Business Case #3 - How a Tax Consultancy Automated Client Reminders and Reduced Delays by 70%
Objective
Enable a small consultancy to eliminate manual follow-ups by automating document request reminders for recurring tax deadlines.
Company Profile
A two-person tax consultancy managing over 100 clients each month.
Each client is subject to recurring tax obligations such as VAT returns, F24 payments, and income declarations.
Clients must send supporting documents (invoices, receipts, etc.) several days before each official filing date.
Initial Problem
Many clients forgot to submit documents on time
The team spent 2 to 3 hours per week manually chasing clients via email or phone
Missed or delayed filings led to avoidable stress and risk
There was no central tracking of who had submitted and who hadn't
The Automation Flow (n8n + Google Sheets)
The solution implemented was simple, modular, and used tools already familiar to the team:
A shared Google Sheet listed all clients, required documents, and internal submission deadlines
An n8n flow checked the sheet daily and sent automated reminder emails:
7 days before the deadline (initial request)
3 days before the deadline (gentle reminder)
1 day before the deadline (urgent follow-up)
Each email included a confirmation link that, when clicked, updated the Google Sheet to "Submitted"
If no confirmation was received, the system flagged the client and sent an internal notification to the staff
Results (After One Month)
Saved 8–10 hours of manual follow-up work
70% more clients submitted documents on time
Greater peace of mind and fewer last-minute emergencies
The system is fully reusable and scalable to more clients or service lines
Why It Worked
No new platform or CRM was required
Entirely based on Google Workspace, already in use
The system feels personal thanks to templated emails with client-specific information
Flexible: different workflows can be created for different document types or client segments
Stack Used
n8n (hosted instance)
Google Sheets
Gmail API
Optional: Slack or email alerts for internal tracking
Ideal Use Cases
Accounting and tax consultants
HR or payroll teams
Legal and compliance service providers
Freelancers managing recurring client deliverables
