Firm & Client Collaboration

DayZero is built around the relationship between an advisory firm and the businesses it serves. The firm does the accounting work in the Books workspace; each client gets the read-only client portal (the /client shell) — a clean, real-time window into their own finances. Everything that normally happens over scattered emails and spreadsheets happens in one shared, tracked workspace instead, and the firm decides exactly what each client can see and do. Firm staff can step into any client's experience through Client View.

Key capabilities

• A branded, read-only client portal per business: dashboard, statements, transactions, invoices & bills, reports, and documents
• The firm's books stay authoritative — clients view, they don't edit the ledger
• Action Items / Notifications inbox surfacing alerts, approvals, anomalies, and firm asks
• Questions — the firm attaches a clarification to a specific transaction; the client answers from a focused queue
• Document Requests — typed file asks tracked open → fulfilled with secure upload and expiring links
• Messages — categorized, threaded conversations between firm and client (when enabled)
• AP Automation — optional client bills page with upload, approval, and AI payment guidance
• Invoices & bill pay — clients view receivables/payables and pay open invoices via a hosted link
• Self-service Integrations — clients connect their own accounts (e.g. a bank via Plaid) from a firm-controlled allowlist
• AI assistant and a scheduled client digest email — both optional, both read-only/informational
• Per-feature client access controls so firms expand capability as trust grows

How it works

The firm provisions the relationship — invites a client user, assigns them to one or more businesses, and sets what they can see and do. Day to day, the firm sends tracked asks through the product instead of email, the client responds in the relevant queue, and both sides keep a clean record of every exchange.

flowchart TD
  firm["Firm (Books workspace)"] --> books["Categorize / reconcile / report / AP-AR"]
  books --> portal["Client portal (read-only)"]
  firm --> access["Client access controls (per feature)"]
  access --> portal
  portal --> asks{"Two-way, tracked"}
  asks -->|"Questions"| q["Client answers a transaction question"]
  asks -->|"Document Requests"| d["Client uploads requested files"]
  asks -->|"Messages"| m["Threaded conversation"]
  q --> firm
  d --> firm
  m --> firm

How to use it

1. A firm invites a client user and assigns them to one or more businesses from Settings → Clients.
2. The firm sets what the client can see and do under Settings → Client Access (AP automation, AI assistant, digest) and the firm settings toggle for messaging.
3. The firm shares any self-service integrations (e.g. bank via Plaid) by adding them to the client-visible list.
4. The client signs in, lands on their Dashboard, and reviews finances plus anything the firm has sent.
5. The client responds in the right place — Questions, Document Requests, or Messages — and the firm sees it on its side.
6. Both sides keep working through the product (not email), leaving a tracked record of every ask and answer.

Pro tips

• Firm-side: route every client ask through Action Items, Questions, or Document Requests — they're tracked, badged, and won't get buried in an inbox.
• Firm-side: start clients with conservative access and expand it (messaging, AP automation, AI assistant, integrations) as they get comfortable.
• Firm-side: turn on the client digest so clients stay informed proactively, which cuts down on status-check emails.
• Firm-side: the AI assistant and digest are read-only/informational — the hard numbers come from the books, so enabling them never risks the ledger.
• Client-side: the portal is your single source — pay invoices, answer questions, and upload requested files there instead of over email.
• Client-side: use the business switcher if you own multiple businesses under the same firm; each has its own data and queues.

In-depth guide

What the client can see vs. do

The portal is read-only for accounting data; the only client-write surfaces are responding to asks, paying invoices, uploading files/bills, and self-connecting shared integrations.

Client access controls

Firms gate capability per feature; most are off by default until the firm opts in.

How firm-side data flows into the client view

Bookkeepers work in the Books workspace; the portal reads the results:

• Statements ← posted journal entries
• Transactions ← the categorized ledger
• Invoices / Bills ← AR/AP
• Client-visible reports ← the firm's reporting tools

Nothing in the portal writes back to the ledger — client actions are confined to answers, uploads, payments, bill approvals, and integration connections.

Tracked asks vs. messages

Edge cases

• No business assigned: a client with no business sees a prompt to contact their advisor.
• Feature off: disabled features hide their sidebar entries and badges entirely rather than showing empty pages.
• Multi-business clients: data, queues, and badges are scoped to the business selected in the switcher.