If your firm collects the same documents from clients, vendors, or third parties on a regular basis, you shouldn't have to rebuild that process each time. A recurring document request workflow means you define what you need once, set the cadence, and let the system handle the rest.
This applies to any structured, repeating collection: monthly bookkeeping packs, quarterly compliance submissions, annual vendor requalification, FICA renewal cycles, or any other process where the same documents are needed from the same people on a predictable schedule.
Why most firms don't have this yet
Most firms collect documents the same way they always have: a mix of emails, shared drives, and memory. It works well enough when volume is small, so there's rarely a forcing moment to change it.
The problem is that this approach doesn't scale, and it places the operational burden entirely on the person managing it. When that person is out, the process stops. When volume grows, the time spent grows with it.
A recurring workflow removes the dependency on any individual and makes the process consistent regardless of volume.
The building blocks of a recurring workflow
A well-structured recurring document request workflow has four components:
1. A contact record Each client, vendor, or third party has a profile with their name, contact details, and submission history. This gives you a running record of what's been submitted, approved, or outstanding across every cycle — without digging through email threads.
2. A document template A template defines the documents required for a particular type of engagement. Each item can be marked required or optional. One template can apply to multiple contacts, and submitters only need to upload what's relevant to them.
3. A cadence The template is set to a frequency: weekly, monthly, quarterly, semiannually, or annually. At the start of each cycle, the system automatically sends the request.
4. An enrolment Enrolling a contact in a template links them to a specific document checklist and cadence. From that point, the system takes over.
Setting it up: step by step
Step 1: Define your document types by engagement
Start by listing every document you regularly request across your contact base. Group them by engagement type:
- A vendor onboarding process might require a company registration certificate, tax clearance, B-BBEE certificate, and banking confirmation
- A FICA compliance cycle might require a certified ID copy, proof of address, and source of funds declaration
- A monthly bookkeeping engagement might require bank statements, invoices, and payroll records
- An annual return process might require audited financials, director resolutions, and shareholding confirmations
Don't try to build one universal template. Build focused ones per engagement type — they're easier to manage and produce cleaner experiences for submitters.
Step 2: Build your templates
For each engagement type, create a template with the relevant documents. Mark each item as required or optional. Give each template a clear name that reflects what it's for and how often it runs: "Monthly Bookkeeping Pack", "Vendor Onboarding Documents", "Annual FICA Renewal", "Quarterly Compliance Submission".
Step 3: Add your contacts
Add each client, vendor, or third party with their name and contact details. This is a one-time setup — their history, submission status, and progress persist across every future cycle.
Step 4: Enroll contacts in the right templates
Enroll each contact in the template that matches their engagement. A client might be enrolled in multiple templates e.g., a monthly bookkeeping pack and a separate annual tax document collection.
Step 5: Let the system run
Once a contact is enrolled, the system takes over. At the start of each cycle, they receive an email with a secure link to their upload portal. They click, upload, and submit. Reminders go out automatically if they haven't responded by a defined point. You review what comes in, approve or reject, and export when the cycle is complete.
What to get right from the start
Be specific about document names. Submitters upload what they think you need. If your template says "compliance documents", you'll get a variety of things. If it says "Certified copy of ID (not older than 3 months)", you get exactly that. Specificity reduces wrong uploads significantly.
Mark the right things as required. If you mark everything as required, people will stall on items that don't apply to them. Be deliberate about what's truly mandatory versus helpful.
Set reminders early. Build in at least two automatic reminders before the deadline. The first reminder often goes unnoticed. A follow-up a few days before the deadline tends to produce results.
Review quickly. The faster you approve or reject documents, the faster submitters correct errors. Leaving reviews pending for days signals to people that the deadline isn't real.
One-off requests work the same way
Not every collection is recurring. For new client onboarding, vendor registration, due diligence, or one-time compliance checks, you can use the same template structure as a manual one-off request. Build the template, enroll the contact, send it. No cadence needed.
This gives you a consistent review and export process even for non-recurring work — which matters when the output needs to be audit-ready.
The result
Once this is set up, document collection becomes a review task rather than a management task. You're not sending emails, chasing responses, or sorting files — you're checking what came in and approving it. The process runs regardless of how many contacts you have or who's managing it on a given day.
That's the difference a recurring workflow makes.
Actis Docs is built around this exact workflow — recurring templates, automated sending and reminders, centralized review, and clean exports. Start a free trial — no credit card required.