Case study
How the Mather Group uses SurePrep + SafeSend to scale without adding staff
How a Chicago-based wealth management firm eliminated seasonal bottlenecks, cut signing time by three days, and built a tax workflow that their clients appreciate
Introduction
The Mather Group is a Chicago-based wealth management firm providing holistic financial planning, tax planning, tax preparation, and estate planning. For a firm built on high-touch service, the tax experience is a reflection of its standards. This reputation means the technology has to be just as buttoned-up as the advice in front of it.
~30 minutes
saved per return on workpaper prep
1.1 days
average time to client signature
3 days
reduction in average signing turnaround
The challenge: Meeting client demands without overloading your team
Maintaining a high volume of individual tax returns for wealth management clients creates specific pressures — high client expectations, tight timelines, and not enough staff. Hiring temporary staff every busy season isn't sustainable, and The Mather Group felt pressure from all sides.
Internally, the firm used Adobe to manually aggregate workpapers into PDFs, a workaround that "worked" but wasn't designed for the job. When hundreds of client documents came in on the same day during the busy season, bottlenecks were almost inevitable. On the client side, the firm was using UltraTax CS's built-in signing tools for return delivery, which required manual intervention any time a client hit a snag with a KBA question, causing friction that didn't belong in a premium service experience.
The firm faced:
- Workpaper chaos. Relying on Adobe to manually aggregate workpapers into PDFs was time-consuming and prone to errors.
- Seasonal staffing crunch. February and March brought hundreds of documents flooding in on the same day, creating bottlenecks and threatening turnaround times.
- Slow signing process. If a client failed a KBA question, staff had to manually resend the return through UltraTax CS.
- Client frustration. KBA questions felt outdated and irrelevant, generating client calls and complaints.
- Manual admin overhead. Staff spent too much time on tasks like sending returns, collecting signatures, and managing organizer delivery — tasks that could, and should, be automated.
“We were using Adobe to aggregate workpapers and make a PDF that people were going in and editing. It was not very effective. It was not designed for that particular use case.”
Michael Kovalsky, CFP
Tax, Senior Director
The solution: An integrated tech stack that covers every step
The Mather Group turned to SurePrep and SafeSend to address both sides of the problem with tools built for each.
SurePrep: Solving the workpaper and staffing problems
SurePrep replaced the firm’s manual workpaper process and immediately standardized how every return was organized and documented. It ensured reviewers knew exactly what they were looking at, regardless of who prepared the return. Built-in notes let preparers flag questions and document assumptions directly in the workpaper, eliminating the back-and-forth before a reviewer could move forward. The biggest operational shift? SurePrep Outsource, which let the firm scale return preparation during busy season without increasing headcount.
- Upgraded from Adobe. SurePrep replaced manual PDF assembly with a standardized workpaper format that’s consistent across every return, simple or complex.
- Seamless handoffs. Built-in sticky notes let preparers document assumptions in real time, visible to reviewers without a separate conversation.
- Scaled capacity with no extra headcount. SurePrep Outsource handles high-volume prep during busy season, reducing bottlenecks without temporary hires.
- ~30 minutes saved per return. On workpaper prep alone, SurePrep gives time back to the firm for higher-value review and advisory work.
SafeSend: Elevating the client experience from start to finish
SafeSend addressed the client-facing side of the equation. The Mather Group started with tax return delivery and eSignatures, and the results were hard to argue. Average signing time dropped from about four days to 1.1 days. KBA questions through SafeSend are newer and more relevant, so clients move through the process without getting stuck. The phone calls complaining about verification questions? Essentially gone.
- Gather AI. Guides clients through document submissions with a clear checklist, getting closer to full document receipt on the first pass.
- Custom questionnaires. Replaced the UltraTax organizer with a tailored SafeSend questionnaire that captures key client information upfront and reduces back-and-forth.
- Estimated tax reminders. Automated alerts are sent two weeks before quarterly payments are due, meaning clients act on them immediately rather than waiting until the deadline.
- Engagement letter signing. SafeSend handles e-signatures for tax agreements, too, not just returns.
“We have clients complimenting SafeSend all the time. It’s outstanding to me when a client calls and says, ‘This was a great experience for us.’” – Michael Kovalsky, CFP, Tax, Senior Director.
The outcomes: A workflow that works for the firm and its clients
The results came from layering SurePrep and SafeSend around their existing UltraTax CS preparation engine. The three products work together because each owns a distinct part of the workflow. SurePrep handles document gathering, data extraction, workpaper management, and internal review. UltraTax CS sits at the center as the core tax preparation engine. SafeSend takes over, managing delivery, eSign, organizers, questionnaires, payment directions, and reminders.
This integrated approach delivered measurable results. SurePrep's workpaper standardization and Outsource capability reduced time spent per return on workpaper prep by approximately 30 minutes — time that goes back to the firm for higher-value review and advisory work. Clients now sign their tax returns on an average of 1.1 days, down from around four days previously. More relevant KBA questions through SafeSend mean fewer failures, fewer client calls, and a frictionless signing experience. By switching to SafeSend for return delivery and eSign, The Mather Group cut its average client signing window by three full days. During the busy season, that time savings compounds quickly across hundreds of returns.
The efficiency gains are clear. The firm eliminated seasonal staffing pressure, reduced workpaper prep time, and created one connected workflow spanning document gathering to estimated tax reminders. Staff now spend less time on manual administrative tasks and more time on client-facing advisory work. What was once a pain point in the firm's service model has become a competitive advantage.
“SurePrep is such an integral part of how our team prepares returns for clients, and an efficient solution for us from a staffing perspective. SafeSend is such a fundamental piece of our workflows now; I don't know if it's something we could live without.”
Michael Kovalsky, CFP
Tax, Senior Director
Delivering on a promise
For a wealth management firm where client experience is everything, SurePrep and SafeSend are how The Mather Group delivers on its promise. SurePrep keeps the internal operation running lean, even when volume spikes. SafeSend turns the final mile of the tax engagement into something clients appreciate and remember.
Together, SurePrep and SafeSend have done what no additional headcount could. Let the firm scale its capacity, protect its people, and still deliver an experience clients call to compliment.
At a glance
Industry
Accounting, Finance & Tax
HQ region
Chicago, Illinois
Solutions
SafeSend
SurePrep
UltraTax CS
Year founded
2011
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