Behind the Scenes with
Lera Kooper

We prioritized four key things: tech that could integrate with other systems, data we could trust, a centralized “go-to” place for our workload, and a platform that would scale with us. These were non-negotiables. We needed to reduce our tech stack with key integrations, eliminate one-off systems, cut down redundancies and data duplication, and build a more efficient way to work by keeping everything from project management to client notes in one place. We also wanted a tech-forward solution that could evolve with our firm.

I should honestly take notes from Canopy. Despite multiple rounds of significant funding and the growth that comes with that, the culture and quality of support have remained consistent. Unlike the typical post-sale drop-off you see with most vendors (where the sales team is great but support vanishes), we’ve consistently received the help we’ve needed over the last two years. My take? Canopy’s focus on customer experience is intentional; they’re going up against legacy players, and when you're the new name in the space, you have to exceed expectations, not just meet them.

Yes. Canopy has a dedicated implementation team that walks you through the entire setup. You’re not just handed the software and left to figure it out. They'll assist with migrating your data, get your templates set up, and make sure your workflows actually match how your firm operates.

There are free templates available, but you’ll want to tailor them to match your workflows, like adding client requests where you typically ask questions, or building in a subtask for your CAS team to review books before tax prep. It’s flexible, but you need to invest in the setup. The more thought you put into customizing Canopy around your processes upfront, the smoother things will run once you’re live.

We had an owner making high-level decisions, our Operations Manager as the point person, and our IT Director (also on the CAS team) handling technical requirements. We kept the core implementation team small to avoid disruption, pulling in feedback from key team members and power users only as needed. After “breaking the tool” to figure out our first iteration, workflows, automations, custom fields, etc., we did a limited test in October 2023. We went live with the full team on November 1, and 30 days later, merged with a partner firm with 600 clients and 11 team members. So, yes, you could say we stress-tested the “scalability” claim. Like with any software change, implementation takes time and energy. Garbage in, garbage out.

[Insert firework emojis every time we find a new way to consolidate into Canopy.] Our team is obsessed. Even with an amazing, change-ready team, I was nervous to suggest such a big shift, especially after three M&As in as many years. But we did it together. We surveyed the team on what we needed from a tech stack, reviewed results as a group during an All Hands, and showed how Canopy could simplify and solve those pain points. Because the "why" and "how" were shared early, adoption happened naturally. That process built excitement and created internal champions who helped lead the rollout.

Yes. But like any tool, if you don’t set clear naming conventions or over-engineer your process, reporting can get messy. It’s intuitive, but consistency still matters.

We replaced our client portal and doc sharing system, client requests (used to be emails), digital organizers (from another platform), workflow, billing, CRM, insights reporting (because all the data is finally in one place), and some email management (Ops can now create tasks or kick off IRS resolutions directly from emails). Soon, we’ll be adding proposals/e-signatures too. What started with core features has grown over time, and we’ve tailored more of our processes to get even more value out of Canopy.

The biggest shift for clients was the new portal. Most other changes were internal. Messaging was everything—we told clients a month in advance that portal access would be down for a week while we made improvements. We highlighted the best updates (one place for docs, action items, bills, and a mobile app!) and let them know they’d receive a link to reset their password afterward. Only a handful of clients are still on paper (they were already using the old portal). Biggest tip: send a short video tour (we used Loom) of the new portal, and block out time to help clients who haven’t logged in yet.

None of these are deal-breakers, and Canopy has shown a strong pattern of iteration, so I’m confident these will improve.

• You can’t fully customize organizers (we tell clients to just complete the required fields), but Canopy recently released questionnaires, so we’ll use those for next year’s organizers.
• For the longest time, you could share client filters, but not task filters, which would help reduce user error when trying to replicate management views. This was updated recently, so it's no longer an issue. 
• You can’t customize reminder frequencies on client requests (e.g., monthly vs. weekly), but we work around it by delaying when reminders start.

We had experience migrating from several systems due to acquiring three firms in three years. Most recently, we moved directly from PracticeCS to Canopy, but we had previously used the CCH Axcess Suite as well.

We signed with Canopy in August 2023 and spent August and September reviewing and standardizing our processes, then building them out in Canopy. In October, we launched with a few beta users from our CAS team (so we wouldn’t disrupt tax season). The full team went live on November 1. We timed it intentionally, keeping all tax tasks in PracticeCS until season-end to avoid any risk with in-progress work.

Since 2023.

Not at all. We merged in a firm with 11 team members on December 1, 2023, and onboarding both clients and team members was smoother than with any of our previous systems. That’s one of the top reasons we chose Canopy - it supports growth without getting in the way. As long as you invest time in building out your templates, workflows, and permissions upfront, scaling is easy.

None. But like any tool, you get out of it what you put in. If you’re only using it for task management, you’re leaving value on the table. When you pair tasks with the client portal, you unlock things like client requests that Ops can manage and track. You can even embed client requests directly into task templates, like at the stage where you typically ask tax prep questions.

Cleaning up our data. We had a lot of legacy clutter, inactive clients, inconsistent notes, and info stored in multiple places. So we started by auditing what needed to migrate, then mapped where that data would live in Canopy.

For example, evergreen notes now live in the client profile, while task-specific notes go in the task comments. Once we defined our structure, the platform became very user-friendly for both our team and our clients.

We’re still refining as we go, and that’s part of the value - get the basics in, and improve over time.