Do accountants need a CRM or practice management software?
They're different tools. Practice management software runs the work you do for existing clients: recurring jobs, deadlines, document requests and the client portal. A CRM runs winning new clients: enquiries, proposals and the pipeline. Many practices need the first and use a light version of the second inside it.
| What you need | Practice management software | Accountant CRM | General CRM | Custom build |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recurring jobs and deadlines | Built in | Some | No | Only if nothing fits |
| Client portal and document requests | Built in on most | Some | No | Can be built |
| Proposals and sales pipeline | Basic | Built in | Strong | Built to your process |
| AML and engagement letters | Built in on some | Built in on some | Needs add-ons | Can be built |
| Best for | Almost every practice | Firms focused on growth and compliance records | Firms with a marketing team | A gap no product covers |
Features from vendor sites and published comparisons, September 2026. Links under Sources.
A custom build is rarely the answer for the core of the practice. It earns its place in the gaps: the channels clients actually reply on, the phones, and the steps that cross more than one system. Where that line falls is on our CRM and job management page.
How do we get clients to send their records on time?
Every practice has the same list: clients who send nothing until the week before the deadline, then a carrier bag of receipts. Making Tax Digital for Income Tax has added to it. Since April 2026, sole traders and landlords with qualifying income over £50,000 send quarterly updates, with the £30,000 threshold following in April 2027 and £20,000 in April 2028. More deadlines per client means more chasing.
- Requests on the channel each client answers, WhatsApp for many sole traders, email for others.
- Photos and PDFs accepted in the same thread and filed to the right client and period.
- A reply that says exactly what's still missing: "we have April and June statements; May is missing".
- Escalation to the manager when a client has gone quiet close to a deadline.
Your practice software's automatic reminders stay in place. This picks up the clients they don't move.
Who answers the phone in January?
Self Assessment season brings last-minute new clients, existing clients asking whether their return is filed, and people ringing about letters from HMRC. The team is doing returns, so the phone goes to voicemail or the newest person in the office.
| The call | Voicemail | Answering service | AI receptionist |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Can you do my tax return before the 31st?" | Call back later | Takes a message | Asks the scoping questions and books a call, or says you're full |
| "Have you filed mine yet?" | Call back later | Takes a message | Checks the job status where it can read it, or logs the question |
| "How much do I owe?" | Call back later | Takes a message | Never gives figures; passes it to the client's accountant |
| "I've had a letter from HMRC" | Call back later | Takes a message | Asks them to send a photo, files it and flags it as urgent |
| Record of the call | The voicemail | An email | A note on the client record |
More on how these are built on our AI receptionist page, and why unanswered calls cost more than they seem in missed calls.
How do we onboard new clients without the back-and-forth?
Taking on a client means ID and AML checks, an engagement letter, agent authorisation with HMRC, professional clearance from the previous accountant and, for company directors, their Companies House personal code now that identity verification has started. Each piece waits on the client or someone else.
One sequence
Every request goes out in order, from one place, and the client sees a short list of what's left.
Chased until done
Each item is chased on its own schedule, and the engagement partner hears when onboarding is complete.
Uses what you have
Your AML provider does the checks and your practice software sends the engagement letter; we connect them and do the chasing.
Clearance tracked
The professional clearance request to the previous accountant is logged and chased too.
How do we follow up people who asked for a quote?
A prospect asks for fees, gets a proposal, and doesn't reply. Most practices send one follow-up at most, because the partner who wrote the proposal is doing client work. A short sequence reaches the ones who were only busy.
We build it on the proposals you already send, with your wording and timings. The approach is in how to follow up on a quote.
How do accountants use AI, and what should we be careful with?
The common uses are reading documents, drafting client emails, summarising HMRC letters and handling the admin around deadlines. Bank feeds and transaction coding increasingly come built into Xero and the other ledgers, so check what you already have before paying for it.
The care points are the professional ones: client confidentiality, where data goes, and a qualified person checking anything technical before it reaches a client. ICAEW publishes guidance on the rules that apply. Everything we build keeps client data in systems you control and keeps a person on anything involving figures or advice.