A client uploads the final document needed for a return. What happens next?
Does the preparer know it has arrived? Does the return move out of the waiting stage? Can the reviewer see what is ready? Or must someone download a file, update a spreadsheet and send another email before work resumes? Does this sound familiar?
That handoff reveals more about a practice’s operations than the number of applications it uses. The opportunity is to build a practice where information reaches the right person, the next step is clear and fewer routine tasks depend on someone remembering to follow up.
What is an intelligent, connected tax practice?
An intelligent, connected tax practice combines reliable information, coordinated processes and professional judgment, while not adding more work to the flow. Its value becomes visible in the everyday experience of staff and clients.
What’s the path to a connected tax practice?
1. Start with the handoffs
Consider mapping one return from initial intake through preparation, review, signature collection, filing and payment. At each transition, identify what must happen before someone can proceed.
Ask staff three questions:
- Where do we enter the same information more than once?
- Where does work wait because responsibility or status is unclear?
- Where do clients have to ask us what happens next?
The answers help distinguish a technology gap from a process gap. A missing notification may call for a system change. An unassigned review task may require a clearer policy. Automating an unclear process can simply move confusion faster.
2. Give each stage a clear owner
Effective tax practice management requires more than labels such as “in progress” and “complete.” Each stage should identify the person responsible, the conditions for moving forward, and what to do when something is missing.
For example, “ready for review” might mean the preparer has completed an agreed checklist and documented unresolved questions. “Waiting on client” should identify the outstanding item and the next follow-up date.
This structure gives managers a basis for evaluating workload. Ten assigned returns tell them little if nine are awaiting documents and one requires immediate review. Defined stages make those differences easier to see and act on.
3. Connect the client experience
Document collection, return tracking, signatures and payments are closely related parts of the engagement. Firms should evaluate how well those functions work together and where staff must bridge the gaps manually.
From the client’s perspective, the process should answer three questions: What do you need from me? Where do I provide it? What happens afterward?
A secure document portal can support collection and exchange, while electronic signatures and offering multiple payment options can simplify later steps. Their usefulness depends on clear instructions, consistent staff practices and appropriate setup.
Before adopting a new connection, test an ordinary engagement and an exception. What happens when a client uploads the wrong file, a spouse has not signed or a payment remains outstanding? Confirm which events update automatically and which still require staff action.
4. Use intelligence where review is possible
Intelligence in a tax practice can take several forms: rules that route work, reports that reveal delays, or AI-assisted tools that support defined tasks. Each should solve a specific problem with an accountable person overseeing the result.
For an AI-assisted document extraction workflow, for example, establish who compares extracted values with the source document and how discrepancies are resolved before preparation continues.
Understanding AI and cybersecurity in tax practice can help firms evaluate the risks that come with new tools.
Evaluate proposed uses with four questions:
- What information will the tool receive?
- Is the tool approved by the firm for that information, and does its use satisfy applicable confidentiality and data-security requirements?
- Who will verify the output?
- What happens when the result is incomplete or incorrect?
Keep tax conclusions and final approvals with qualified professionals. A faster first step has limited value if it creates uncertainty downstream.
5. Measure whether the connection helps
Before changing a process, establish a baseline. Then compare results using consistent definitions and a reasonably comparable group of engagements.
Useful measures include:
- Time spent waiting for missing documents.
- Days between preparation completion and review.
- Number of client follow-ups per engagement.
- Time from signature request to completion.
- Frequency and cause of rework.
Look at the measures together. A shorter preparation interval may hide a longer review queue. Faster document collection may still leave staff sorting incomplete submissions. The goal is to understand where a change improves the engagement and where it shifts work to someone else.
6. Build trust into each connection
Every connection deserves scrutiny of who can access information and what actions they can take. Include access permissions, multi-factor authentication, activity records and staff training in implementation planning.
Test how access changes when an employee leaves or a seasonal assignment ends. Establish a response for unavailable systems, failed transfers and incorrect client records. Give staff a clear way to report problems before they affect additional engagements.
Clients also need guidance. Explain where to upload documents, how legitimate requests will arrive and whom to contact when something seems unusual.
7. Improve one process, then expand
Begin with one recurring source of friction, such as missing-document follow-ups or returns waiting for review. Define the desired result, assign an owner and pilot the change with a manageable group.
Ask staff and clients what became easier and what remained confusing. Use that feedback alongside the performance measures before expanding.
A connected tax practice starts with your next move
The intelligent, connected tax practice takes shape through these deliberate improvements:
- clearer handoffs
- more useful information
- technology that supports the people responsible for the work.
Go ahead, build a more connected tax practice one smart move at a time
Put a more connected tax practice within reach. Download Tax Preparation Workflow Tips for a Smoother Tax Season for practical ways to reduce manual tasks and keep returns moving.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Lisa Erickson is director of product management for Drake Software, where she leads product strategy and roadmap development for solutions serving tax professionals. With experience as a CPA and in the tax and accounting software industry, Lisa focuses on delivering innovative, customer-centric solutions that simplify complex workflows and improve efficiency for tax and accounting professionals. She is a recognized thought leader and speaker on AI innovation, workflow transformation, change management, customer experience, advisory services, and the future of tax and accounting technology.
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