By Sandi Smith Leyva.
I often hear myself saying, “I need a form for this” in my business. Forms, samples, and templates streamline just about any process you can think of. With generative AI tools, you can now streamline the forms creation process itself.
What Forms Do I Need?
I asked ChatGPT what forms it recommended for a CPA firm. Here is the answer I got (since ChatGPT is nondeterministic, you won’t get the exact same answer I got.):
For a CPA (Certified Public Accountant) firm, creating and utilizing various forms and templates can significantly streamline practice management tasks. Here are some recommended forms and templates that can be valuable:
- Client Onboarding Form: To gather essential information from new clients, including contact details, business nature, and financial information.
- Engagement Letter Template: Outlining the scope of services, responsibilities, fee structure, and terms of engagement between the CPA firm and the client.
- Tax Preparation Checklist: A comprehensive list of documents and information needed from clients for tax preparation, such as income statements, expense receipts, and previous tax returns.
- Invoice Template: For billing clients for services rendered. This should include details like service description, hours worked, rate, and total due.
- Request for Information (RFI) Form: To formally request additional information or clarification from clients on specific financial matters.
- Internal Audit Checklist: For conducting audits within the firm to ensure compliance with accounting standards and regulations.
- Financial Statement Template: To prepare standardized financial statements for clients, such as balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements.
- Time Tracking Sheet: For accountants to record the time spent on various client tasks, essential for billing and productivity analysis.
- Conflict of Interest Declaration Form: To identify and declare any potential conflicts of interest that might affect the firm’s relationship with a client.
- Client Satisfaction Survey: To collect feedback from clients on the firm’s services, areas of strength, and areas needing improvement.
- Data Privacy Consent Form: To obtain clients’ consent for storing and using their personal and financial data, in compliance with data protection laws.
- Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Tracking Form: For accountants to record their CPE activities, necessary for maintaining their CPA license.
- Employee Performance Review Template: For evaluating the performance of staff accountants and other employees within the firm.
- Year-End Tax Planning Checklist: A tool for clients to prepare for year-end tax considerations and planning strategies.
- Exit Interview Form: For collecting insights from employees leaving the firm, which can be valuable for improving firm practices and employee retention strategies.
These forms and templates should be customizable to fit the specific needs of the CPA firm and its clients. Additionally, they should be regularly updated to comply with evolving accounting standards and regulations.
Designing a New Client Intake Form
One of the most important marketing forms you can create is a New Client Intake Form, so I asked ChatGPT to generate one using this prompt: My CPA firm in San Diego, CA provides client accounting services to small businesses in all industries. Please help me create a new client intake form to streamline client onboarding. Some of the things I’d want to ask include contact info, questions about the size and type of their business, and what services they are interested in.
Within seconds, I received ChatGPT’s answer, which I can copy and paste into a document such as Microsoft Word or Google Forms or even SurveyMonkey. Then I can customize it with my firm’s name and logo and add or remove any fields I want to edit. In less than five minutes, I probably saved about 20 minutes.
Here is ChatGPT’s answer:
Absolutely, creating an effective client intake form is crucial for streamlining the onboarding process in your CPA firm. Here’s a template for a New Client Intake Form that includes sections for contact information, business details, and service preferences. Feel free to modify it according to your specific needs:
New Client Intake Form – [Your CPA Firm Name]
Client Information
- Full Name:
- First Name:
- Last Name:
- Contact Information:
- Phone Number:
- Email Address:
- Mailing Address:
- Preferred Method of Communication: ( ) Email ( ) Phone ( ) Mail
Business Information
- Business Name:
- Type of Business Entity: ( ) Sole Proprietorship ( ) Partnership ( ) LLC ( ) Corporation ( ) S Corporation ( ) Nonprofit ( ) Other:
- Industry:
- Federal Tax ID (EIN): (if applicable)
- Number of Employees: ( ) 0-5 ( ) 6-15 ( ) 16-50 ( ) 51-100 ( ) 100+
- Annual Revenue: ( ) Under $100K ( ) $100K – $500K ( ) $500K – $1M ( ) $1M – $5M ( ) Over $5M
- Years in Business:
- Accounting Software Used (if any):
- Current Financial Statement Status:
( ) Up-to-date
( ) Behind by less than 6 months
( ) Behind by more than 6 months
( ) Not sure / Need assistance
Services Interest
- Please select the services you are interested in: – ( ) Bookkeeping – ( ) Tax Preparation (Business) – ( ) Tax Planning – ( ) Payroll Services – ( ) Financial Reporting – ( ) Business Consulting – ( ) Other (Please specify):
- Any specific concerns or areas you need help with? (Please describe)
- Previous Accountant/CPA Firm (if applicable):
- Name:
- Contact Information:
- Additional Information
- How did you hear about us? ( ) Referral ( ) Online Search ( ) Social Media ( ) Other:
- Preferred Meeting Method:
- ( ) In-person
- ( ) Video Call
- ( ) Phone Call
- Preferred Meeting Times:
- Any other information or comments:
Consent and Agreement I hereby confirm that the information provided herein is accurate, correct, and complete and that the documents I am submitting are genuine. I understand that the CPA firm will use this information for the purpose of client onboarding and service provision.
Signature: ______________________
Date: ______________________
This form will help you collect essential information about new clients and their needs, facilitating a smoother and more efficient onboarding process.
Three Golden Rules of Generative AI
Remember when using any public-facing generative AI, you should never enter any private client data. Also, any output you use should always be checked by an expert. Last, make sure you understand the full terms of service, privacy issues, copyright issues, and other legal ramifications of using AI output.
Low Risk, High Payback
Using ChatGPT, Copilot, or Gemini to create forms, samples and templates is a no-brainer that can save you time and money. While the paid version of each of these AIs almost always generate better answers than the free versions, you can use the free versions for this type of request.
Next time you say to yourself, “I need a form for this,” save yourself time and use ChatGPT.
Thanks for reading CPA Practice Advisor!
Subscribe Already registered? Log In
Need more information? Read the FAQs
Tags: Firm Management, Technology
