Receipts in shoeboxes, endless email chains, manual data transfer between client and fiduciary – that was yesterday. Modern fiduciary firms rely on digital collaboration that saves time for both sides. In this article, we show how Abacus is changing the fiduciary industry and the specific benefits digitization brings.
The fiduciary industry is under pressure. Clients expect faster response times, more transparency, and lower prices. At the same time, it is becoming harder to find qualified employees. The solution is not to work even more – but to work more efficiently.
Digitization in the fiduciary sector means more than just a cloud-based accounting program. It means fundamentally rethinking collaboration with clients: fewer media breaks, less duplication of work, and more value creation.
The Challenges in Everyday Fiduciary Work
Before we talk about solutions, let’s look at the typical pain points:
The Document Marathon
Once a month or quarter, the client delivers their receipts – in the best case digitally via email, in the worst case as a shoebox full of paper. The documents must be sorted, recorded, assigned to accounts, and posted. This takes hours, sometimes days.
Endless Queries
“What is this payment for?” “Isn’t there an invoice missing?” “Is this private or business?” – Communication with clients is often tedious. Emails get lost, callbacks don’t happen, and information is incomplete.
Duplicate Data Entry
The client records their invoices in one system, and the fiduciary posts them in another. Data is exported, imported, and manually transferred. Every media break costs time and carries the risk of errors.
Lack of Real-Time Information
“How is my company doing?” – The fiduciary can often only answer this question once all documents have been posted. That is weeks after the end of the month. For timely business decisions, that is too late.
Time Pressure During Closings
Annual financial statements, tax returns, VAT returns – everything has deadlines. If documents arrive late or are incomplete, the team works under high pressure. Overtime becomes the norm.
The Solution: Digital Client Management with Abacus
With AbaTreuhand, Abacus offers a solution specifically developed for collaboration between fiduciaries and clients. The core: both work in the same system – with different roles and permissions.
The Principle: One System, Two Perspectives
The client records their business transactions themselves – invoices, payments, receipts. The fiduciary has access to the same data, checks, corrects, and creates the financial statements. No data transfer, no interfaces, no media breaks.
| Task | Client | Fiduciary |
|---|---|---|
| Capture documents | ✓ | Check, correct |
| Issue invoices | ✓ | View only |
| Record payments | ✓ | Reconcile |
| Account assignment | Optional / Suggestion | ✓ |
| VAT return | View only | ✓ |
| Annual closing | View only | ✓ |
| Reports | ✓ (limited) | ✓ (full) |
The Most Important Functions in Detail
Digital Document Capture by the Client
The client photographs or scans their receipts and uploads them to the system. AI-supported recognition (DeepCloud) automatically extracts the relevant data: supplier, amount, date, VAT. The client briefly checks and releases it.
The advantage for the fiduciary: The documents are already digital, structured, and pre-recorded. Instead of typing, it’s just checking.
The advantage for the client: No more collecting, no more sorting, no more trips to the fiduciary. Recording happens continuously, not just once a quarter.
Automatic Account Assignment Suggestions
The system learns from previous postings. If invoices from Supplier X have always been posted to Account Y, the system suggests exactly that. For recurring business transactions, the hit rate is over 90%.
In practice: The client sees a suggestion, confirms it – and that’s it. Complex cases are forwarded to the fiduciary for review.
Integrated Communication
Queries take place directly in the system, linked to the respective document. No emails disappearing in inboxes. No phone calls where you first have to search for the receipt.
The fiduciary marks a document with a question, the client receives a notification, replies in the system – and the answer is permanently documented.
Real-Time Reporting
Since all data is recorded continuously, reports are always up to date. The client can take a look at their own figures at any time – revenue, expenses, liquidity. No waiting until the month-end closing.
Important: The fiduciary defines which reports the client can see. Sensitive information remains protected.
Automated VAT Returns
The VAT return is generated from the ongoing postings. The system automatically checks for plausibility: Are the input tax deductions correct? Are all documents present? Are there any anomalies?
The fiduciary checks, releases – and the return is ready for submission.
Different Models for Different Clients
Not every client wants or can do everything themselves. AbaTreuhand is flexible:
Model 1: Client Records Everything
The client takes over the ongoing recording of documents, invoices, and payments. The fiduciary checks, corrects, and creates the financial statements. Ideal for larger clients with their own accounting capacity.
Model 2: Shared Responsibility
The client uploads documents and records basic data. The fiduciary handles account assignment and posting. A good compromise for clients who want to reduce the workload but still want to maintain insight.
Model 3: Fiduciary Does Everything
The client only delivers the documents (digitally). The rest is up to the fiduciary. This also works – with the advantage that the documents are at least digital and structured.
The Path to Digital Client Management
Step 1: Analyze Your Own Processes
Before you digitize clients, your internal processes should be right. Are you already working with Abacus? Are your workflows defined? Are you using the automation options?
Step 2: Select Pilot Clients
Don’t start with all clients at once. Choose 3-5 clients who are open to new things and technically savvy enough to take the first steps with you.
Step 3: Design the Onboarding
The client must understand what they should do and why it benefits them. Invest in a good introduction: personal, with instructions, and a contact person for questions.
Step 4: Support and Optimize
The first few weeks are crucial. Be available, answer questions, and fix any teething problems. After 2-3 months, the process usually runs smoothly.
Step 5: Rollout
With the experience from the pilot, you can onboard further clients. With every client, the process becomes more efficient.
What are the Concrete Benefits?
The investment in digitization pays off – measurably:
| Key Metric | Before (Analog) | After (Digital) |
|---|---|---|
| Time spent per client/month | 4-6 hours | 1.5-2.5 hours |
| Month-end closing lead time | 2-3 weeks after month-end | 3-5 days after month-end |
| Queries per closing | 5-10 emails/calls | 1-2 system notes |
| Error rate in document capture | 3-5% | <1% |
For a typical fiduciary firm with 50 clients, this means: 100-150 hours less routine work per month. Time that can be used for consulting, acquiring new customers, or simply for finishing work on time.
Common Concerns – and Answers
“My clients can’t do that”
Most clients can do more than you think. Anyone who can operate a smartphone can also photograph and upload a receipt. The key is a good introduction and a system that works intuitively.
“Then the clients won’t need me anymore”
On the contrary. The routine work disappears – but the need for advice remains. And because you have more time, you can provide more consulting. Clients appreciate a fiduciary who doesn’t just post entries but thinks along with them.
“It’s too expensive for me”
Calculate the Total Cost of Ownership: license costs versus saved working time. For most fiduciary firms, the investment pays for itself within 12-18 months.
“What about data protection?”
Abacus operates the servers in Switzerland. The data is encrypted, and access is strictly regulated. The cloud is often more secure than the local server in the office.
Conclusion: Digitization as a Competitive Advantage
The fiduciary industry is changing. Clients expect more service at stable or falling prices. Those who continue to work analog cannot provide this – at least not profitably.
Digital client management with Abacus is not a future project, but proven practice. It saves time, reduces errors, and creates space for what makes a good fiduciary: advice, foresight, and personal support.
Interested in the Digital Fiduciary Solution?
We will show you how AbaTreuhand would work in your fiduciary firm – adapted to your client structure and your way of working. In a non-binding conversation, we will clarify your questions and outline a possible roadmap.
