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How to Stop Chasing Clients for Records
Reduce the time your team spends chasing information that should have arrived already.
Built by a practising Chartered Accountant · Unlimited users · Free for 60 days
Automated reminders
Timely prompts before work becomes urgent.
- Premier Books Consultancy
- Cranleys Chartered Accountants
- CJM Accountants
- Towpath Accounting Solutions
- Auditax International
- RS
Quick answer
Chasing clients for records is reduced by requesting information early, being specific about what's needed, and automating reminders so the firm isn't relying on manual chasing emails. A clear, repeated process gets records in faster and frees staff from the most tedious part of the job.
Why do accountants spend so much time chasing clients for records, and why does it matter?
Vague, one-off requests and no automated follow-up mean information arrives late or not at all, and staff spend real time on manual chasing instead of client work.
Chasing records is one of the most common frustrations raised by practice staff. It's repetitive, it delays jobs close to statutory deadlines, and it's rarely anyone's full-time responsibility, so it gets squeezed in between other work.
The underlying causes are usually the same: requests go out too late, they aren't specific enough for the client to act on immediately, and there's no automated follow-up when nothing comes back.
Why does chasing clients keep happening?
Requests sent too close to the deadline
If records are requested a week before the deadline, there's no buffer left when the client doesn't respond immediately.
Vague requests
'Please send your records' produces a slower, less complete response than a specific, itemised list.
No automated follow-up
Without a reminder system, chasing depends on someone remembering to check and re-send manually.
No visibility of who's outstanding
Without a shared view, several team members might independently chase the same client, or nobody chases at all.
Clients don't understand the consequence
If clients aren't told clearly what happens if records are late, there's less urgency on their side to respond.
What does chasing clients cost a firm?
Staff time is diverted from higher-value work, jobs are pushed closer to statutory deadlines, and persistent lateness increases the risk of a missed filing.
Late Self Assessment filing after 31 January triggers an automatic £100 penalty, with further daily and tax-geared penalties if it continues. Chasing records isn't just an internal annoyance — it directly affects whether the firm can meet statutory deadlines on the client's behalf.
| Activity | Typical impact |
|---|---|
| Repeated individual chase emails | Time spent that could go to chargeable work |
| Records arriving late | Compressed timescale for the actual job |
| Duplicate chasing by different staff | Client confusion and wasted effort |
How do you stop chasing clients for records? Step by step
- 1
Request records early
Send the request as soon as the relevant period ends, well ahead of the internal deadline you're working to.
- 2
Be specific about what's needed
List exactly which documents and figures are required, rather than a general request for 'records'.
- 3
Set an internal deadline with buffer
Give clients a date that leaves your team enough time to complete the job before the statutory deadline.
- 4
Automate the first few reminders
Set reminders to go out automatically at set intervals rather than relying on someone to remember.
- 5
Escalate personally after automated reminders fail
If automated reminders don't work, a personal call from the accountant they know often succeeds where an email didn't.
- 6
Explain the consequence clearly
Tell clients plainly what happens if records arrive too late, including any penalty risk or fee for rushed work.
- 7
Track who's outstanding centrally
Keep one shared view of outstanding records so the whole team knows who has and hasn't responded.
How does Remindoo help stop chasing clients for records?
Automated client reminders send scheduled follow-ups for outstanding records without a member of staff having to remember to chase manually, at intervals you set. Recurring tasks tie the request to the relevant deadline, so reminders start early enough to leave a genuine buffer before the statutory date. Email templates and tokens let you personalise reminders with the client's specific outstanding items rather than sending a generic message, which tends to get a better response. Strong task filters let a manager see every client with outstanding records at a glance, across the whole firm, rather than each accountant tracking their own list separately. The client portal gives clients one clear place to upload what's been requested, reducing the back-and-forth over email.
Automated reminders
Timely prompts before work becomes urgent.
See featureRecurring tasks
Repeat work is created automatically on schedule.
See featureEmail templates
Standard client messages ready to send.
See featureStrong task filters
Filter by tags, deadline, assignee and status.
See featureClient portal and document sharing
Share requests and documents securely, not by email.
See featureSpreadsheets vs Remindoo: what changes?
| Area | Spreadsheets & email | With Remindoo |
|---|---|---|
| Chasing outstanding records | Manual emails, remembered ad hoc | Automated reminders on a schedule |
| Visibility of who's outstanding | Tracked individually by each accountant | Visible firm-wide in one filtered view |
| Reminder personalisation | Generic copy-paste emails | Personalised with client-specific tokens |
| Buffer before deadline | Often none left by the time records arrive | Built in by requesting and reminding early |
| Uploading records | Email attachments back and forth | One portal for all requested items |
See it with your own clients
A 30-minute walkthrough using your services and deadlines.
When should you start chasing clients for records?
As soon as possible after the relevant period ends, well before your internal working deadline.
For Self Assessment, that means requesting records shortly after 5 April rather than in December. For year-end accounts, request records as soon as the year end has passed, not once the 9-month filing deadline is already close.
“Automated reminders and task templates save countless hours each week.”
Frequently asked questions
How early should I request client records?
As soon as the relevant period ends — for example, shortly after 5 April for Self Assessment — leaving as much buffer as possible before your internal working deadline.
What's the best way to word a records request?
Be specific: list the exact documents and figures needed rather than a general request, and clients tend to respond faster and more completely.
Can Remindoo automate reminders without me writing a new email each time?
Yes — automated client reminders and email templates with tokens let you set up the message once and have it sent automatically on a schedule, personalised per client.
What happens if a client's records still don't arrive after several reminders?
Escalate to a personal call, explain the consequence clearly, and consider whether a formal engagement letter clause on late information and fees should apply.
What's the penalty risk if my client's Self Assessment is late because of missing records?
A late Self Assessment return after 31 January triggers an automatic £100 penalty, rising with further daily and tax-geared penalties the longer it remains outstanding.
Is there a free trial for automated reminders?
Yes, automated client reminders are included in Remindoo's 60-day free trial, so you can test the whole records-chasing workflow before paying.
Ready to run a calmer practice?
See Remindoo with your own clients, or start free for 60 days with unlimited users.
Sources
Comparing options? Read our guide to crm for accountants.
Last updated: . General guidance, not regulatory advice. Check with your professional body.
Why a single client record matters
When client details, deadlines, documents and conversations are spread across inboxes and spreadsheets, time goes on searching instead of on client work.
One version of the truth
Everyone sees the same services, contacts, deadlines and notes for each client.
Accurate deadlines
Companies House sync brings in company details and filing dates, reducing manual errors.
Better client service
A full timeline means anyone can answer a client question with the history in front of them.
Secure document sharing
A client portal is safer than sending financial documents as email attachments.
Practical tips from UK practice
- Import companies from Companies House rather than typing details by hand.
- Record every service a client takes, so recurring work is created automatically.
- Add a short note after every important client call.
- Ask clients to upload documents through the portal rather than by email.
Related Remindoo features
Written and reviewed by Waqas Sagar ACA FCCA FMAAT, Chartered Accountant with 18+ years in practice. Founder and MD of Accotax, an ICAEW, ACCA and AAT regulated London practice that has served over 5,000 clients, and founder of Remindoo. Guidance is general; check current GOV.UK and professional body guidance for your firm.
What UK practices say about Remindoo
Read all reviews on Trustpilot“With Remindoo, everything from the first enquiry to onboarding and ongoing client management is tracked in one place… It saves us hours and gives me, as a practice owner, complete visibility of where the firm stands.”
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“During my trial, the team were absolutely amazing. They helped onboard my clients, set up my settings and made sure everything was ready for me to use… they made the whole process completely stress-free.”
“It brings client information, tasks, recurring deadlines, workflows and reminders together in one place, giving us much better visibility across the team.”
