KAIROS ADVISORY · 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
Year
2025
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.
// TODO: Verify with client legal before publishing — compliance framing and pilot cohorts.
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.
// TODO: Verify with client legal before publishing — integrations and data handling statements.
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.
// TODO: Verify with client legal before publishing — operational metrics and pilot scope.
CYCLE TIME
median days from invite to “ready for review”
COMPLETION
invited clients who finished required artefacts
TO MVP
first production cohort behind feature flags
STATUS EMAILS
weekly manual nudges sent by account teams
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.
// TODO: Verify with client legal before publishing — qualitative lessons referencing client operations.
TECH STACK / TOOLS
What shipped in production
GALLERY
Inside the delivery
Next case study
Real-time operations dashboard for dispatch and fleet health.
Unified telemetry, incidents, and dispatch into one Next.js operations surface — fewer swivel-chair workflows, faster incident response, calmer night shifts.
Ready when you are
Let’s build something excellent.
Tell us about the work. We reply within one business day with a written point of view, not a pitch.