Last updated: 24 Nov 2025 10:00 Posted in:
In today’s competitive market, where clients are used to the ease and speed of digital-first experiences, accountants have a golden opportunity to make the right impression from day one. Onboarding is more than an administrative task – it’s the first step in building trust, confidence and long-lasting relationships.
Setting the tone
Accountants operate in a landscape shaped by rising regulatory demands and clients who expect the same seamless service they experience in other industries. This environment makes first impressions matter more than ever. And for firms, nowhere is this more important than when welcoming new clients.
Handled well, onboarding can be a moment filled with optimism, momentum and reassurance. It’s the point where a client’s decision to put their trust in a firm is validated through smooth processes, clear communication and an experience that inspires confidence. Yet, when overlooked or treated as a box-ticking exercise, the process can feel clunky, dampening enthusiasm just when excitement should be at its peak.
Far from being a hurdle, onboarding is a springboard. It sets the tone for the entire client relationship and creates the conditions for loyalty, referrals and growth. With regulators requiring due diligence and clients more willing than ever to switch providers, firms that invest in this stage stand apart. In fact, onboarding has become a strategic differentiator – one that can empower stretched teams, strengthen client trust and give practices a crucial edge.
Get it right, and a firm begins the journey on a wave of confidence and collaboration. Get it wrong, and the opportunity to build a lasting connection risks being lost.
Common challenges
Onboarding is already a key moment of opportunity for firms, yet it is one where many still have untapped potential. The process often involves multiple steps – from proposal creation and engagement letters to anti-money laundering (AML) and customer due diligence (CDD) checks. Each of these steps represents a chance to demonstrate professionalism, build trust and reassure clients that they are in safe hands.
For many practices, however, the way onboarding is managed leaves room to elevate the experience further. According to our own poll of accountants, 42% of firms still rely on paper-based systems to manage onboarding, with a further 23% using spreadsheets. Moving beyond these manual methods creates opportunities to eliminate duplication, avoid bottlenecks and deliver a smoother journey for clients.
The same applies to proposals. When tailored carefully and delivered promptly, they showcase a firm’s understanding of the client’s needs. But when the process is slow or overly generic, that impact is lost. Streamlining proposal creation is not only more efficient for the practice but also makes a strong early impression.
Communication is another area rich with opportunity. Clients do not always know what is expected of them or how long each stage will take. By proactively setting expectations and updating clients regularly, firms can turn what might otherwise feel like waiting time into a period that builds trust and confidence.
Even workflows themselves present opportunities for improvement. Standardising and integrating processes ensures that everyone is working from the same data, which means that clients receive consistent information. For firms, this also helps to reassure regulators that compliance steps are being followed rigorously.
In other words, what might once have been seen as pain points can now be reframed as touchpoints where firms can shine. Every step of onboarding is a chance to build reassurance, demonstrate expertise and reinforce the client’s decision to choose the firm.
Towards best practice
The good news is that firms can turn onboarding into a powerful differentiator by adopting a client-first mindset and modernising their approach.
The first step is to take a look under the hood. Practices need to review their existing workflows honestly, identifying where they currently face bottlenecks and points of frustration for clients. Speaking to staff and gathering feedback from clients themselves can highlight pain points that may otherwise go unnoticed, and creates the foundation for meaningful change.
Once the picture is clear, firms can begin to reshape their process.
Central to this is recognising that onboarding should not be designed around the convenience of the practice, but around the experience of the client. Maintaining regular communication, setting clear expectations and involving clients in the journey helps to sustain the excitement that led them to choose the firm in the first place. Clients want reassurance that their accountant is compliant, but they also want to feel valued. Delivering both is essential.
Technology has a crucial role to play in achieving this balance – and clients agree. Research from Salesforce shows that 77% of B2B clients now believe that technology has transformed how companies should interact with them.
Far from depersonalising the process, automation and integration free accountants to spend more time with clients. Tasks such as generating proposals, sending reminders or chasing documents can be streamlined, saving hours of work and reducing errors. Integrated systems also remove silos, ensuring data flows across proposals, AML checks and client records.
The best firms are those that humanise this increasingly digital process. Technology takes care of the background, but the human element must remain at the centre. Accountants who use the time saved to update and reassure build loyalty that lasts well beyond onboarding. This also helps to prevent scope creep – one of the most common frustrations for firms – because clear, consistent onboarding makes it harder for expectations to drift later in the relationship.
Digital-first firms are setting new benchmarks, creating the risk that the practices standing still will be left behind. So, measures like regularly auditing workflows and adjusting processes to reflect client feedback should therefore become second nature. And this can be simple as introducing a short questionnaire during the first months of the relationship, providing invaluable insight into what clients appreciate, where frustrations arose and what they will value as you move forward together.
First impressions count
Onboarding may once have been seen as an unavoidable chore, but today it is a critical touchpoint in the client journey. Done well, it accelerates compliance, creates efficiency and lays the foundations for a strong relationship.
For accountants, that means less time bogged down in administration and more time delivering insights and advice. For clients, it means a partnership that begins not with frustration, but with confidence and excitement.
In an industry where competition is intense and compliance paramount, that is the kind of first impression no firm can afford to overlook.
Author Bio
Eva Mrazikova
Senior Director of Product Marketing & Practicing Accountant
IRIS Software Group
"For many practices, the way onboarding is managed leaves room to elevate the experience further"
Eva Mrazikova
Senior Director of Product Marketing & Practicing Accountant
IRIS Software Group