews the result and the risk assessment, as HMRC's accountancy guidance and professional bodies expect.
How much does it cost to automate onboarding for an accountancy firm?
With Werehouse Media, a single automation starts from £650, and a connected system joining two or three tools, such as the website, proposal software and Xero, starts from £1,950. Prices are published on the price list.
Which practice tools can be connected to Xero?
Many practice management, proposal and document tools already connect to Xero through its app store. Use those connections first, and build custom routes only for the gaps, such as the website enquiry form or engagement letter drafting.