Workflow example · accounting
Workflow Example: Sales Call to Accounting Proposal
An accounting firm takes a 35-minute scoping call with the founder of a two-year-old startup that needs annual bookkeeping and tax preparation. The call covers transaction volume, software setup, reporting cadence, tax filing, and a monthly retainer. This workflow example shows how every agreed term moves from the transcript into a proposal, contract clause, and payment schedule without re-entry.
Call to proposal: the full trace
[02:45] Client: "We are doing about 200 transactions a month right now. It is mostly SaaS subscriptions, contractor payments, and customer invoices. We use Bexio but nobody has reconciled anything since March." [03:10] Accountant: "Okay. So step one would be a cleanup of March through today, then ongoing monthly bookkeeping from there. For 200 transactions a month, I would quote a monthly retainer." [03:40] Client: "What does the retainer cover?" [03:42] Accountant: "Monthly reconciliation, categorization, a P&L and balance sheet at the end of each month, and quarterly VAT prep. I also handle the annual tax filing at the end of the fiscal year. That is included in the retainer." [04:20] Client: "What about the cleanup? Is that separate?" [04:23] Accountant: "Yes. The cleanup is a one-time fee. I would estimate CHF 1,200 depending on how messy the backlog is. The monthly retainer after that is CHF 850 per month." [04:50] Client: "And the contract length?" [04:52] Accountant: "12 months, which aligns with your fiscal year. You can cancel with 60 days notice after the first year. I invoice monthly at the start of each month."
| Term | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction volume | ~200 transactions/month | "about 200 transactions a month" [02:45] |
| Accounting software | Bexio | "We use Bexio" [02:45] |
| Backlog | Unreconciled since March | "nobody has reconciled anything since March" [02:45] |
| Cleanup fee | CHF 1,200 (one-time) | "CHF 1,200 depending on how messy the backlog is" [04:23] |
| Monthly retainer | CHF 850/month | "CHF 850 per month" [04:23] |
| Retainer scope | Reconciliation, categorization, P&L, balance sheet, quarterly VAT, annual tax filing | "Monthly reconciliation, categorization, a P&L and balance sheet ... quarterly VAT prep ... annual tax filing" [03:42] |
| Contract length | 12 months · 60-day notice after Year 1 | "12 months ... cancel with 60 days notice after the first year" [04:52] |
| Payment terms | Monthly invoice · start of each month | "invoice monthly at the start of each month" [04:52] |
Backlog Cleanup (March to present) · one-time · CHF 1,200 Monthly Bookkeeping & Tax Retainer · 12 months × CHF 850 = CHF 10,200 Total Year 1: CHF 11,400
The Accountant shall provide monthly bookkeeping services comprising transaction reconciliation, categorization, monthly P&L and balance sheet reporting, quarterly VAT preparation, and annual tax filing for the Client's business. The engagement begins with a one-time backlog cleanup at CHF 1,200, followed by a monthly retainer of CHF 850 for a term of 12 months. After the initial term, the engagement renews automatically with 60 days written notice to terminate.
Milestone 1: CHF 1,200 due upon contract signing (backlog cleanup). Milestone 2 onward: CHF 850 invoiced at the start of each month for 12 months. Payment is collected through the client review link after each milestone or invoice.
How does the transcript become a proposal?
The accountant imports the call recording from their meeting tool. The AI reads the transcript and extracts every commercial term: transaction volume, software, backlog period, cleanup fee, retainer, scope of services, contract length, and payment terms. Each term links back to its timestamp. The proposal is assembled from these terms, with the annual total calculated from the monthly retainer and the one-time cleanup. The accountant reviews, adjusts if needed, and sends.
- The cleanup fee and monthly retainer are separated automatically.
- Retainer scope is listed item by item from the call discussion.
- The accountant reviews and edits before the client sees anything.
What does the client see?
The client receives one link. The page shows the cleanup scope, monthly retainer, service breakdown, reporting schedule, and payment terms. If the client wants to negotiate the cleanup estimate or adjust the retainer scope, they request changes inline. After approval, the page moves to electronic signature. After signing, the cleanup payment is collected immediately and monthly invoicing begins.
- One link for review, changes, signature, and payment.
- The one-time cleanup and recurring retainer are clearly separated.
- Monthly invoicing starts automatically after the cleanup milestone.
What if the transaction volume grows during the year?
The proposal covers 200 transactions per month. If the startup scales and transaction volume increases materially, the accountant can issue a scope adjustment. The adjustment references the original proposal terms and proposes an updated retainer. Both sides see the original agreement alongside the proposed change.
- Scope adjustments link back to the original proposal and its terms.
- Volume thresholds can be added to the contract clause if the accountant wants automatic escalation.
- The 60-day notice clause still applies to the base engagement.
FAQ
Does the retainer include tax filing or is that billed separately?
The annual tax filing is included in the monthly retainer. There is no separate fee for the year-end filing as long as the retainer is active for the full fiscal year.
What if the backlog cleanup takes longer than estimated?
The CHF 1,200 is an estimate discussed on the call. If the accountant discovers the backlog is more complex, they can adjust the cleanup fee in the proposal before sending. The client sees and approves the final number before signing.
Can the accountant add advisory services to the same proposal?
Yes. If the call covered advisory work that the extraction missed, the accountant adds it as a separate line item in the editor. Additional services are priced independently from the bookkeeping retainer.
Try it with one real call
Use one call recording or transcript. See extracted terms traced back to the conversation, with the proposal ready to review and send.
Start with one call