Managing CAS Operations: Proven Tips from Top Firms

Summary

In this power-packed session, David brings together four CAS experts to share operational best practices for managing team capacity, remote collaboration, and sustainable growth. Panelists include Stacey Feldman (Full Send Finance), Justine Lackey (founder, Goodsense), Chase Vowell (Flux Accounting), and Samantha Mansfield (Convergence Coaching). They cover hiring rhythms, time tracking, niche structuring, and tech tools that help modern CAS teams scale smoothly.

Why Capacity Planning Fuels Growth

“Avoid burnout and missed deadlines. Overcapacity is not a badge of honor.” – Samantha Mansfield

Capacity planning is the #1 factor in delivering consistent CAS outcomes. Stacey Feldman explains how Full Send uses a pod-based model, where managers own a book of business and hire their own support based on real-time time tracking data. Each team member’s 40-hour work week is tracked against a 90% utilization benchmark. Time is tracked not for billing, but to provide visibility into team workload and performance. The data feeds into a custom dashboard built on Financial Cents.

Samantha Mansfield stresses that overcapacity should not be worn as a badge of honor. She believes proactive capacity management is essential to protect both staff well-being and client experience.

Key Insights:

• Each team member’s 40-hour work week is tracked against a 90% utilization benchmark.
• Time is tracked not for billing, but to understand performance and margins.
• Time is logged using Financial Cents and piped into a custom dashboard.

Stat: 74% of firms say inaccurate staffing forecasts caused missed client deadlines last year.

The Capacity Chain: Plan, Hire, Deliver

Hiring should never lag behind sales. Chase Vowell shares that his firm brings in five new clients monthly, which requires a reliable system for forecasting and onboarding. With a 60-day training window, his team ensures there are always 1–2 staff members in training at all times to maintain service quality.

He outlines a standard process where recruitment, onboarding, and assignment are mapped tightly to sales projections, using tools like Monday.com and internal dashboards.

“Don’t onboard a new client unless you have someone trained and ready.”  – Justine Lackey

Justine Lackey reinforces the idea that the right time to hire is before client work begins. Her firm integrated weekly project status meetings and pipeline discussions to ensure hiring is based on upcoming demand, not just current load.

The panelists agree: hiring must run ahead of sales. Chase Vowell details a predictable sales and training cycle:

• 5 new clients/month
• 60-day onboarding window
• Standardized training on QuickBooks and client models
• Always 1–2 new hires in training

Remote Team Culture That Actually Works

Remote culture takes intention. Justine Lackey suggests firms treat employee onboarding with the same care and personalization as client onboarding. Her firm used “getting to know you” forms, team-wide welcome emails, and personalized shoutouts to foster a sense of connection across time zones.

“Welcome your staff like you welcome clients.” – Justine Lackey

Culture building in distributed teams is not optional. Here is what the panelists recommend:

Remote Culture Checklist:

• Biweekly project syncs (10–20 mins max)
• Weekly pipeline planning
• #FullSenders Slack channel for personal posts
• “Getting to know you” forms for new hires
• WithConfetti.com for virtual team events

Stacey Feldman shares how Full Send uses Notion and Loom to document every process, enabling seamless cross-training and reducing information silos. Their Slack channels keep communication open from project discussions to a dedicated #FullSenders channel for sharing life outside of work.

Samantha emphasizes the emotional side: “When team members refuse to delegate because they want to ‘own’ the client, it’s not helpful. It causes burnout and breaks the system.”

Samantha Mansfield highlights the role of delegation. She warns that team members who refuse to let go of clients can unintentionally create bottlenecks and risk burnout. Building trust in the team is essential for scale.

Metrics That Drive Accountability

High-performing CAS firms go beyond time tracking. They measure outcomes. Samantha Mansfield encourages leaders to define metrics that reflect contribution and results, not just effort.

“Time tracks effort. But metrics must track outcomes.” – Samantha Mansfield

KPIs that matter most, according to the experts:

Chase Vowell’s firm uses a 50/30/20 model: 50% gross profit, 30% operating expenses, and 20% profit. During growth phases, they intentionally dip below this to allow for flexibility in hiring and onboarding.

Justine Lackey recommends tracking Net Promoter Score (NPS) for both clients and staff. For her, retention is the ultimate metric and understanding why clients leave provides essential feedback for continuous improvement.

Chase also adds their 50/30/20 rule:

• 50% gross margin
• 30% Opex
• 20% profit target

Stat: Firms with 90%+ on-time delivery retain 23% more clients over 12 months.

Next Steps

Want to scale your CAS operations without burnout? Start here:

Action Plan:

• Audit your current capacity with a 90-day lookback
• Establish a pod/team model with clear lead/support roles
• Build a repeatable 60-day onboarding plan for new hires
• Track time to measure load and client complexity
• Define 3–5 core KPIs for weekly review

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: What is the ideal utilization rate for CAS staff?
A: 90% for analysts; lower for managers due to meetings/admin.

Q2: What tools work best for managing team capacity?
A: Financial Cents, Monday.com, Notion, Slack, and internal dashboards.

Q3: How early should you hire before onboarding new clients?
A: 60 days in advance to allow for complete training.

Q4: What KPIs do high-performing CAS firms track?
A: NPS, utilization, SLA compliance, ARR growth, churn rate.

TIMESTAMPS

• 00:00:00 – 00:03:56 Panel introductions and beverage chat

• 00:03:30 – 00:07:36 Managing staff capacity and resource planning

• 00:07:00 – 00:10:54 Fullen Finance’s top‑down hiring approach

• 00:10:00 – 00:14:09 Best practices for capacity and delegation

• 00:13:30 – 00:23:49 Timing hiring and team communication strategies

• 00:23:00 – 00:30:24 Remote team building and onboarding techniques

• 00:29:30 – 00:30:49 Effective delegation to prevent burnout

• 00:30:00 – 00:36:45 Capacity planning tools and forecasting methods

• 00:36:00 – 00:40:50 Data‑driven capacity planning and niching benefits

• 00:40:00 – 00:47:29 Key KPIs and metrics for practice management

• 00:46:30 – 00:53:28 Panelists social links and closing remarks