The long nights, overflowing inbox, and endless document chases? Behind you.
But before you unplug completely (and yes, you deserve the break), there’s something most top-performing firms do right now — they take a moment to fix what broke while it’s still fresh.
Here are 5 practical, high-impact tips from Blake Oliver, host of The Accounting Podcast and Relay’s Accounting Community Advocate, to help you debrief, streamline, and future-proof your firm while it’s still fresh.
Relay is a financial technology company and is not a bank. Banking services provided by Thread Bank, Member FDIC.
1. Run a Post-Tax Season Debrief (and Record It)
Your team’s pain points are still fresh — so now’s the time to capture them.
Hold a debrief meeting within two weeks of wrapping up. This isn’t about blame. It’s about clarity. Go over:
What took longer than expected?
Which clients caused the most friction?
What bottlenecks slowed things down?
This information is a goldmine on the areas you should be focusing on next tax season. And a few months from now, these highlights won’t be as fresh in your mind. You might forget them—until you face the same struggle just 12 months from now.
Record the meeting using Zoom or Google Meets, and take advantage of AI tools like Fireflies to record your notes so you can be in the moment on these calls. Then, use AI (like ChatGPT or Claude) to generate detailed notes and even create an action plan based on the transcript. It can be a gamechanger that only takes minutes.
2. Fix Your Client Documentation Process
If you’ve ever spent 30 minutes hunting down a single document (that you requested three times), you know how real the pain is.
Now while it’s top of mind is the time to fix your client communication and document collection process.
Start by revising your client email templates:
Be specific about what documents you need
Clarify the format you expect them in
Include firm deadlines (and explain the “why”)
If you haven’t already, consider implementing a secure client portal — a central hub where clients can upload docs, answer questions, and review their returns. It eliminates messy back-and-forth emails, scattered Dropbox links, and text chains that go nowhere.
Most portals now include automated reminders, too — so you can ditch the follow-up fatigue and let your systems do the nudging.
3. Re-Evaluate Your Client List
Let’s be honest: Not every client is a dream client. Some pay well but ignore your deadlines. Others question your expertise at every turn. A few might even create more stress than they’re worth.
Now is the time to take a hard look at your client roster:
Who constantly missed deadlines?
Who needed constant chasing?
Who caused the most team burnout?
Who didn’t follow your process (and resisted when asked to)?
Make a list of clients that drained your energy or time disproportionately. Then ask yourself: Would I take them on again today?
If the answer is no, it may be time to refer them elsewhere — not as punishment, but as a service to your firm and them. When you clear out space, you create more capacity for the kinds of clients who value your work and play by your rules.
This is how you future-proof your practice for sanity and growth.
4. Automate the Small Stuff First
When firms think of “automation,” they often focus on big, complex workflows. But that’s not where the biggest gains usually come from.
Instead, start by automating small, frequent tasks — the ones that seem minor but add up in time and mental bandwidth.
Think:
Tagging or categorizing client emails based on urgency
Auto-generating email responses for common questions
Scheduling standard follow-ups or check-ins
Creating recurring checklists for onboarding or returns
These 5-minute tasks may not feel like a big deal individually, but done 10–15 times a day? That’s hours each week.
By removing even a few of them from your plate (and your team’s), you’ll free up time and focus for the high-value work — and reduce burnout along the way.
5. Simplify Year-End Write-Up Work with Relay
Relay is a financial technology company and is not a bank. Banking services provided by Thread Bank, Member FDIC.
Here’s one of the biggest pain points we hear about post-tax season: Clients who don’t do regular bookkeeping, then drop a pile of PDFs on your desk in March.
You know the drill — you’re left converting bank statements, cleaning CSV files, and manually piecing together a year’s worth of financials just to prepare a tax return.
Relay makes this significantly easier.
If your clients bank with Relay:
You get real-time, year-round access to their banking data
You can download clean, categorized transactions instantly
You avoid issues with missing history or unsearchable PDFs
You can even log in as their accountant — no more requesting logins or waiting for access.
The result? You save hours on each client’s tax prep, reduce write-up stress, and avoid scrambling when banks limit historical data access.
It’s a simple change that pays off in a huge way during the busy season.
Invest Now to Save Yourself Later
Look, we know how tempting it is to shove this tax season into a drawer and forget about it. But these five steps don’t require much time — and they could save you weeks of stress next year.
Do this now, while the chaos is still fresh, and your future self (and your team) will thank you come next spring.
