client

four simple game-changers to modernize your practice

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focus on the client experience.

by blake oliver
with david leary

my mom is in her 70s and still gets the taxes organized for her household. she’s been using the same 10-partner firm for the past 30 years. like many small firms, hers had no succession plan, so it recently merged with a big firm – top 25. as you may imagine, her recent tax season experience was disappointing. she submitted all her documents on time and then didn’t hear anything from her new accountant for weeks. finally, she received a return to review and was shocked to see herself marked down as blind. my mom is not blind. there were other errors in her return, including a missing real estate transaction. clearly, it had not gone through a proper review process.

more: nine ways to measure client experience | how the pandemic changed firm mindsets | twelve clues it’s time to outsource or offshore | yes, you have the staffing for cas | why firms shy away from cas | hook your firm on cas | can you identify real cas prospects? | 8 ways to create your cas practice | do you value your cas value?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

my mind exploded, wondering how such a large, well-known firm didn’t have a better quality control process in place. i’m guessing they didn’t even have a workflow management solution. after sharing this story with several cpas at other large firms, i learned that my mom’s situation was not all that unusual.

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don’t let clients dictate tax workflow

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//m.g005e.com/2014/02/02/marcus-metrics/ask the right questions and stick to your processes.

by frank stitely
the relentless cpa

who makes the errors in your firm? staff obviously, but that’s half of the answer. clients are a major source of tax return errors. clients cause errors in three ways:

  1. errors of omission
  2. errors of commission
  3. errors in attitude

more: make fewer mistakes, increase revenue and capacity | how small firms can win the talent wars | easy ways to avoid ‘done but’ tax returns | six ways to create a millennial-friendly firm | do you know your turnaround time?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

every tax season, we finalize and deliver returns only to hear from the client, “i think i might have forgotten to tell you that we had a baby last year.” does this happen to you? this is a client error of omission. unintentionally, clients withhold important information.
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effective communications in the age of covid

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misunderstandings and shortcuts in the workplace can create a hostile and stressful environment.

by steven e. sacks
the new fundamentals

with more people using mobile devices for communication shortcuts, are we facing troublesome challenges in speaking in a recognizable language in the u.s.?

more: why proper communication is critical | syncing up for the covid era | the new covid-19 workplace: are you prepared? | how to create effective internal communications | profit is not a mission | confronting leadership: not such a bad thing | new opportunities for a ‘new normal’ | is trust elusive?
goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

while it may be convenient for some, for others it leaves them scratching their heads. i am not seeking to be a public scold. however, if you want your communication to be effective, then understand your audience, situation, and topic.

this is especially relevant with teams working virtually, and at a distance, in the age of covid.
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new & updated! covid-19 crisis toolkit

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https://inovautus.com/ffcratoolkit-cpatrendlines/
click to learn more | save $50 with code cpatrendlines20

guidance, templates, client letters and emails, phone scripts, conversation starters, best practices for your firm – available through 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间.

卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 is partnering with inovautus consulting, a nationally recognized leader in marketing and business development programs for accounting firms, to offer a new client covid-19 client communications and practice management toolkit that will be updated continuously for the duration of the coronavirus crisis.

save $50 today with discount code cpatrendlines20
click here to learn more

the “ffcra+ toolkit” was launched with coverage for the families first coronavirus response and the coronavirus aid, relief and economic security acts, and will include coverage of all future crisis-related legislative, regulatory, and business impacts.

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3 rules for asking great tax-return questions

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preserve your sanity, amaze your clients.question marks

by frank stitely

asking clients great questions is central to ruthlessly efficient workflow management (r.e.w.).

more: there are no easy answers  |  the 3 biggest tech failures of accounting firms  |  debunking the demise of the cpa firm  | how to thrive as a 21st-century firm   |  7 steps to effective project management  | how many tax preparers do you need?   |  wip-ing clients into shape

goprocpa.comexclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.

great client questions can save hundreds of hours of time during tax season and prevent projects from falling behind schedule. here’s an example of questions done badly.

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25 things customers love

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the best strategies from the best companies.

by arnold sanow
arnoldsanow.com

arnold sanow
sanow

in today’s fast-changing and competitive environment, excellent customer service is not only nice but essential for success.

in fact, the only way to differentiate yourself and to become less of a commodity in the marketplace is through outstanding customer service.

after studying more than 500 companies and organizations – as diverse as lexus/toyota, bristol meyers squibb, lockheed martin, homeland security, forever broadcasting, the medical college of georgia, aspen institute, marin county realtors association, and choice hotels – a few strategies emerge again and again.

here are 25 of the best practices used by some of the world’s best companies to get new customers, keep them, and turn them in enthusiastic fans and referral sources: read more →

check yourself: how to reality-test client satisfaction levels

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arnold sanow
sanow

to keep both your staffers and clients happy, tax and accounting firms need to gain a thorough understanding of their perceptions and perspectives — and to make they align.

customer service guru arnold sanow suggests 15 questions to ask yourself, your staff, and, above all, your customers. servicethe biggest opportunities will surface when you compare and contrast their responses.

be prepared for an eye-opening, sometimes gut-wrenching, exercise in hard truth: read more →

enhancing client financial health through collaborative services

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clients benefit when cpas and investment advisors work together.

by martin e. levine, chfc, cpa, mba
4thought financial group, inc.        

martin levine 4thought
levine

even if the client isn’t always right, helping clients understand and make the best financial decisions is always the right course of action. 

cpas understand the implications of financial decisions and strive to advise clients in ways that improve their financial well-being.  however, clients frequently have multiple – sometimes conflicting – financial goals, and use other financial professionals, including financial advisors, attorneys and business consultants, to achieve them.  read more →

will obamacare penalties kill your small business clients?

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drug in syringe on white background

fines run $100 per day, per employee.

by stephen l. nelson, cpa
and elizabeth c. nelson, cpa
small business and the affordable care act

by now, many of your small business clients understand they don’t have to provide employees with health insurance. the employer mandate starts when a firm employs 50 or more full-time-equivalent employees.

but here’s an awkward follow-up question: do your small business clients understand that many of the aca’s rules still apply to them and that they may still be vulnerable to the aca’s 4980d excise tax penalty—which runs $100 per day per employee?

learn more: small businesses and the affordable care act: what every tax practitioner needs to know (55-page pdf digital download)

can we talk irc code sections?

people sometimes hear references to the 4980d penalty and scoff, say you can’t believe everything you hear on talk radio or read at some blog. so let’s look at the actual internal revenue code section in question.

here are the first few sentences of irc sec 4980d: read more →

it’s not sales. it’s your duty

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ed mendlowitz cpa the practice doctor q and ahow to suggest additional services to clients and why you’re doing them a disservice if you don’t.

by ed mendlowitz
the 卡塔尔世界杯常规比赛时间 practice doctor

question: i always feel awkward telling clients they need additional services that i should perform for them. can you tell something that could “rev” me up for this?

more practice doctor q&a: yes, you should send rejection letters | when to hire an admin assistant | 7 ways to lose a client’s trust | how much should you pay to buy, sell or merge an accounting practice? | why the average fee doesn’t matter | no more printouts at cpe programs? | 6 ways to take a client beyond tax prep

answer: actually, by suggesting additional services you are doing the client a favor and a good deed. also, you are in business and the easiest way to generate additional revenues is to cross-sell services to present clients.

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