5 Bookkeeping Client Collaboration Ideas for the New Year

Many people make personal resolutions when the calendar changes, but a new year can also be a great time for your firm to make significant changes to the way you engage with clients. Even if you feel you’ve got a good relationship with clients, increasing the efficiency of your collaboration can lead to a number of positive outcomes, including improved client experience. 

According to Salesforce statistics, 4 out of 5 business buyers believe customer experience is just as important as the products and services an organization offers. If you’re looking for strategies to improve the way you work with bookkeeping clients throughout projects, start with the tips below:   

Use a bookkeeping client portal for convenience  

According to research conducted by Mango, 69% of firms said they experienced delays in receiving necessary documents. This is frustrating for everyone involved, since bookkeepers can’t get what they need to complete project milestones on time, and clients may get upset at the resulting delays in their service. 

Creating a client portal is an excellent solution for delays in receiving documents. Your team and clients won’t have to worry about digging through email messages to find a particular file or record.

The best portals are easy to access on multiple platforms, for clients who may not be tech-savvy or prefer to do most of their work on a specific device. Portals also give you much better control over the security of your files, which is critical if you want to avoid an expensive breach that could lead to severe consequences. 

Expand and optimize your bookkeeping firm automation 

In 2025, you should already be using automation in several different areas of your operations to make mundane processes easier—if you aren’t, we suggest fixing that promptly.

This year, you should consider ways you can make automation better, or expand it into new areas. There are many great product resources and communities available to help you learn about the most cutting-edge ways to use automation within your bookkeeping practice.  

Remember, automation isn’t there so that human interaction can be completely absent from your firm. The goal should be to make the repetitive, straightforward tasks happen more quickly so that you can apply the human touch to more of the creative processes like client communication.

Considering some of the stereotypes about bookkeeping professionals, maintaining a strong sense of personal connection can be a serious competitive edge for your firm. 

Customize bookkeeping client reporting cadence 

Reports are critical for bookkeeping projects of all kinds because they offer a quantitative picture into performance. It’s much harder to manipulate data than personal opinions. The best reports for bookkeepers are a two-way avenue for communication between your firm and its clients. 

If you don’t feel like reports are serving you well, or think they could be better, improving them is a wise goal. As you look to adjust your reporting, think about the services you provide, their scope, and calibrate your reporting from there. Some areas may need more extensive reporting than others.

Don’t forget to seek input from your clients as well—some are more curious than others about report details. 

Address concerns about artificial intelligence (AI) for bookkeepers 

We’ve come a long way from the early days when large language models (LLMs) were more of a novelty than a helpful tool. Today, we see AI-driven LLM platforms like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot used in all kinds of industries, from education and healthcare to logistics and entertainment.  

Unfortunately, not all of the news is positive. Many people are concerned about the use of AI in unethical or improper ways—such as the June 2023 case of a New York law firm that submitted a legal brief created by ChatGPT, which drew upon fictitious legal cases to make its claims. 

Most bookkeeping clients won’t have an issue with your use of AI, as long as you can clearly explain how your firm intends to use the technology and why that use is allowed under applicable guidelines such as engagement letters, contracts and local law. 

Bonus tip: consolidate your tech stack for faster service 

The number of software tools available for common bookkeeping business functions has increased exponentially over the last decade. As companies pour more and more resources into cutting edge technology like blockchain and AI, the growth of available bookkeeping tech tools is unlikely to slow down. 

One of the best ways to optimize internal operations while making clients happy about collaborating with your firm is to consolidate your technology stack.

By using a single practice management platform to handle a number of different tasks including payroll, file sharing, invoicing and payment collection, you reduce the time your team has to spend switching to different tools and allow them to focus more on improving client collaboration.

This creates happier clients who are more likely to continue working with your firm long into the future. 

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