How We Use Content Snare to Streamline Our Onboarding Process and Maintain Monthly Bookkeeping Clients
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As a bookkeeping firm owner, you probably know how important it is to create a streamlined onboarding process. But have you actually implemented the tools to help you get the job done?
At our firm, Magnetic Bookkeeping & Consulting, we put a lot of effort into selecting the right tech and creating efficient systems right off the bat. When it comes to onboarding new clients, one thing we can’t live without is Content Snare!
Using Content Snare in our onboarding process saves SO much time and headache (for both our team and the client).
This intuitive tool helps cut down the back and forth of setting up a new client and waiting for them to provide all the necessary documents, details and account access information.
With Content Snare, we’re able to collect and house everything we need to do the work in one centralized hub.
Ready to learn how? In this blog we’ll share:
Exactly what Content Snare is
The benefits of using Content Snare
Exactly how you can use it in your own bookkeeping firm
Let’s go!
What is Content Snare?
Image credit: contentsnare.com
According to Content Snare, it’s “The smart, stress-free way to gather content and documents”. Which is honestly an understatement when you consider the HUGE amount of time it’s saved us.
Basically, this software allows you to gather information from clients by creating custom requests. You can even create conditions that ask additional questions for certain clients and based off certain responses (more on that later)!
Collecting and storing documents is nearly effortless once you’ve built out your initial client request. No more searching email chains or keeping track of what the client still needs to send to you.
Their goal is to serve as a single source of truth for you, your team, and your clients - and we totally think they over deliver!
Bonus: Content Snare can be used in lots of different industries, but you can read specifically about how it can support bookkeepers and accountants here.
The Benefits of Using Content Snare
We know there’s a few great tools out there for onboarding new clients - but we think Content Snare’s the absolute BEST! Here’s a few reasons we’ve become obsessed, and how it’s really helped improve our firm.
Clients LOVE it
If you’re a systems nerd like us, it’s SO nice when you get complimented on your efficiency.
On Content Snare’s website, you’ll notice that sooo many users love using it, but that their clients often compliment the process too.
We’ve all been on the client side of a process that’s messy and confusing. So if you can avoid burdening your clients with clunky systems, do it with Content Snare!
Remember that your onboarding process gives that client a glimpse of what it looks like to work with you. That’s why we recommend you start them off on the right foot with a seamless and user-friendly tool like this one that gathers all necessary documentation to get started on the books!
Integrations
If you’ve been on our website for more than five seconds, you know how much we LOVE using tech to automate our systems. So when we learned that Content Snare works with Zapier to create endless opportunities to streamline our onboarding process - we were PUMPED!
If you don’t already know, Zapier is an app that lets you connect software accounts to automate your work and save you time. It’s such a game changer when you’re looking to cut out the tiny (but time consuming) admin tasks that make up your onboarding process.
We also love that we can connect Content Snare with our Google Drive in case we want to have files uploaded in the Content Snare requests automatically added to Google Drive.
Conditional formatting
We’re absolutely obsessed with the conditional formatting feature of Content Snare! This allows us to create one giant templated request we can use on all new clients.
But based on certain responses they provide while they’re filling it out, Content Snare will only show questions relevant to them.
Here’s an example:
One question we ask is if they run payroll. If they choose “yes”, additional questions will pop up asking them for more detail. If they choose “no”, they never even have to see further questions about payroll - because it’s not relevant to them!
You can set this up for so many different aspects of your onboarding process. It’s such a time saver and creates a better client experience and cuts out the crap.
Send requests
When it’s time to close out the month, you’re probably going to have questions for your client on a few transactions, right?
Instead of sending them an email, you can easily run a report of the mysterious transactions and submit a request to your client right inside of Content Snare. We use monthly requests as ways to get responses to odd transactions, request for statement upload and ask any additional questions necessary to close out the month.
It’s also super easy to request other things like documents in your client’s portal AND assign them a due date to the request so you’re not chasing after them weeks later.
Team member access
As you might already know, we’re HUGE advocates of hiring team members to support you. But some firm owners are nervous about sharing with their clients that team members might be involved with executing the work.
In Content Snare, not only can you invite team members to help you go through the information submitted by the client, but they can also submit requests on your behalf!
Here’s the beauty of this: you can have requests be sent under the business name, so your team can send them but the client won’t know it wasn’t “you” OR you can have it show the name of the team member making the request…. it’s flexible and up to you!
Accountability
You can set up Content Snare to automatically send reminders to clients who haven’t completed a request yet.
Once you send a request, set up automated reminders to keep your client accountable while you’re busy running your firm.
This feature’s SUCH a big help and there’s no limit to the amount of reminders you send - so nudging your clients to follow through on requests becomes truly effortless.
How to Use Content Snare in Your Firm
Like I mentioned before, we use Content Snare as part of our onboarding process at Magnetic Bookkeeping & Consulting. But we also use it to support us in our monthly client maintenance!
Using some of the features outlined above, it’s sooo easy to gather what we need to execute work for clients efficiently and seamlessly.
Onboarding New Clients
When it’s time to onboard a new bookkeeping client, our process looks like this:
New client signs contract and pays their first invoice in Dubsado
We set them up in Plooto for recurring monthly invoices
Begin the onboarding process by sending over the new client questionnaire and request from Content Snare
Client fills out the questionnaire and request and answers all necessary onboarding questions, provides all necessary documentation and checks off tasks we need them to complete, etc.
Now, we’re all set up to maintain their books!
Monthly Client Maintenance
After the initial setup, Content Snare is also super helpful for gathering any information we might need as questions come up throughout the year. If you have monthly bookkeeping clients, this is a simple way to shoot over a request and get responses in one centralized location!
Don’t Stop There, Take Your Firm to New Heights
Honestly, the fact that Content Snare allows us to have client requests and documentation in one place is HUGE.
There isn’t a single app that can support alllll the needs of a bookkeeping firm owner, and choosing which tech fits and what’s excessive can be overwhelming.
That’s why we made sure to devote an entire module in Breakthrough for Bookkeepers & Accountants to how to develop World-Class Systems for your business as a whole.
Which includes the software, apps, and systems we recommend based on our experience building two successful businesses!
If you’re looking to demystify tech and systems for your firm (but you don’t want to figure it all out yourself), skip the trial and error and join us in our high-touch group coaching program.
We can’t wait to guide you through the steps to reaching the next level in your firm - are you ready for it?
