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Workflow & task control
Custom Fields and Tokens for Accounting Workflows
Capture what your firm actually needs, then reuse it automatically across tasks and emails.
Built by a practising Chartered Accountant · Unlimited users · Free for 60 days
Custom fields and data tokens
Capture and reuse the data your firm needs.
- Premier Books Consultancy
- Cranleys Chartered Accountants
- CJM Accountants
- Towpath Accounting Solutions
- Auditax International
- RS
Quick answer
Custom fields and tokens let a practice capture data specific to its own way of working, such as VAT scheme, payroll reference or a client's preferred contact, and then reuse that data automatically in tasks and client emails without retyping it every time.
What are custom fields and data tokens and why do they matter for UK practices?
Custom fields capture the specific pieces of information your firm needs beyond the standard client record, and tokens let that data be pulled automatically into emails and tasks.
Every practice manager or bookkeeper has fields they wish they could track properly: VAT scheme, payroll pay date, preferred contact method, a specific compliance note. Generic software often has no obvious place for this information, so it ends up in a separate spreadsheet or a sticky note.
Custom fields solve the storage problem, and tokens solve the reuse problem: once a piece of data is captured against a client, it can be pulled automatically into a reminder email or a task description rather than being retyped by hand each time.
Why does missing custom data keep causing problems?
Important details live outside the client record
Information that matters to how you work with a specific client often ends up in a separate note, spreadsheet or someone's memory rather than the client record itself.
The same information is retyped repeatedly
Without tokens, staff manually type the same client-specific details into every email or task, which is slow and prone to copy errors.
Generic communications feel impersonal
Client emails that cannot pull in specific, relevant details read as generic and are less likely to prompt a quick response.
Reporting cannot use unstructured data
Information kept in free-text notes rather than a structured field cannot easily be filtered, searched or reported on across the client bank.
Different staff track different things
Without an agreed set of custom fields, each team member invents their own way of noting the same type of information, so nothing is consistent.
What does missing custom data cost an accounting firm?
The cost is time spent retyping information that could be automated, plus the risk of an important client-specific detail being missed because it was never recorded anywhere structured.
Retyping the same details into individual emails across a large client base adds up to meaningful lost time over a year, all of it avoidable.
A client-specific detail kept only in someone's memory or an old email thread is easy to lose entirely if that person is away or leaves the firm.
How do you set up custom fields and tokens? Step by step
- 1
List the extra information you actually need
Identify the pieces of client-specific data your firm regularly needs but has nowhere structured to keep, such as VAT scheme or preferred contact method.
- 2
Design a small, agreed set of custom fields
Turn that list into a defined set of custom fields, agreed across the team, so everyone records the same information in the same place.
- 3
Populate fields for existing clients
Go through your client bank and fill in the new custom fields, prioritising your most active clients first if time is limited.
- 4
Build tokens into templates
Insert the relevant tokens into your email templates and task descriptions, so the data pulls in automatically rather than being retyped.
- 5
Test the output
Send a test email or create a test task using the tokens to confirm the data appears correctly before relying on it for real client communication.
- 6
Review and refine the field set periodically
Revisit the custom fields occasionally to retire ones that are not being used and add new ones as the firm's needs change.
How does Remindoo help with custom fields and tokens in accounting workflows?
Remindoo's custom fields and data tokens let you capture the specific information your firm needs against each client, whether that is a VAT scheme, a payroll reference or a preferred contact method, and then pull that data automatically into tasks and emails. Tokens for emails and tasks mean a reminder or a proposal can be personalised with real client detail without anyone retyping it, saving time and reducing copy errors across a large client base. Email templates combine with tokens to produce messages that read as personal rather than generic, which tends to get a faster response from clients. Service templates and task and subtask templates can also reference the same custom fields, so client-specific detail flows through into the standard workflow rather than sitting separately from it. Centralised client information keeps all of this together with the rest of the client record, so nothing depends on a separate spreadsheet or a private note. Try Remindoo free for 60 days and set up the fields your firm has always wished it had.
Custom fields and data tokens
Capture and reuse the data your firm needs.
See featureTokens for emails and tasks
Merge client data into repeatable messages.
See featureService templates
Repeatable structures for every service.
See featureEmail templates
Standard client messages ready to send.
See featureCentralised client information
Services, documents and notes in one record.
See featureSpreadsheets vs Remindoo: what changes?
| Area | Spreadsheets & email | With Remindoo |
|---|---|---|
| Client-specific data | Kept in a separate spreadsheet or note | Stored as a structured custom field |
| Repeating details in emails | Retyped manually each time | Pulled in automatically with tokens |
| Communication tone | Generic, one-size-fits-all | Personalised with real client detail |
| Reporting on custom data | Not possible from free-text notes | Filterable and searchable structured data |
| Consistency across staff | Everyone tracks things differently | One agreed set of fields for everyone |
| Risk of losing information | Lost if the person holding it leaves | Held centrally in the client record |
See it with your own clients
A 30-minute walkthrough using your services and deadlines.
What are good examples of custom fields for an accounting practice?
Useful examples include VAT scheme, payroll pay date, preferred contact method, referral source and any bespoke compliance note that matters to how you serve that specific client.
- VAT scheme (standard, flat rate, cash accounting)
- Payroll frequency and pay date
- Preferred contact method and best time to call
- Referral source, for reporting on where clients come from
- Any bespoke compliance note specific to that client
“Automated reminders and task templates save countless hours each week.”
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a custom field and a token?
A custom field is where the data is stored against a client, such as VAT scheme; a token is the placeholder you insert into an email or task that pulls that stored data in automatically when the message is sent or the task is created.
Can custom fields be used for reporting?
Yes, because custom fields are structured rather than free text, they can be filtered and searched across your client base, which is not possible with information kept only in notes.
How many custom fields should a practice set up?
It is better to start with a small, genuinely useful set of fields that the whole team agrees to use consistently, rather than a long list that ends up only partly filled in.
Do tokens work in tasks as well as emails?
Yes, tokens can pull client-specific data into task descriptions as well as email templates, so the same personalised detail flows through your workflow, not just your communications.
Is there a free trial to test custom fields?
Yes, Remindoo offers a 60-day free trial with full functionality, which is enough time to set up a field structure and test tokens across a real batch of client communications.
Can existing spreadsheet data be brought into custom fields?
Yes, existing client-specific data can be migrated into the relevant custom fields during onboarding, with migration assistance available for a small per-client fee.
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Sources
Comparing options? Read our guide to best workflow management software for accountants.
Last updated: . General guidance, not regulatory advice. Check with your professional body.
Why recording every task matters in an accountancy practice
Accounting firms run on deadlines: VAT returns, payroll, confirmation statements, accounts and Self Assessment. Recording every job as a task, with an owner and a date, is the simplest way to make sure nothing is missed.
Avoid penalties
HMRC and Companies House charge penalties for late filing. A task for every deadline, with an internal date before it, gives the team a buffer.
Nothing depends on memory
Recorded tasks mean work continues when someone is off sick, on leave or has left the firm.
Consistent quality
Subtask checklists make every job follow the same steps and reviews, whoever does the work.
Visibility for managers
Filters by owner, status and deadline show at a glance what is late, what is due and who needs help.
Practical tips from UK practice
- Set an internal deadline two to four weeks before every statutory deadline.
- Use recurring tasks for repeat work such as VAT, payroll and bookkeeping.
- Break larger jobs into subtasks, including a review step.
- Comment on the task instead of by email, so the history stays with the work.
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.”
“The biggest benefit is having clients, tasks, deadlines, workflows, proposals and communication all organised in one place.”
“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.”
