Clients! Who'd have them?

Posted by The Practitioner on Sun, 24/07/2011 - 21:22 in Blogs 1277 2 comments | report

I dare say many of us wonder if life wouldn't be a lot simpler without the clients.

And staff.

Not that I don't love them all dearly, you understand, but sometimes they seem to combine to try my patience.

One of the things I have strived for over the years is to get clients to work to a timetable. That way we can plan our work and our staffing requirements. In the old days it was OK to just let the work drift in and to deal with it when we got round to it. After all, many farmers and small rural businesses only brought their accounts in every three years or so (unless they were listed for the General Commissioners) so there was never any great urgency.

These days it's all about job turnaround times and meeting the many and varied company deadlines we have all been lumbered with as a result of tax-driven incorporations.

Which is all fine and good provided clients keep their end of the bargain. The trouble is that more often than not clients seem to think it's perfectly in order to let their side of the agreed timetable slip by a week or two, then they get all uppity when they find we can't just catch up several weeks in one to meet the original deadline.

One such client is really pushing their luck at the moment. The audit was booked, staffing scheduled around holidays and exams, hotel booked and a date agreed to sign off the accounts. It now looks like they expect us to arrive on site without having received the draft accounts and audit file to enable us to complete the audit planning. Do we go anyway and risk spending a day of wasted time, or do we cancel the hotel and tell them the job's off until we can be sure that they are ready for us? If we do, will they be able to delay the sign off, given that they have external parties waiting for the audited accounts?

At any other time of year I'd be trying to negotiate some extra accounts preparation work for staff from one of our other offices to help get them back on track, while maintaining adequate auditor independence, but of course we're all flat out at the moment and about to lose a lot of people over the school holiday period!

I am sure we'll get it sorted one way or another, but it makes me wonder if all the advance planning is worth the effort. Clients seem determined just to do their own thing whatever we have agreed, so maybe I should just let them.

Comments

It can be stressing dealing with clients

waynemorris | Tue, 26/07/2011 - 21:54 | Permalink

Great that you shared this with us all and I imagine many others feel the same pressure dealing with clients. Some clients are great, and some are not at hitting deadlines and understanding what goes on 'under the hood' when accountants prepare financial statements etc.

But some must think Accountants just have to hit a few buttons on their pcs and out pops everything.. already bound and stamped!!! :-) hey its your job isn't it. thats what you are paid for (I'm sure this is what they think)

I hope in this case you postponed the meeting or at least explained the situation, it sounds like they caused the problem, however I would imagine if you turn up unprepared (irrespective of why) then any blame would shift to your shoulders!!!!

Good Luck

Wayne

Wayne Morris is the author of Best Practice, a leading marketing and sales programme for accountants available for trial. He is also the creator of MMP, the revolutionary marketing system that turns any existing accountant into a “go to” firm.

He works exclusively with accountants and can be contacted via Matrix Tax one of the UK's leading tax specialists.

Download his 10x10 Practice Sales and Marketing Guide for Accountants, it's free and offers some great advice for accountants and practice managers. <Click Here>

Sorry Wayne

MarionMorrison | Wed, 27/07/2011 - 09:10 | Permalink

but that looks more like one of those 15 second adverts that pop up on LiveJournal or itvplayer.

The key phrase you used above Mr P, is that clients "don't keep to their side of the bargain". Because it wasn't their bargain, it was handed to them by government/official fiat. It's perfectly sensible but the information that they have new, more-tightly drawn deadlines wasn't any kind of choice and impacts little on the day to day running of the farm. They can't declare that harvest will henceforth happen in February.

Not much you can do about it but keep talking and only go down to do the job on the understanding that if time is wasted, it will have to be built into the bill.

Add comment