Client Intake & Automation

Client Intake, Rebuilt: The 5-Minute Workflow That Runs Itself

Most firms lose dozens of hours every month just getting clients onboarded — gathering details, chasing documents, and waiting on signatures. Altiro turns that chaos into a single, guided intake flow your clients can finish in under 5 minutes, while your team never has to chase another W-2 again.

By Kush Shah

January 15, 2025•5 min read

If you run an accounting firm in 2025, your real bottleneck isn't tax law or advisory work — it's everything that happens before you can even start. Intake. Organizers. Missing documents. Clients who mean well, but take weeks to send what you need.

Most firms are still trying to manage this with email threads, PDFs, and a shared inbox. It works — until it doesn't. Deadlines slip, staff burn out, and partners end up stepping in to chase clients instead of reviewing work.

We built Altiro Client Intake to fix this at the root: one clean, branded workflow that collects everything you need, follows up automatically, and plugs directly into the rest of your practice — without adding another system to babysit.

1. A Guided, 5-Minute Client Experience

Every intake starts with a friendly welcome screen that tells clients exactly what to expect: how long it will take, what they'll need, and how their data is protected. From there, Altiro walks them through contact details, entity information, and basic engagement questions in a clean, mobile-friendly flow.

Instead of emailing back and forth, a new client clicks one link, completes everything in a single sitting, and lands on a confirmation screen. Your team gets structured data you can actually use — no manual re-entry.

What this means for your firm

Firms using Altiro's guided intake reclaim hours per week just by eliminating back-and-forth emails and incomplete forms. New staff don't need to remember "how we usually onboard clients" — the system walks everyone through the same, consistent process.

2. Document Upload That Eliminates Chasing

The number one complaint we hear from firms? Constantly chasing clients for W-2s, 1099s, bank statements, and prior returns. Altiro builds document collection straight into the intake flow with clear drag-and-drop sections for IDs, income, and financial statements.

Clients see exactly what's missing and can upload from their computer or phone. Behind the scenes, documents are stored securely and linked to the right client record — no more mystery files named scan123.pdf in a random shared drive.

Why your team will feel the difference

Instead of digging through inboxes and re-requesting the same files, staff open one place and see everything the client has submitted — and what's still outstanding. It's faster for you, clearer for them, and much easier to keep work moving.

See Altiro's intake flow in a live demo

Altiro engagement letter and e-signature

3. Smart Reminders & Engagement Letters in the Same Flow

Once a client finishes their details and uploads, Altiro doesn't stop there. The same workflow can present an engagement letter, capture a digital signature, and trigger an automated confirmation — all without your team drafting a single email.

If a client stalls, reminder emails go out automatically on the cadence you choose. They're clear, polite, and always reference exactly what's missing — no awkward "following up again" messages from staff.

Less "just checking in", more finished work

Your team no longer has to remember who to chase or which engagement letters are still pending. Altiro keeps track of every intake's status and nudges clients automatically until the last box — including signature — is checked.

4. Part of an Ecosystem, Not Another Island Tool

A lot of "smart intake" tools stop at the form. Altiro goes further by connecting intake directly to the rest of your practice. Completed intakes can create or update client records, kick off tasks for your team, and sync documents into your existing storage and workflows.

That means no duplicate data entry, no downloading and re-uploading files, and no wondering where information lives. Intake becomes the front door to a clearly defined system, not a separate island someone has to manage.

Your firm's heartbeat, not just another app

When intake, documents, tasks, and communication are all connected, partners get true visibility, staff get clarity, and clients feel like your firm is on top of everything. That's the competitive edge most firms are missing — and where Altiro quietly shines.

Firms using Altiro’s intake flow cut onboarding time by 50–70%

About Altiro

Altiro helps accounting firms modernize client intake, document collection, and communication so partners and staff can focus on high-value work. Our client intake experience is just one part of a connected ecosystem that ties into your CRM, task management, and document storage.

We design and implement workflows alongside your team, so the system fits the way your firm actually works — and then runs quietly in the background while you grow.

By Kush Shah

Kush Shah is the founder of Altiro, where he helps accounting firms replace chaotic manual workflows with simple, automated systems. With a background in software engineering and years spent building tools for professional services, he's obsessed with helping firms reclaim time without adding complexity.