I'm coming from the perspective of running small businesses and I'm interested to know what the profession thinks constitutes doing a good job for their client?
I've had a hunt around on the forum and the ACCA website and ICAEW website and it seems they just recommend choosing a fully qualified accountant. Fair enough but surely only half the story.
I'm sure nobody is going to list why they're bad (!) but a few bullet points on why people think they're good would be very welcome.
And I'm guessing anyone that replies in the next couple of hours is either suitably organised or at least has their clients well trained!
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I'd say the opposite
Anyone still working now (me included) is pretty disorganised and needs to learn a lesson from this January.
Self-deprecation aside, I like to think my good points are:
Personable and available at times convenient to the Client; it's been pretty key to allow for calls in an evening/weekend whilst I've been growing my business.Learning to say no; I've known many Accountants who can't say no, can't possibly deliver bad news etc. but I find it's often better received than you might expect - they pay you to stay on the right side of the law.Good general technical knowledge; knowing that if action A happens, then B might or will affect the client in the future.
You limited me to a few bullets so I won't go on :)
experience with small businesses
Someone that has a lot of experience helping small businesses, knowing the important issues and the not so important issues and communicating these across to clients.
Good customer service
Obviously, knowing your job and not making mistakes is at the top of the list. It goes without saying that anyone buying your service expects you to do the basic job right. No one would engage a client and expect mistakes to be made.
For me, gimmicks such as out of hours access is the bottom of the list. Clients don't "need" it. I used to offer to visit clients in the evenings and weekends and took calls at home at all hours, but it was roundly abused. After a couple of particularly annoying incidents, I called a halt to it. Funnily enough, every single client who "needed" me to visit them, or "needed" to see me in an evening or weekend suddenly found they could fit it a meeting at my office during the M-F daytime after all! Funny that!
No, I put my practice success (lots of referrals, virtually no losses to other firms, etc) down to being proactive, organised and efficient. By proactive, I mean keeping on top of them for returns/accounts/tax being due long before deadlines, Accounts jobs are turned around within days, rather than weeks or months, emails are replied to virtually immediately (during office hours). I aim to ensure that no client is ever left in limbo, either waiting for their accounts, waiting for an email answer, wondering how much tax is due and when, wondering if their returns are all up to date.
I hate it when I have to chase up professionals, such as solicitors, surveyors, etc., who can often leave you in the dark for weeks, with you thinking/hoping that they're working away in the background as deadlines loom, only to find out a month or two later, that they've not even started or are now waiting for someone else (that could have been asked for weeks ago if they'd looked at the file then!). I make sure I never make my clients feel like that!
Really?
I send my accountant full TB, BS, and P&L so he only needs to really punch in the figures
If this is true, why do you need an accountant?
Proactivity
Would be most interesting to know how proactive people think an accountant should be and in what areas?
Hmmm, proactive to me is synonomous with racking up expense. I had a proactive waiter recently who buzzed round me like Basil Fawlty; he bugged me by hovering nearby and topping up my glass every time I took a sip. I guess in his mind he was earning himself extra payment in the form of a juicy tip; for my part, I reduced his tip to zero. Clearly "proactive" did neither of us much good.
How proactive would you like your accountant to be? Would you like him to toothcomb vigorously through everything, or take the pragmatic view to let certain sleeping dogs lie? Don't forget, the ultimate in proactivity is to secretly and covertly report your employer to the authorities, something we are all bound to do under penalty of imprisonment otherwise, for minor misdemeanours such as for example you or your other employees over-claiming expenses by £1. Or he might feel compelled to monitor closely everyone's private use of the internet.
Besides, proactivity to me is synonomous with expense, and isn't always worthwhile:
Once upon a time there was a shepherd looking after his sheep on the edge of a deserted road. Suddenly a brand new BMW screeches to a halt next to him. The driver, a young man dressed in a pin-striped suit and tie gets out and asks the shepherd "If I guess how many sheep you do have, you give me one of them?"
The shepherd looks at the young man, then looks at the grazing sheep and says "Alright"
The young man parks the car, connects the notebook and the mobile, scans the ground using his GPS, opens a database and 60 excel tables filled with algorithms, then prints a 150-pages report on his high-tech mini printer. He then turns to the shepherd and says "You have exactly 1586 sheep here."
The shepherd answers "That's correct, you can have your sheep." The young man takes the sheep and puts it in the boot of his car. The shepherd looks at him and asks "If I guess your profession, will you return my sheep to me?" The young man replies "Yes, why not."
The shepherd says "You are an Accountant!"
"How did you know?" asks the young man.
"Very simple," answers the shepherd: "First you come here without being called. Second, you charge me to tell me something I already knew. Third, you do not understand anything about what I do, because you took my dog!"
When I buy.
I am in the position where I do several things. One of them is as a director of a company which has the accounts audited.
The things I hate are waffle & overcharging. Waffle is where the presenting accountants speak for an hour and assume we are all idiots who know nothing. Overcharging is where, for example, the accountant charges an extra £500 for presenting the aforementioned waffle.
Things I value: Problems presented in a clear & concise manner - the possible choices for rectification - and a recommendation of choice & why.
Honesty and reliability
You need to be trusted and get the basic things right to give comfort to your clients that once things are passed to you they are in safe hands. You also need to understand how your client business operates and not just present him with a set of accounts and a bill, but offer a few extras as to how they can save/make extra money by some added advice which comes with experience. I also have to like people to do business with them so that's works both ways so I guess people like me also. I look after a few contractors who like the out of ours meetings which I don't mind as they would lose money seeing me during day time I just balance my hours over the week to compensate.
Someone you find easy to talk to.
Friendly
Responds promptly
Communicates well
Speaks in plain English, not jargon
Cares about all clients no matter how small
All the other stuff like professionalism, reliability Etc should come as standard.
Speciality & communication
1) accountancy is such a big subject now. Does the prospective accountant offer the services or specialities you need? Online accounting, vat, CIS, audit, trusts, farms etc etc
2) can you communicate with them - on line or in person its your choice. Language, opening hours, etc etc - two way communication!
Good for You?
What makes a good accountant? That depends upon your perspective:
A cheapskate client might regard an accountant who is too timid, repressed, or unconfrontational to charge for their services (and so ends up offering 'Free Unlimited Access') as "good";
A twister of a client might regard an accountant who is too passive to stand up for himself, his ethics, or his morals (and so can easily be pushed into complicity) as rather ideal;
A meglomaniac empire-building client might regard an accountant who is a creep and a yes-man as being just the ticket;
A large corporation might regard a wet-behind-the-years accountant who can be moulded into the company's thinking and methodology as desirable; whereas for a small business a good accountant is one with a few miles on the clock who knows the ropes.
Get the idea? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. From where I'm sat, a good accountant is one who makes money, drives a Porsche, and holidays three times a year. Oh, and assertive too - essential if one wishes to avoid being prey to cheapskates, twisters, meglomaniacs, or large corporates.
Emotional intelligence
I have more than I used to but you can never have enough. I know if I had more I would be a better accountant.
Proactivity
That's the one thing that all clients say they want, but few seem to want to pay for.
Having considered the above
I believe you are looking for a more procative accountant. One that brings to you attention when items (say year end planning) need to be considered.
But if you are looking at the cost, he or she wont be the chaepest
Proactive
Avoid any accountant who says, "I am proactive", or "I meet with clients". I have never understood how adding pro to active develops the latter and you meet clients. So taking Monsoon's well made pointers, such accountants fail by making the simplest langauge more complicated.
Look for someone who answers the question and offers the reasons why rather than offers the reason why then suggests an answer. As the client you are busy if you do not like the recommendation you are unlikely to go through with it, so may not want to wade through what you see as guff to find the recommendation. If you see and like the recommendation straight, you can decide if you like the suggestion; the reasons why offer support. In any event you recognise the accountant as being able to set out your options clearly.
I would add one more to Monsoon's list -
Someone who listens to you; otherwise how will they ever understand your business and your concerns?
Proactive accountant
in my book is one who looks ahead. Thus say 3 months before the year end he brings to his clients attention items that he should be considering before the year end that may be could save tax eg Pension PLanning and if a Ltd Co the declaration of a dividend to mop up "director's loan balances..
my view
1) One who listens to the client, and
2) who recognises when the prospect is a good match - or not - and accepts or declines on that basis.
Proactive
I have always hated the word - and like Andy Partridge, I tell my clients that we are not 'pro-active' but we are happy to have an ongoing dialogue. That way they choose if they want to pay for the extra input. I wouldn't equate being organised with being pro-active - although I would rate being organised/efficient far higher.
No accountant should drive a Porsche unless it's a 1950s classic.
Looking ahead
If your accountant has not discussed income extraction with you then he is not a good accountant. A good accountant should be looking at where you are, where you want to go and then help you get there in the most efficient manner considering both tax and practicality.
Unfortunately this will not be the cheapest accountant but the money saved will more than make up for this.