How do you keep the obligations of every client company on schedule?

Why deadlines slip as the portfolio grows

In a small firm, one person remembers every date. As the portfolio grows, the dates end up in spreadsheets, in e-mails and in people's heads, and a deadline is missed not because nobody cared, but because nobody could see it. The fix is not more effort, it is one place where every obligation of every client company is visible.

Which obligations apply to a company depends on its tax regime, its payroll and its activity. That decision belongs to the professional who answers for the client, so start from the real profile of each company and not from a generic list.

Build a calendar of obligations by company

Write down, for each client company, the obligations it has and how often each one comes: monthly, quarterly or yearly. Group the companies with the same profile so you can reuse one model and then adjust the exceptions. With a model, a new client gets its list in minutes instead of days.

One task, one owner, one due date

Turn each obligation into a task with a single owner and a due date. Two owners means nobody owns it, and a task without a date is only a wish. Add an internal date before the official one, so the work ends with room to spare.

• Owner: the person who prepares it
• Reviewer: a second person who checks it
• Internal date: a few days before the due date
• Attachments: what the client sent and what was produced
• Status: waiting for the client, in progress, in review, delivered

Working-day rules and holidays

A due date that falls on a weekend or a holiday may move to the previous or to the next business day, depending on the obligation. Write that rule for each obligation, so the calendar shows the real date and not the one in the table. Whether the date moves, and in which direction, depends on the case and on the professional who answers for it.

Remind the client and review before delivering

Most delays start with a document that has not arrived. Send the client a reminder with what is missing and the date you need it, and repeat it before the internal date. A short message with the attachment and a clear deadline is answered more often than a long one.

Before anything is delivered, someone other than the preparer reviews it. Make the review a step of the task, with its own status, so it is not skipped when the date gets close.

Keep evidence of delivery

When a client asks whether you sent it, the answer should take seconds. Record on the task the date of delivery, who delivered it, the file and the confirmation received. If the client approved something by message, keep that message in the same record.