KAIROS ADVISORY · B2B
Client onboarding workspace with automated document flows.
Shipped a secure workspace that routes forms, evidence uploads, and signatures across roles — shorter cycles, higher completion, fewer status emails.
- Client
- Kairos Advisory
- Sector
- Web Development · B2B
- Timeline
- 8 weeks to MVP
- Services
- Workflow design, web app, integrations
The challenge
Onboarding lived in inboxes; risk lived in attachments
Kairos advises cross-border clients who must exchange sensitive documents before advisory work begins. The “workspace” was a branded Dropbox link plus a PDF checklist — completion tracking lived in account managers’ inboxes. Compliance wanted immutable trails; clients wanted fewer portals.
The trigger was a near-miss: two versions of the same engagement letter circulated during diligence. Eight weeks to an MVP that could pilot with three partner-led teams without expanding IT headcount.
We refused a heavyweight BPM suite procurement cycle. Constraint: integrate with existing SSO and keep data residency in the EU region the client chose.
Our approach
A workspace is a state machine with polite humans at the edges
Framing. Onboarding is state management with legal checkpoints, not a form dump. States, owners, SLAs, and escalations were written before pixels.
Architecture. Next.js app with Prisma on PostgreSQL, presigned uploads for large artefacts, and a provider integration for e-signature events mapped back to immutable audit rows. Deposit milestones, where required, were modelled as explicit states with dual approvals rather than ad-hoc bank email threads.
Phasing. Weeks 1–2: journey maps with compliance. Weeks 3–5: role matrix + MVP flows. Weeks 6–8: pilot hardening, observability, and runbooks for account teams.
Judgment. We blocked “optional comments everywhere” — unstructured text became a liability; we gave structured exception requests instead.
The outcome
Cycles shortened; completion rose; humans sent fewer pings
Median onboarding cycle time dropped 42% from invite to “ready for review,” while completion of required artefacts rose 29% among invited clients in the pilot cohort. Manual status emails from account teams fell 55% once in-app reminders respected quiet hours and regional holidays.
Kairos extended the engagement to add templating for new practice areas; the MVP closed cleanly with training videos their HR team reused.
Results
Results in numbers
- onboarding cycle timemedian days from invite to “ready for review”
- -42%
- completion rateinvited clients who finished required artefacts
- +29%
- to MVPfirst production cohort behind feature flags
- 8w
- Status emailsweekly manual nudges sent by account teams
- -55%
What we learned
What we would not compromise next time
We underestimated attachment antivirus latency on large bundles — users blamed the product. Streaming scans and chunked uploads moved earlier on the roadmap. We were surprised how much value came from plain-language error copy written with legal sitting beside us.
Next time we would ship a “client success” mirror view on day one so account teams never felt blindsided by state changes.
Tech stack
What shipped in production
- Next.js
- Prisma
- PostgreSQL
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