How to Stop Chasing Clients for Documents

If you have ever sent five emails asking for the same bank statement, you know the frustration. Chasing clients for documents is one of the biggest time drains in any accountancy practice. It feels like half the job is just waiting for information.

Why clients don't respond

It is rarely malicious. Clients are busy, emails get buried, and requests that seem simple to you feel like homework to them. They mean to do it later, and later never comes.

Often the request itself is the problem. A long email listing twelve documents with technical names is overwhelming. Clients put it aside intending to deal with it properly, then forget.

What actually works

Make it stupidly simple. A single link to a page showing exactly what is needed, with a big upload button. No login to remember, no app to download. Automatic reminders that stop when they complete the task.

Client portals work when they reduce friction rather than add it. The best ones feel like filling out a simple form, not navigating enterprise software.

The compound effect

When document collection becomes reliable, everything downstream improves. Jobs start on time, deadlines become predictable, and staff spend less time on admin. The chase was never just about documents. It was blocking everything else.