A CAS engagement is built around a monthly rhythm. Close, review, meet. Between monthly meetings, the client experiences it differently. The questions arrive when the client is making a decision, which is rarely the day of the meeting. Can we afford this hire? Why is cash lower than last month? Has the big customer paid?
Each question is small. Together they are a large share of what the client values, and a large share of the firm's unbilled time.
What clients ask between monthly meetings
Most questions fall into a few kinds.
Cash. What is in the bank, what is coming in, who has not paid.
Change. Why is margin down, what drove the jump in expenses, why does this month look different.
Decisions. Can we afford a hire, a vehicle, a price cut, a new location.
Lenders and investors. Where do we stand on the covenant, what do I tell the bank.
The first two can usually be answered straight from the books the firm closed. The last two need judgement.
What it costs the firm
The questions tend to go to the most senior person on the account, because the client trusts them. Each one takes a few minutes to answer and longer to find the number behind it. Few firms bill for it, because pricing every email feels petty and scoping it is hard.
The real cost is capacity. A partner who answers routine questions for every client cannot take on more advisory clients. The number of clients the firm can serve well becomes the number of hours that partner has.
Four ways to handle it
| Approach | How it works | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Absorb it | Answer as questions come | Unbilled time, and the partner becomes the bottleneck |
| Scope and price it | An allowance of questions or hours in the engagement | Clients ration questions they should ask |
| Schedule it | A short weekly call or written update | Answers wait for the slot |
| Self-serve the routine | Clients answer cash and change questions from the closed books | Needs a tool tied to the firm's numbers, and judgement still comes to the firm |
Most firms end up combining them. Routine questions answered by the client from the books, judgement questions scheduled or priced, and the partner's time kept for the conversations only they can have.
Keep the answers consistent
Whatever the client uses to answer routine questions, it has to agree with the numbers the firm closed. A client who gets one margin figure from a spreadsheet and another in the monthly pack loses confidence in both. Answers should come from the same ledger, with the entries behind them visible.
What self-service will not replace
It will not replace judgement. "Can we afford this hire" needs someone who knows the business, the pipeline and the owner's appetite for risk. Tools can show the cash. The firm decides what to say about it.
It will not replace the relationship either. Clients stay with firms they trust. A tool that answers routine questions should free time for more conversation, not less.
Frequently asked questions
How should a CAS firm handle client questions between monthly meetings?
Separate routine questions about cash and recent changes, which can often be answered from the closed books, from judgement questions about decisions, which need the firm's time and should be scheduled or priced.
Should accounting firms charge for client questions?
Many build an allowance into the engagement rather than billing each one. The aim is to price the judgement work properly without discouraging clients from asking questions they should ask.
How can a CAS practice serve more clients without more partners?
By keeping senior time for judgement and moving routine answers to tools and team members, so the number of clients the firm can serve is no longer set by one person's hours.
What questions can clients answer from their own books?
Usually cash position, who has not paid, what changed in revenue or expenses, and how the month compares with the last. Decisions about hiring, pricing or financing still need advice.
Where CFOLogic fits
Navigator, our software, is built for this. It turns the books a firm already keeps into the client's daily view, answering routine questions in plain language with the firm's name on every answer. Firms can refer clients for a share of revenue, deliver it at a discount and set their own price, or deliver it with us. Details are on the Navigator page for accounting firms. For delivery capacity behind it, see our accounting firms page.