Start with
One monthly checklist format and a small agreed group of clients.
BOOKKEEPERS
Know what’s missing. Ask for it once, clearly.
Keep each client’s monthly checklist current and prepare one request for the outstanding paperwork. Spend less of month-end working out what to chase.
See how it worksIllustrative workflow with sample data. We’d confirm the tools and setup for your business.
PAIN POINTS
You’re ready to do the books. The documents aren’t.
A client has sent some receipts, the bank statement is still missing and one attachment came in on a different thread. Before you can get to the work, you have to piece together what has arrived and what to ask for again.
- Reopening folders and emails to check the same list.
- Sending vague reminders that produce another incomplete reply.
- Chasing an item someone has already sent.
THE SOLUTION
How the automation works
Start with one monthly folder and checklist per client. Clients upload there directly; your team saves any emailed attachments into the same folder. Scheduled checks then update the list and prepare a request for what is still missing.
- 01 / TRIGGER
Check the client folder
Look for new files at scheduled intervals in each client’s monthly folder.
- 02 / AUTOMATION
Update the checklist
Match filenames to expected items and link each arrival. Leave uncertain matches open.
- 03 / AUTOMATION
Refresh the request
Update one draft per client and month with outstanding items and questions you have flagged.
- 04 / YOUR DECISION
You review and send
Verify the documents, check for recent arrivals and send the request from Gmail.
WHEN SOMETHING NEEDS ATTENTIONA file is unclear, duplicated or for the wrong month?
Keep the item open and link the file for you to inspect. Only verified documents count as complete.
WHAT YOU GET
A request the client can act on
The draft names the missing document and the precise question to resolve. You can open the source files from the checklist before sending.
Example output
- Client
- Sample café · August checklist
- Received
- Sales summary · supplier invoices
- Still needed
- August bank statement
- Your flagged question
- Market receipt · £42.80 · date unclear · file receipt-07.jpg
- Email draft
- Please upload your August bank statement to your monthly folder. Could you also confirm the purchase date on the £42.80 market receipt, receipt-07.jpg?
The receipt question comes from the bookkeeper’s own review. A newly arrived bank statement is marked for your check; once verified, it drops out of the request.
INTEGRATIONS & HOSTING
The tools working together
| Tool | Its part in the workflow |
|---|---|
| Google Drive | Holds each client’s monthly folder, with access separated by client. |
| Google Sheets | Tracks expected documents, received files and items you have verified. |
| Gmail | Holds one draft request per client and month, ready for review. |
One place for incoming documents
A simple naming convention lets the checklist recognise expected files. This first version starts in Drive; saving emailed attachments remains a team task. Existing drafts are refreshed as the checklist changes.
Where it runs
The automation runs in your Google Workspace account. Client files stay in separate Drive folders, with access and capacity checked for your workload.
Technical references
A FIRST PROJECT
Test it on real work.
Measure the difference
Compare time spent assembling each request and count repeat chasers for items already received.
Test the awkward cases
Try a late upload, the wrong month and a duplicate file. Check that the correct client draft updates and no request marks an unverified document as complete.
Is chasing paperwork becoming a job of its own?
We’ll agree one suitable automation, its monthly price, support and any separate software or usage costs before building. The build is free, with 30 days to try it from go-live. Continue at the agreed price, or cancel before the trial ends.