WhatsApp CRM · Law, Accounting & Company Secretarial
Track matters and documents without losing the thread
Written for how law, accounting & company secretarial actually work
For sole practitioners and small firms in private legal practice, accounting and audit, and company secretarial and registration work, including the junior or secretary who handles scheduling and document collection but never gives the substantive answer.
Timelines split by practice. A company registration or a simple filing can conclude in days to a couple of weeks once the documents are complete; conveyancing and audits run weeks to months; litigation can run for years with the chat reduced to occasional updates. Match the follow-up to that: daily-ish nudges while documents are outstanding, a short status update at each real step after that, and a light annual touch for concluded matters.
The work is deadline-driven rather than festive. Audit and secretarial work compresses into a rush around year-end closing and statutory filing periods, and the rush is always made worse by documents that arrive late. Confirm current requirements and dates yourself; nothing here is a statement of what any deadline is.
A normal day in your inbox
- I want to open a company. How do I start?
- I have my ID copy and address proof ready, what next?
- Roughly how much is the fee?
- Is there any update on the case?
- What documents do you need for the audit? Send me a list.
- Sir, this is urgent, what do I do now?
- Is there a chance with this one?
- Quick question, is that chargeable?
Where the deals leak
- Enquiry
- Scoping questions
- Document list sent
- Documents collected
- Fee and scope agreed
- Work in progress
- Matter concluded
- Dormant client
The requirement never gets pinned down, and the fee conversation happens on top of that fog. The client asks what it costs before you know what they actually need, and the engagement is never confirmed.
Two opposite reflexes cause it. One is answering too much in chat, giving a real reading of a document or a situation for free, which both gives away the paid work and creates exposure if the full facts change the picture. The other is a bare "call the office", which loses a perfectly good, referable client who only wanted to understand the process. Further down the line there is a quieter loss: the client who used you once years ago, would come back, and no longer remembers who you were.
A board that matches your job
Two columns do most of the work. Documents pending tells you who to nudge today; Concluded is where you look when you want to know which past clients are worth a light touch this quarter.
Stage 1
New enquiry
Someone has asked, but the requirement is still vague.
Stage 2
Scoping
You are asking the two or three questions that decide what this actually is.
Stage 3
Documents pending
The list has gone out. This is where most time quietly disappears.
Stage 4
Engagement confirmed
Scope and fee structure agreed and written down.
Stage 5
In progress
The matter is live and needs a status update at each real step.
Stage 6
Concluded
Done, but still visible. A concluded matter should not vanish from the board.
Tags worth having
- Company registration
- Audit
- Deed
- Litigation
- Annual filing
- Docs outstanding
- Referred by a client
- Past client
Set it up once
Everything below happens inside WhatsApp Web, on the number you already use. No API, no new inbox.
Add InboxCRM to Chrome- 1
Reply without answering
Save a quick reply for the instant-opinion message, the one with a photo attached at eleven at night. It should acknowledge the message, say plainly that a real answer needs the documents reviewed properly, and offer the consultation as the place that happens. Having it saved is what stops the tired late-night reflex to just say something helpful.
- 2
Send one document list, not ten requests
Build a quick reply per matter type with the full numbered list of what you need and one line on why each item matters. Quick replies carry text, images and documents, so a checklist file can go with it. One clear list produces a batch; a vague "send me the documents" produces a trickle of the wrong things over a week.
- 3
Talk about fee structure before a number
Keep a saved reply that explains how fees are structured for that kind of matter, fixed for a defined scope or based on complexity, and what would change it. It answers the question honestly without inventing a figure against a requirement you have not scoped yet.
- 4
Keep what was said with the client, not in your head
Use per-contact notes and custom fields for what was discussed, what was quoted, which documents are still outstanding and where the matter currently stands. In a trade where a matter can run for months and a client can go dormant for years, this is the part that stops you re-reading the whole chat before every reply.
- 5
Update before they ask
Set a follow-up rule so anything sitting in In progress without contact for too long comes back to you. A two-line status update, even one that says you are waiting on the other side, prevents the silence that reads as neglect while a matter is progressing normally.
- 6
Treat confidentiality as a setting, not a habit
CRM data is stored locally in your own browser rather than on our servers, and one-click privacy blur hides names and message content on screen. Both matter in an office where a client sits across the desk from your laptop. Do not use chat as a store for identity numbers, bank details or signed documents.
The messages that stall a sale
“Roughly how much is the fee?”
Usually means
They want to know whether this is even in their range before explaining their situation.What works
Ask one or two scoping questions, then describe how the fee is structured rather than quoting a bare number. A number with no scope attached and a refusal to say anything before a meeting both lose the client for opposite reasons.“Is there a chance with this one?”
Usually means
They want reassurance, and they are testing whether you will give an opinion for free.What works
Say, without assessing the matter at all, that a real answer needs the documents and a proper review, and that this is exactly what the consultation is for. A casual read given over chat with no file in hand is a professional risk, not a favour.“Can I just send the documents as photos?”
Usually means
Sending the physical originals feels like effort, or they genuinely do not know what is required.What works
Send one specific numbered list instead of a general request, say briefly why each item matters, and name what has to be seen clearly, such as a date, a number or a signature.“[Name] you worked with told me to contact you.”
Usually means
The introduction has transferred someone else's trust, not built their own.What works
Acknowledge the referral warmly, then run exactly the same intake you would for any new enquiry. Assuming a referred client needs less structure usually means they get less follow-up, and the enquiry drifts.“Why is this taking so long?”
Usually means
Anxiety about not knowing what is happening, rather than a complaint about speed.What works
Give a short, honest status: where the matter stands and what the next real step is, even if the answer is that you are waiting on someone else.
Quick replies to save first
Copy these, swap the details in [brackets], and save them as quick replies so you stop retyping them.
Vague first enquiry
Thanks for getting in touch. So I can help properly, could you describe the situation a little? Once I know what the [company / matter / audit] involves, I'll tell you the next step clearly.
Fee asked before scope
The fee is worked out from the scope of the matter. If I can ask you a couple of questions about your situation, I'll explain the fee structure that applies and what would change it.
Document list
Here's what we need to start: 1) [document] 2) [document] 3) [document]. Once these are in, we move to the next step. If anything is hard to get, tell me early and we'll work around it.
Late-night opinion request
Thanks, I've seen the photo. This needs a proper look before I reply, so I'll go through it first thing in the morning and come back to you. If it's a genuine emergency, say so now.
Dormant client check-in
Hello [name], it's been a while. If anything new has come up with [company / matter], or there's fresh work you're planning, let me know and I'll help.
Free tools that help here: WhatsApp Business Message Templates, WhatsApp Text Formatter.
The parts of InboxCRM you'll use most
Contact notes and custom fields
Hold what was discussed, what was quoted and which documents are outstanding, across matters that run for months.
Pipeline board
See who is stuck at documents pending and who is mid-matter, and keep concluded clients visible instead of gone.
Quick replies
Send the same complete document list every time, and keep a considered answer ready for the free-opinion question.
Follow-up rules
Surface any matter that has gone quiet, so silence between milestones never reads as neglect.
Privacy blur and local storage
Client information stays in your own browser, and one click hides names and messages when someone is at your desk.
Questions from law, accounting & company secretarial
Does it draft replies about legal or tax questions?
No. InboxCRM does not draft advice and nothing in it should be treated as legal, tax or financial guidance. There is optional AI reply drafting on your own API key, but for this work most practitioners are better off leaving it off: your own words carry professional judgement, and an AI-toned reply about a matter can read as advice-shaped text even when none was intended.
Is this safe for confidential client information?
CRM data is kept locally in your browser, in chrome.storage.local, rather than on our servers, with optional local backup and optional encrypted cloud backup for chats. One-click privacy blur hides names and message content on screen. Even so, WhatsApp is not the place for identity numbers, bank details or signed originals; use it for contact, scheduling and context.
Can staff use it without seeing everything?
InboxCRM runs inside the WhatsApp Web session it is installed in, on that browser profile, so whoever uses that session sees that data. If a junior handles scheduling and document collection from their own device and number, they get their own board. Plan who sits at which WhatsApp account before you set up stages.
Can I use campaigns to stay in touch with past clients?
Campaigns exist, for lists of people who opted in, with conservative sending caps and quiet hours. We would not lean on them here. This work is carried almost entirely by referral and reputation, and a message that reads as marketing can undercut that. A short, individual note to a dormant client does far more.
Will it replace my practice software or a client file?
No. It organises the WhatsApp layer: who is at what stage, what was said, what documents are still missing. It is not a client file, not an engagement letter and not a filing system, and it only tracks what you enter. Check your own profession's advertising and conduct rules before promoting your practice anywhere.