Channel Islands based software company, ClientWindow, has launched an innovative app that addresses a challenge faced by accountants on a daily basis. The app allows accountants to conveniently interact with their clients, while also ensuring they maintain the necessary levels of compliance and security.
The ClientWindow app was designed by Chartered Accountants, David Moehle and Tim Zeale, who are both partners at Channel Islands based Chartered Accountancy practice, PKF bba. Tim and David recognised that interaction via convenient messaging tools (such as WhatsApp because it is quick and convenient) and any-time access to information via smartphone apps is becoming both essential and the norm for increasingly digital savvy clients, but also poses problems for regulated businesses such as accountants. The ClientWindow app combines the convenience of WhatsApp messaging with the robustness of corporate email while also satisfying regulatory requirements.
“Clients often want to communicate via a messaging app, such as WhatsApp, because it’s quick and convenient, but for accountants this poses a problem – it’s neither secure nor compliant with regulations and could leave accountants and clients exposed. We found that our increasingly digital savvy client base were regularly messaging us and we were having to put conversations back onto email. That’s when we realised there could be a solution that enables clients to communicate in a way that’s convenient to them and to us, but robustly satisfies regulatory requirements,” said David. “ClientWindow could be game changing for many accountants and accountancy firms as it not only allows them to deliver the highest levels of client service, supporting client retention, it will also help them to win new business in an increasingly competitive market.”
ClientWindow has built its WhatsApp integration to automatically synchronize messages between WhatsApp and its messaging platform, using enterprise-grade API infrastructure, to ensure chat conversations are retained for legal, regulatory and insurance purposes required by accounting firms. Accountants can access ClientWindow via app or from their desktop and chat participants can be edited in message threads giving the flexibility for extra team members to be added or removed as and when needed, for example, to cover periods of holidays or sickness – ensuring clients always have access to at least one team member.
“ClientWindow is not only a messaging tool, it’s also a curated document sharing solution. Clients often need access to their accounts and other historical financial documents and ClientWindow makes it super-easy for them to access these records via the app whenever they need them. The curated document sharing function ensures key documents can be stored and shared in a way that meets both compliance and regulatory standards,” added Tim. “The opportunity for ClientWindow to
revolutionise the way accountants and their clients work together doesn’t stop at messaging and document sharing, there are additional developments in the pipeline, such as our accounting software integration, which will allow clients to effortlessly upload their receipts and other documents, directly into Xero and other accounting products, either from WhatsApp or the ClientWindow app on their phone.”
