9 Ways to Customise Your Accounting Workflows

Customising an accounting workflow means shaping the checklists, reminders, fields and permissions around how your firm actually works, instead of forcing every client and every deadline through one rigid template. Firms do this because no two engagements look the same: a monthly bookkeeping client and an annual audit client need different steps, different data, and different people involved. Here are nine ways Uku lets you build that fit today.

Built-in AML compliance workflows

Uku is helping to ensure that the AML requirements are met. Turning on the AML app (Settings & Apps) adds structured compliance fields to every client record — risk profile, document type and expiry, and (for non-Estonian clients) ID number and pass/fail status. You then configure two automatic task triggers, one for expiring identity documents and one for expiring risk profiles; Uku checks daily and creates a reminder task for the responsible person when a date falls inside your chosen warning window (7 days for documents and 14 days for risk profiles by default, both adjustable). See AML compliance in Uku for the full setup.

Collecting the supporting ID and proof-of-residence documents from the client happens through the Client Portal’s document requests, covered next. The accountant is still responsible for verifying the documents and judging whether a client is safe to onboard — Uku surfaces the dates and the paperwork, it does not make the compliance decision for you.

Accounting client self-service – Client Portal

The Client Portal is Uku’s branded, white-label self-service layer: clients sign in with a magic link (no password to manage), see the tasks assigned to them, and upload the documents you request straight into the client record. It also carries direct messaging with the firm, so a document chase or a quick question does not need to leave Uku.

Member permissions

What a Member can do in Uku is set on three layers: their company access level (Owner, Admin, or Member), the permissions their team grants, and their permission on each individual client (Client Admin or Client Member). Company Owners and Admins can do everything by default; a Company Member only gets what their teams and clients grant them — which is how firms protect client data while still giving people the access they need to do their job. See Members and Teams permissions.

Communication tools for accounting workflows

Better communication tools allow for much easier communication between clients and their accountants. Uku connects to Gmail and Microsoft 365/Outlook so emails become tasks and stay attached to the client’s history, and the Client Portal adds direct messaging for anything that does not need a full email thread.

Thus, keeping the workflow from not having to open ten apps simultaneously and, more importantly, preserving a record of the client’s history.

Zapier integration to boost accounting workflows

Zapier (available on the Elite plan and above) connects Uku’s task events to thousands of other apps — for example, pushing a new or updated Uku task into Google Calendar as an event. Firms also connect Uku through Make.com or, for invoice data, Scoro.

Companies House integration

The Companies House integration is UK-specific: when a client’s country is set to United Kingdom, typing a company name or registration number queries the free public Companies House register and pre-fills the client record with registered name, address, status, incorporation date and filing deadlines — no API key or login needed. Once enabled, Uku also creates automatic reminder tasks ahead of Accounts, Confirmation Statement and Corporation Tax Return due dates, so a filing deadline is never missed.

CRM as a part of accounting workflows

Uku’s CRM keeps a customisable profile for every client — contacts, notes, agreements, and billed-hours history in one place, with import/export so you are not re-entering data you already have. It also monitors your agreements against actual workload and alerts you when a client is running over what they are contracted for, which is the moment to have a pricing conversation before margin quietly disappears. Uku’s CRM is built for managing ongoing client relationships, not for running a sales pipeline.

Time-tracking made easy

Uku has a built-in timer on every task — start it with one click, and a global timer widget stays visible in the header bar so you can pause or check it from anywhere in Uku, not just from the task itself. When you forget to start it, correct or add the entry manually afterward from the task’s timesheet panel; bulk time entry covers backfilling a whole week at once.

All of your billable work and time are tracked and roll up into reports. You begin to convert that billable time into new bills, invoices and client payments.

Custom Fields

Uku has two custom field systems: client and contact fields (Settings & Apps → Client App), for data like a tax registration number, client tier, or preferred language; and task fields (Settings & Apps → Tasks), for details like an invoice count or a linked regulation. Both support text, number, date, single- and multi-select, and other field types, so the system fits how your firm actually tracks a client or a job instead of forcing everyone into a “one feature fits all” set of columns. Company Admins define the fields; every team member can fill them in.

Customisation boosts customer satisfaction

Allowing our customers to customise their experience is a way we believe will stand us apart from our competitors.

After all, who knows what our customers need better than our customers themselves?

If you haven’t tried us yet, you can do so free for 14 days. No credit card details are required.

Uku has all the features you need, none of which you don’t.