The "70-Year-Old Client Test": The Only Metric That Matters for Your Tech Stack
You didn't go to school to be a tech support specialist. So why are you spending February explaining "password reset" procedures to your favorite clients?
We’ve all been there. You invest in a "secure, all-in-one" practice management suite. It looks great in the demo. But then comes the first week of February, and your phone starts ringing.
"I didn't get the invite email."
"It says my password expired."
"Where do I click to upload?"
What is the 70-Year-Old Client Test?
It’s a simple diagnostic for any software you introduce to your firm. It asks one question:
"Can my 70-year-old client, who only uses their phone for texts and photos of grandkids, successfully send me a W-2 without calling my office?"
If the answer is "No," the software isn't an asset. It's a bottleneck.
Why Most Portals Fail the Test
Traditional portals like ShareFile or SmartVault were built for IT administrators, not taxpayers. They fail the test because they assume the client:
- Understands Folder Hierarchies: Most clients just want to send a file, not decide if it belongs in
/2026/Tax_Docs/Source_Files. - Maintains a Password Vault: Expecting a client to remember a unique password for a tool they use once every 365 days is a recipe for a support call.
- Has a Desktop Scanner: In 2026, the "scanner" is the smartphone in their pocket. If your portal isn't mobile-first, it’s already obsolete.
How PaperFlow Passes the Test
When we built PaperFlow, the 70-year-old client was our primary persona. We optimized for "Zero-Friction" by:
Magic Links
No passwords. One click from their email and they are instantly in their secure upload area.
Camera-First
Optimized for mobile browsers. They snap a photo, hit "Use," and you have the doc.
Visual Slots
Instead of folders, they see "W-2" and "1099" slots. It's like a digital game of "fill in the blanks."
Stop Doing Free Tech Support
Every minute you spend explaining your portal to a client is a minute you aren't providing the high-level tax advice they pay you for.
This tax season, stop forcing your clients to adapt to your software. Start using software that adapts to your clients.