Canopy's 2025 in Review: Powering Smart, Faster, All-in-One Workflows

In 2025, Canopy doubled down on a simple but ambitious goal: help accounting firms spend less time on admin and more time delivering high-value advisory work.

That meant continuing to invest in an all-in-one platform (where intake, engagements, workflows, documents, billing, and communication live together) and applying AI only where it meaningfully removes friction.

Not flashy AI. Practical AI that quietly saves hours, improves accuracy, and helps firms grow revenue without growing headcount.

Across the year, firms used Canopy to:

• Move clients through onboarding faster
• Send clearer, higher-value proposals
• Reduce manual document handling
• Create more predictable, scalable workflows 

Here's a look at the most impactful product advances we shipped in 2025.

Engagements & Packages: Turning Proposals Into a Growth Lever

One of the biggest shifts we made in 2025 was transforming engagements from a static agreement into a revenue and positioning tool.

Engagements Packages (3-Tier Proposals)

Firms can now present tiered service packages (typically Bronze/Silver/Gold) directly inside Canopy Engagements. 

Why Engagement Packages Matter

• Firms using tiered proposals routinely see 20-30% higher average proposal values, driven by clients naturally selecting mid- or top-tier options
• Three tier pricing reframes the conversation from "Do I want this?" to "Which option fits me best?"
• Packages help firms protect margins by clearly defining scope, while still creating natural upsell paths throughout the year

Instead of negotiating price line-by-line, firms can confidently sell outcomes, access, and experience. 

Modern Engagement Experience

Additional enhancements made proposals easier to build and more compelling to clients:

• Live previews while editing
• Rich media support (welcome messages, PDFs, video)
• Reusable templates for consistent pricing and delivery

Impact: Faster proposal creation, higher acceptance rates, clearer expectations... and engagements that set up for healthier client relationships from day one. 

Smart Intake & AI: Faster Onboarding Without the Back-and-Forth

Client onboarding is one of the most admin-heavy phases of any engagement, which makes it one of the biggest opportunities for firms to save time. 

In 2025, Smart Intake evolved from a document-collection tool into an intelligent intake system that actively reduces work for both firms and clients. 

AI-Powered Intake Capabilities

• AI Document Request Lists (DRLs)

Automatically generate client-specific document requests using existing data, reducing setup time and missed items. 

• AI Document Matching & Renaming
  

Uploaded files are automatically matched to requests, classified, and renamed according to firm rules, eliminating one of the most tedious manual steps in tax and bookkeeping workflows. 

• AI Pre-Fill for Questionnaires

Known information is pre-populated, helping clients complete intake faster and more accurately.

• Secure Links (No Portal Login Required)

Clients can submit information without friction, improving completion rates.

Why Smart Intake Matters

• Firms using Smart Intake report intake cycles finishing days or even weeks faster
• Fewer incomplete submissions means less rework and fewer interruptions once work begins
• Staff spend less time chasing clients and more time moving work forward

This is AI doing exactly what it should: removing busywork and bottlenecks, not replacing human judgement. 

AI-Driven Document Management: Eliminating Silent Time Drains

Manual document handling quietly eats away at billable time. In 2025, we made major strides in automating that work. 

What Canopy Shipped

• AI Document Renaming & Classification
• Automatic Matching of Client Uploads to Requests 
• Smarter File Search & Organization (coming soon!)

Why AI-Driven Document Management Matters

• Firms spend up to 30% of staff time on non-billable admin tasks, and most of that is tied to document handling
• Automation reduces errors that cause downstream delays in prep, review, and delivery
• Consistent file organization makes onboarding new staff easier and improves review quality

The result: cleaner workpapers, fewer handoffs, and less mental overhead

Workflow & Capacity Improvements: Scale Without Burning Out

Growth doesn't come just from doing more work. Growth comes from doing the right work more efficiently. 

In 2025, the Canopy team continued refining the day-to-day experience inside Workflow. 

Key Workflow Enhancements

• Subtask Checklists for cleaner task execution
• Template-Based Recurring Tasks to standardize workflows that repeat
• Shared Filter Views to reduce setup friction
• Capacity Planning Board View for real-time workload balancing

Why Workflow Matters

• Better visibility into capacity helps firms avoid burnout and missed deadlines
• Standardized workflows reduce dependency on tribal knowledge
• Firms can take on more clients without adding headcount

Billing & Cash Flow: Getting Paid Earlier and More Predictably

Revenue isn't just about how much you charge. It's about when and how reliably you get paid. 

Progress (Retainer-Based) Billing (in closed Beta)

• Collect funds before work begins
• Tie work directly to retainers and progress
• Improve realization and reduce end-of-project write-downs

Impact

• More predictable cash flow, especially outside of tax season
• Stronger client commitment upfront
• Less time spent chasing payments and reconciling invoices 

Platform Foundations: Security, Control & Trust

Behind every visible feature were meaningful platform upgrades:

• Firm-wide MFA enforcement
• File-level permissions in the client portal
• Full audit trails on documents
• Improved CRM structure for multi-entity clients
  
  

These improvements support scale, security, and peace of mind especially for firms growing into more complex engagements. 

Looking Ahead to 2026

2025 was about building leverage:

• Leverage through smarter intake
• Leverage through better pricing and engagements
• Leverage through automation that actually saves time

As we move into 2026, everything we shipped in 2025 lays the groundwork for even deeper automation, while maintaining control of their client relationships and data. 

Ready to learn more about Canopy?