As a routine I am continuously reviewing ways to improve business. This is always on my mind, as the success of any firm can be temporary, and each practice must continuously be nurtured and open to change. At the foundation of my reviews is measuring how frequently our clients return and how often we receive referrals. A substantial part of a firm’s success is derived from the way we engage clients. So, my review inevitably involves measuring our client relationships and finding new tools to help us move forward.
When considering client relationships, I often review what message are we sending, and what our firm image and branding says about us. I ask our team the following questions: Are we displaying a professional image? Are we actively reinforcing our clients trust in us? Are we exceeding our clients’ expectations? How we represent ourselves and our firm sets the stage for our client relationships, and that representation can be broken down into three essential elements: communication, connection and collaboration.
Communication - Once a year I spend time examining our procedures, policies and the tools we utilize to be sure we are sending the right message. How quickly we return calls, our timeliness on promised work, and the level of service we provide all communicate a message. Consider upgrading your hold music or hiring a voice over professional to record your outgoing messages. Explore options for integrating your phone system with your practice management software or CRM that can provide auto dial, incoming call tracking, and voicemail cataloging and forwarding— features that can greatly improves customer services by increasing staff efficiency and giving them greater visibility into the client relationship. Updating your office phones, messaging and integrations are a modern necessity for today’s firm.
The pace of communication today has moved from simple and methodical, to lightning speed and technical. While email has become the standard for most communications, using a branded portal creates an experience with greater benefits. Portals offer a level of service that simply cannot be accomplished with an email. They can provide additional information like announcements, advertisements, surveys and automated client information.
In addition, portals are accessible 24 hours a day giving the client access whenever they want. Email communications can be buried in our email client and often forgotten, with a portal you and your client won’t have to dig for related communications, information and documents. Today, three out of four firms use a portal to empower their client communications. New clientele are looking to see if your firm has the tech they want, this is especially true with the younger generation. Today’s clients expect a portal when doing business with tax and accounting firms.
Connection - When your client arrives at your office, what is their impression of your brand, quality and level of service? Are they greeted with a newly painted lobby, canned lighting, nice music and a friendly smile? Connecting with clients builds relationship and must be a high priority if you are to retain and attract new business. Using tools to connect with clients digitally like web scheduling, office kiosks and email/text reminders are the foundation of successful service and firm branding.
Check-in kiosks (a tablet or computer in your lobby for software based client intake) are one way you make a connection with your clients. Take away the pencil and clipboard and give your client technology. Year after year I see new check in systems at the dentist, medical offices, hair salon and other professional services. I love the fact that they have a kiosk or iPad for me to use to update my information and sign in for my appointment I can verify and update my records with ease. The message they are sending is that my time is valuable saving me time filling out repetitious forms. Why isn’t every office visit this great?
Another way to show clients you value their time is to allow them to schedule appointments through your web site or portal. I love the idea that, at my convenience, I can make the appointment that best suits my schedule. This option gives me control and makes me feel like they value my business. This also allows me to change the appointment if necessary and get a phone call or email reminding me about my appointment. All these digital connections add value to client relationships, increase office efficiency and streamline workflow. These are the things clients are looking for in a tax or accounting professional.
Collaboration - Providing efficient client collaboration today requires the use of digital tools, and in almost every case it is the professional that determines and often provides the tools needed. So, understanding collaboration tools is necessary to excel in advisory services as a tax or accounting professional.
Today there are digital tools for your client to use to pay their bills, review financials, approve invoices and even schedule meetings. Tools for the firm to share information, documents and even QuickBooks files. Collaboration tools like, hosted sites, portals and electronic signatures can simultaneously improve the firm efficiency and save a client’s time. Clients place a value on how user friendly it is to work with a firm and digital collaboration tools can accomplish that.
One of the newest ways to collaborate while sharing accounting and tax information is the use of hosted platform, like a private cloud. It is no longer accepted to use anything less than a portal or hosted platform to provide the level of security client data requires. This is never truer than with E-signatures. Signatures must be obtained with two factor authentication, SSL certificates and encryption to meet the latest in security and compliance requirements and secure hosted platforms are a great way to provision this.
The skill of communicating, connecting and collaborating with clients is as much an art form as it is science. It must be learned, nurtured and cultivated over time. We must be clever and creative, and simultaneously you must develop good plans, procedures and implement new practices. There are new tech tools that reinforce these skills and can have a profound impact. A firm that implements these new tools will reap many benefits such as improved efficiencies, unique firm branding and culture, and improved client relationships. These benefits can facilitate the retention of the best clients and most valued team members. In your next annual review I encourage you to spend time researching new digital tools like portals, kiosks and eSignatures which can significantly improve your firm’s client relationships.