7 Silent Bottlenecks Holding Your Firm Back (And How Practice Management Can Fix Them)

Whitney: There are a couple of ways to do this. Of course there are the automations for emails inside of Canopy, such a great tool to use and 10/10 recommend implementing this into the workflow.

Another is a timeline of expectations. How does your firm go through the tax cycle, what’s the time frame expectations for both the client and the firm, what happens when data isn’t delivered together (i.e., do you go to the back of the line, etc). These are all things that should be transparent across the firm and clientele. If the clients have insight to operations and expectations, then the “hey, where is my return?” questions trend down.

Ashley: It typically looks like this: First, we have an initial prospect meeting where we get to know the client, understand their situation, and share a bit about our firm and how we work.

From there, we move into a proposal. This is where we clearly lay out their options side by side and highlight the key differences between packages so they can make an informed decision without guessing.

Once they decide to move forward, we send a very detailed engagement letter. This is intentionally very clear about what is included in their scope of work, and just as importantly, we also list out common “out of scope” items that tend to come up so expectations are set upfront.

After that, we hold a kickoff meeting where we walk through everything in plain language again, set timelines, confirm responsibilities, and establish communication cadence so they know exactly what to expect and when.

Overall, the goal is consistency and clarity at every step so clients never feel like they are figuring things out as they go.

Whitney: Client onboarding, document collection, workflow/task management, and billing and invoicing.

Clients receive an automated checklist, reminders are triggered if documents aren’t uploaded, tasks are automatically assigned internally as each step is completed—all removing bottlenecks.

Ashley: One area we’ve put a lot of focus on beyond onboarding and workflow is reducing manual “handoff” work between stages and teams, especially around status tracking and internal follow-ups.

A specific example is how we handle review readiness and work progression visibility.

Previously, team members would manually notify others when a return or project was ready for review, and things could easily sit in limbo if someone got busy. Now, once a team member completes a checklist and marks a job as ready, it automatically triggers the next step in the workflow. That includes assigning it to the next person and updating status in real time, and logging where it is in the process without anyone needing to send a separate message or remember to follow up.

So the big win for us has been less about single task automation and more about removing the “did someone do this yet?” layer across the firm.

Ashley: For a Client Service Coordinator role, we really think about training in layers, because it’s not about technical expertise. It’s mindset, communication, and understanding how the firm actually runs.

We start with client experience and communication basics, but before anything tactical, we introduce a mindset framework called the “two tokens” concept from Jean-Louis Gassée. It’s a simple way to help people understand that every client interaction has a cost, and great service is about being intentional with time and attention while still delivering a strong client experience. It sets expectations early around judgment and boundaries.

From there, we focus a lot on how to communicate with clients and set expectations, especially around responsiveness, follow-through, and being proactive. We also use a client dossier inside Canopy for every client. It includes the little details that make a big difference, like how they prefer to be contacted, if they prefer text over calls, who should always be CC’d, pets’ names, where they went to school, things like that. When she onboarded, we had her review those dossiers so she could start connecting with clients before she ever talked to them. It helps her build familiarity and confidence really quickly.

Then we spend time on process and workflow training inside our systems, not just how to use the software, but how work actually moves through the firm so she understands the full picture and can help things keep moving.

She’s about six months in now, so she’s past the ramp phase and really understands our flow. At this point, we’re shifting more into culture and service development.

We’re doing a book club with our operational team around Unreasonable Hospitality, just to keep pushing that mindset of not just doing the work efficiently, but being really intentional about the client experience we’re creating.

We start with mindset, then build process understanding, and over time shift into culture and service elevation as people grow in the role

Whitney: Record screen-share videos (Loom) while completing tasks, turn those into step-by-step checklists, store everything in a centralized system (Notion, SharePoint, etc.)

Ashley: Yes, I think the biggest opportunity with SOPs is not just documenting the work, but making them usable in the moment and actually reflective of how people think through the work.

One thing we’ve focused on is building SOPs around judgment and decision-making, not just task steps. In tax and accounting especially, the harder part isn’t “how do I do this step,” it’s “what do I do when this situation is slightly different than the example.” So we try to build in the “why” behind the process and include the most common decision points someone will run into.

We also try to design SOPs so they support independence earlier in the ramp period. Instead of expecting a new hire to escalate everything, we intentionally include guidance like “if you see X, here’s how we handle it” or “this is when you pause and ask a reviewer.” That reduces dependency and helps them build confidence faster.

Another thing that’s been helpful is treating SOPs as living documents tied directly to workflow, not static reference material. We don’t want them to become something people only look at during onboarding. They’re meant to be referenced in real time while work is happening, and updated anytime we see repeated questions or errors in practice.

So for us, the focus is less on the format of SOPs and more on whether they actually help someone make the right decision in the moment without slowing the entire process down.

Whitney:
Typical transition approach:
Notify clients well in advance (30–60 days)
Frame it around predictability, transparency, and better service
Offer tiered or value-based pricing packages

For variable work:
Build pricing based on average historical effort + buffer
Define scope clearly (what’s included vs. out-of-scope)
Use add-on pricing or hourly rates for exceptions

Ashley: We do communicate ahead of time, yes. Any shift to front-end billing is very clearly outlined upfront so clients understand what’s changing and why. The framing is really important to us, so it’s positioned around creating predictability and removing uncertainty in their billing rather than just changing timing.

In terms of variability, especially with bookkeeping, there absolutely are months that are more labor intensive. Year-end is a good example where things naturally spike, and there are other seasonal or client-driven fluctuations.

But we don’t try to bill that variability month by month. Instead, pricing is built based on expected ongoing complexity and scope. The key is that it’s structured so it balances over time. Some months are heavier, some are lighter, and when you look at it across the year, it evens out and still works well from a profitability standpoint.

So we’re really not trying to chase every fluctuation in real time. The focus is on setting the right expectation and pricing model upfront, and then trusting that the variability smooths out over the course of the engagement.

Whitney:
AICPA Engage—broad, high-quality sessions and networking
Scaling New Heights—excellent for tech and firm growth
QuickBooks Connect (Intuit)—great for ecosystem and app integrations
Digital CPA Conference—very forward-thinking, tech-focused
Bridging the Gap Conference—strong community and modern firm strategies

Ashley: From a technical and firm operations standpoint, the biggest one we consistently find value in is AICPA ENGAGE. It’s very broad across tax, audit, CAS, and firm leadership, but what’s most useful is the exposure to how other firms are thinking about scaling, technology, and advisory work.

On the technology and practice management side, we also really like Intuit Connect. That one is especially helpful for seeing what’s coming inside the ecosystem we already use, plus it tends to be very forward-looking on workflow and AI tools for firms.

And then the third bucket is more peer learning and implementation-focused conferences, like Scaling New Heights, where a lot of the content is very practical around workflows, systems, and running a modern firm day to day.

For us, the real value isn’t just the sessions, it’s the networking and seeing how other firms are actually solving similar problems in real time. We usually come back with at least one or two ideas that we either refine or implement pretty quickly.

So I wouldn’t say there’s one “perfect” conference, it really depends on whether you’re trying to stay ahead on tech, improve firm operations, or build relationships in the industry.