The closed-loop automation that turns
billable hours into delivered hours.
Accounting, consulting, advisory firms lose ~25% of partner-hour value to admin: client intake, engagement letters, billing, compliance docs, status updates. We automate the admin so partners deliver work, not chase it. Live in 14 days, wired to your practice management stack.
What the open loop is costing you.
The conservative numbers below are pulled from luup's audit data and published industry research for professional services. Every leaky channel here is a competitor's win.
- · Karbon 2024 Accounting Industry Report: average partner spends 23% of billable hours on non-billable admin.
- · Bench / Practice Ignition data: WIP-to-cash benchmark for advisory firms is 38 days; mid-market median is 45+.
- · luup audit of 3 mid-market advisory firms, Q1 2026.
Wired into the tools you already run.
Karbon or Practice Ignition is the practice management hub. Xero/QuickBooks the financial source of truth. We orchestrate via Make.com / n8n: signed engagement triggers the entire downstream flow (project setup, billing schedule, doc collection, kickoff comms). Microsoft 365 / Google Workspace for doc generation.
Four playbooks shipping in week one.
Each playbook is shippable within live in 14 days of kickoff. Most professional services clients start with the first two and add the rest in weeks 2–4.
Client intake + engagement letter automation
Lead → qualification call → engagement letter auto-drafted from your template + their data → DocuSign/PandaDoc sent → countersign triggers project creation in Karbon, billing schedule in Xero, kickoff comms via Outlook/Gmail, fee schedule + retainer captured in Stripe.
~12 days saved per new clientCompliance + filing automation
Tax deadlines, reporting cycles, regulatory filings tracked per client. AI checks doc completeness against requirements list, chases missing items via email + SMS, escalates to partner only when stuck. Replaces the deadline-spreadsheet-and-prayer workflow.
0 missed filings, ~40% time savedWIP + billing automation
Time logged → WIP report auto-generated weekly → bills auto-drafted from time + scope rules → partner reviews + approves with one click → Stripe / GoCardless / Xero invoice fires same day. Cuts WIP-to-cash from 45 days to <14 days at most firms.
~$45k / yr cash freedClient status + communication automation
Weekly client status update auto-drafted from project notes + WIP — partner reviews + sends. Stops the 'I haven't heard from them in 3 weeks' problem that kills retainers. Pairs with Slack alerts for client-facing partners.
Retainer renewal +15%Real numbers from a real operator.
A 4-partner advisory firm we modelled recovered ~$210k in partner billable time
What it costs, without the dance.
Professional services automation runs $3,500-$10,000/month depending on partner count + scope. Setup is $4,500-$9,000 one-time including practice management integration and partner workflow audit. Most firms hit ROI in month 2.
Five things professional services operators ask first.
The questions every professional services prospect asks on the first call. Answers in writing so you can decide before booking.
Will it work with my practice management tool?
Karbon and Practice Ignition / Ignition are the cleanest integrations (full API). Xero Practice Manager and QuickBooks Online Accountant supported via Make.com. CCH / Thomson Reuters are partial (read-only on most endpoints) — we wire the readable bits and bridge the rest via Airtable.
How is client confidentiality handled?
All data stays in your existing tools (Karbon, Xero, Microsoft 365). luup orchestrates via your accounts; we never store client PII or financial data on luup infrastructure. NDA + DPA signed at kickoff. EU-hosted Make.com region for EU firms.
Will partners actually use this?
The system runs in their existing tools (Karbon dashboard, Outlook inbox, Slack channel). They don't log in to a new app — they just notice that admin tasks they used to spend hours on now take seconds. Most partners' first feedback is 'why didn't we do this 3 years ago?'
Does it handle multi-jurisdiction firms?
Yes. Per-jurisdiction compliance rules + filing calendars + tax forms are configurable. We have shipped for firms operating across UK + Ireland + Singapore + UAE — different fiscal years, different filing cadences, same orchestration layer.
How much does it cost?
$3,500/month for intake + engagement automation (up to 4 partners), $6,500/month with WIP + billing automation, $10,000/month for full firm ops including compliance + status comms. Setup is $4,500-$9,000.
Other verticals we ship automation for.
Same Make.com / n8n / Zapier orchestration, tuned to industry-specific needs. Same deploy cadence. Same guarantees.
Ready for professional services firms
automation?
Book a 30-min strategy call. We’ll map your current setup, show you the system in action, and quote the deploy. If it’s not a fit, we’ll tell you on the call.