How One 40-Person Tax Firm Saved 45 Minutes Per Return
If your team is spending valuable time moving engagement letters, source documents, and signed 8879s from one system to another, you’re not alone.
One tax firm with 40 employees came to us, frustrated by the amount of manual work in their process and that it was only getting worse. Every signed engagement letter had to be manually transferred and marked as received after signing. Every source document had to be downloaded from SafeSend and uploaded to the documents manager. The same process happens with 8879 signatures.
It added up and busy season compounded the pain.
The Fix: Custom Automations That Quietly Handles Work
We designed and deployed a series of automations that replaced the manual shuffle with a system that works in the background:
• Engagement letters are now automatically transferred to CCH Document (or Thomson GoFileRoom if that is your document manager) and marked received in the CCH Workflow (or Thomson FirmFlow).
• Source documents from clients flow directly to the document manager, no human intervention needed.
• Signed 8879s are transferred to the document manager, project workflow moves to the next step and the return is released to the IRS.
• Automated email reminders sent from the tax firms email domain
The best part? These automations were custom-built to fit their exact systems and processes. No off-the-shelf patchwork. No disruption to the way their team works.
The Result: 45 Minutes Saved Per Return—and Fewer Errors
Across 1,000s of returns, the results were undeniable:
• 45 minutes saved per return on average
• Fewer errors from missed or misplaced files
• Staff freed up to focus on human work—not busywork
• Faster turnaround time on client tasks (getting signed 8879s).
They re-allocated capacity within their existing team. That’s the kind of ROI automation delivers when it’s built right.
Why This Matters for Firms
If your firm is managing SafeSend data and syncing to platforms like CCH or Thomson, automation isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s a strategic advantage.
You’re not just saving time. You’re getting a better ROI on staff, improving accuracy and throughput, and giving your team breathing room during the times of year that are the most stressful.
This isn’t just for this use case. Think about Ignition, or Salesforce, or Microsoft or any other app and how you work these different systems together.
We work with a collaborative approach, building custom-designed automations that integrate directly into your tech stack. The goal is to have maximum impact with minimal disruption.
Ready to see where automation could save time in your firm? Let’s explore.