Worked example · customer service
Have you ever had a new client's forms sent back over one blank box?
They agreed to work with you weeks ago. One missed signature, and the whole set goes round again.
Who this suits
- Each new client brings a stack of forms, IDs and records.
- Someone on your team checks every set by hand.
- Sets come back rejected for small things, and the clock restarts.
When we'd say leave it alone
Take on a handful of clients a year? A good checklist will do. Already pre-filling and e-signing every form? You're most of the way there.
Where it goes wrong
- Client agrees
- Forms out
- Forms back
- Checked
- Gaps chased
- Submitted
- Accepted
- Work begins
Clients get asked twice for details they already gave. Forms return half filled.
Nobody checks the set against the rules until it bounces. The first weeks spend the goodwill the sale just earned.
Wealth managers see it with account transfer forms. Insurance agencies see it with applications and prior loss runs. Accounting practices see it with engagement letters. Staffing firms see it with a new client's credit form.
What we'd build: a new-client forms check
It reviews each form before it goes out, and chases whatever is missing.
What's different afterwards
- Forms arrive pre-filled with what the client already told you.
- Every returned form is checked for blanks, signatures and dates.
- Gaps get a short personal reminder, drafted for your team to send.
- Sets leave complete, so they come back accepted.
What it's worth to you
Count last year's new clients. Note how many days each took from yes to fully set up.
Count the sets that bounced, and the hours spent fixing each. Multiply by your team's hourly cost. Then add the fees you couldn't bill while you waited.
12 new clients being set up
| Complete | 7 submitted and accepted |
|---|---|
| Gaps | 3 missing a signature or an ID, reminders drafted |
| Stopped | 1 transfer form whose account number doesn't match |
| Waiting | 1 on the previous firm, follow-up due Thursday |
How it works, step by step
Open the full method
What it reads
Your client system, your e-signature tool, your portal and the shared inbox. We confirm each one with you first.
The steps
- Builds a checklist from the client's type and services.
- Fills in what the client already gave you.
- Checks every returned form for blanks, signatures and dates.
- Names the gaps and drafts a reminder.
- Stops a set that would bounce, and says why.
- Follows each set until it's accepted.
Who signs off
Your team approves every message and every submission.
What it won't do
It never signs for a client. It never submits a form or changes an account on its own.
What we'd ask you for
Your checklist for each client type. Access to your forms and inbox. Twenty past sets, rejected ones included.
Often paired with
- A document chase, so the yearly paperwork arrives on time too.
- Same-day answers to a new client's first questions.
- Quicker follow-up, so an enquiry becomes a client sooner.
You become the firm new clients call easy to join.
Every new client is set up right the first time, and nothing bounces back.
Your version will differ from this one. Working out how is what a first conversation is for.
Want to talk it through?
A first conversation with one of our co-founders is free. It takes about an hour and needs no access.
A person writes back, normally within a working day.