Before You Start

This guide assumes you have an active TaxDome subscription and basic familiarity with its interface.

Overview

30 min
Setup Time
Intermediate
Difficulty
Quarterly
Maintenance

What You’ll Learn

  • How to create reusable organizers and document request templates
  • Setting up pipelines to automate document collection workflows
  • Customizing client communication for clarity and consistency
  • Best practices for organizing and tracking collected documents

1. Initial Setup: Templates

Before automating, you need to create the core templates you’ll use repeatedly:

Organizer Templates

  • Annual Tax Organizer (e.g., 2024 Tax Organizer)
  • New Client Onboarding Organizer
  • Bookkeeping Setup Organizer

Document Request Templates (PBC Lists)

  • Monthly Bank Statements
  • Quarterly Credit Card Statements
  • Annual Payroll Reports
  • Loan & Lease Agreements

2. Choosing Your Collection Method

You have two main approaches in TaxDome, each with serious pros and cons.

Method A: Manual Document Requests

This is the direct, ad-hoc approach.

Pros:
  • Simple for one-off items.
  • Quick to send individual requests.
  • Good for unexpected client needs.
Cons:
  • Repetitive for recurring tasks.
  • Easy to miss items on a busy day.
  • Harder to track overall progress.

Method B: Automated Pipeline Workflows

This method leverages TaxDome’s automation features.

Expert Tip: We strongly recommend using Pipelines for any recurring document collection. This ensures consistency, saves significant time, and provides a clear, automated experience for your clients, making reconciliation and follow-ups almost effortless.

3. Building Your Automation Pipeline

Here is the high-level workflow for automating document collection.

First, identify the typical lifecycle for a client engagement (e.g., New Client Onboarding, Monthly Bookkeeping, Annual Tax Preparation). For each engagement type, map out the stages and the documents/information required at each stage. Then, leverage TaxDome’s pipelines to automate sending organizers and document requests based on a client’s progression through these stages. This reduces manual intervention and ensures nothing is missed.

Here is a sample client record object, which might trigger a TaxDome pipeline.

{
  "client_id": "TD-C1029",
  "client_name": "Acme Innovations LLC",
  "service_type": "Annual Tax",
  "assigned_team_member": "Jane Doe",
  "status": "Ready for Document Request"
}

4. Step-by-Step: Automating with Pipelines

  1. 1

    Design Your Pipeline

    In TaxDome, navigate to Settings > Pipelines. Create a new pipeline with stages that reflect your workflow (e.g., ‘Onboarding’, ‘Document Request Sent’, ‘Documents Received’, ‘Review’).

  2. 2

    Add Automation Rules

    For each stage, add automation rules. For instance, when a client enters the ‘Document Request Sent’ stage, trigger an action to ‘Send Organizer’ or ‘Send Document Request’ using your pre-built templates.

  3. 3

    Configure Communication

    Customize the automated messages sent with organizers and document requests. Ensure clear instructions, deadlines, and contact information. You can also set up reminders for overdue items.

  4. 4

    Assign & Activate

    Once your pipeline is set up, assign it to relevant client accounts or client groups. Move clients through the pipeline stages to initiate the automated document collection process.

Common Error: Overlooking Client Groups

Use client groups in TaxDome to assign pipelines and templates to specific client types (e.g., ‘Individual Tax’, ‘Small Business Bookkeeping’). This prevents sending irrelevant requests and keeps workflows clean and scalable.

5. Testing & Implementation

Pre-Launch Checklist

  • Create a test client account in TaxDome
  • Enroll the test client in your new pipeline
  • Verify all organizers and document requests are sent as expected
  • Confirm client notifications are clear, timely, and contain correct links

Need Help?

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Struggling to set up your TaxDome automation? Our experts can help design and implement a custom workflow for your firm.

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