Client service: Time get your hands dirty

Dear Finola,

Thank you for that great article.  It is true that we become too lax with clients and do not pay enough attention to being proactive with clients.  you are right that we need to take a more holistic view of our practices and step back from the day to day workings of the business to keep on top of the very important strategic issues, including client service and client grading.

-- Gavin Fernandes ACA, CTA - www.mggrouplondon.co.uk

 Compare what is being said here by the approach taken in the US. Their approach doesn't start from the position of: "In this economic climate it is not enough to state 'we offer excellent client service' without going into detail about what this means to a client. I recommend that every practitioner writes down what this means in practical terms and incorporates this into their promotional material."

Quite the opposite. They are starting from a position of discovering what 'satisfaction' means to clients and then working backwards so that what clients REALLY want is reflected in what's delivered. But MOST important, this approach allows practitioners to mould their practice to be more closely aligned to what satisfies clients from the client's perspective.

It's a very different but logical way to view the relationship. The author's approach is wholly presumptive that the practice understands the client in the first place or that the answers lie within itself without reference to the client. Doesn't make sense. If this is what practitioners are being taught then no wonder they struggle.

As someone who has helped people develop their customer service skills and their perceptions of customers, I also come across related issues. Most of your staff / managers, and everybody else's, don't come to work to deliver poor service, we also need to understand why they sometimes don't get it right and what the consequences of "failure" are.

We know that the clients want timely communication and that the accountant needs to be in regular contact etc etc and we also know that partners and managers often complain about staff delivering work late - "why didn't they tell us sooner?"

Maybe because, whenever they do, they either:

• get "told off" in public and made to feel bad so they don't like dealing with the issue and leave it as late as possible
• or  the manager takes it away and stays late to solve the problem, letting the junior off with no reason to do any better next time.

Sue@suecohen.co.uk

 @sue - If I was experiencing those problems there is usually only one place to look - the partners' office. If staff are failing then 9/10 is because the partners are failing. Why go looking elsewhere without understanding management's failings first? Adopting your approach will get nowhere constructive.

Dennis – Fiona is right.  Too many accountants are paying lip service to client care.  I’d go one stage further and say that most actually take their clients for granted.  Not on purpose but because they are too busy.  The Sage ABC Survey revealed this is 2005 with their findings.

Fiona – I would not suggest accountants write down what they think, instead they should talk to their clients and write down what they think. Accountants seem happy to spend a lot of time measuring the cost of their service but don’t seem too interesting working out the value is.

The article has good practical advice BUT this really is the beginners guide to minimal service standards.  Rather than reviewing records when they come in, accountants should be reviewing them during the year as part of tax budgeting and planning reviews. And, the client can be given a checklist of information to provide so they can get it all done in one go and could be given a post year-end report of what they can do next year to make their (the client’s) life easier and to reduce the cost of compliance.  After all, that is ethical thing to do, isn’t it?

As well as managing-out clients that do not fit, firms can introduce a filtering system so they do not engage any more poor clients.  And, rather than just bombard clients with lists of services I’d recommend firms invest time getting a good understanding of clients (and help the client get a better understanding of their situation) and only then recommend relevant additional services.

Bob

Portfolio Marketing for Accountants

 @bob - I don't doubt they are paying lip service. That's not my point. Nowhere in the author's article am I hearing the direct voice of the client. To me it reads like someone saying; 'hmm - we need to get better at managing customer intimacy - let's ask the staff what they think?' instead of recognizing: 'we have a customer service issue, let's understand what the client wants." In the author's analysis, the client is secondary. It's the emphasis that's wrong. 

In marketing, we're told endlessly about the relationship with the client. If this is what practitioners really think at the service end then they're in a mess of their own making and fundamentally misunderstanding the nature of the relationship. Example: 'How well do you know your clients? Which 20% generate 80% of your fees? It is important to grade your clients, share that knowledge with your team of staff and focus on those A and B grade clients who are the lifeblood of your business..' Duh? How does the question as posed lead directly to the answer as given? It's illogical.

@Dennis – Finola does talk about surveys which for me count as the voice of the client and ultimately the client’s voice is heard loud and clear in the recovery rate.  If firms have write-off time they should take that as a compliant.  However, I do agree with you that the article encourages firms to be too inward focused.

Having said that, I believe clients should come second because service standards flow from the practice strategy which is built around the practice owner’s personal goals.  What’s the point of having happy clients if you are unhappy?  That is why I say the right clients are always right.  Most firms have a section of the wrong clients and these hold the firm back and compromises services to the right clients.

Personally, I quite like the model of lots of clients businesses paying a little bit and not expecting too much.  This is because the practice owner can get away from client relationships and focus on managing the business and enjoying time out of the practice.  However, I also like the model at the other end of the spectrum of having high fees and a few clients and being the trusted advisor. 

What is right for one maybe wrong for another and they are not mutually exclusive.  If fact, if a practice had £75,000 profit from low fee low maintenance clients they could then focus on the other end of the market and be selective of who they work with.

I see many firms stuck in the middle and without the marketing capability to make the move and do one thing really well.

Bob

Marketing for Accountants

 @bob - I appreciate your experience but that doesn't necessarily mean it is appropriate to the profession going forward.  You're right re: surveys - I missed that having gotten bored and annoyed 2/3 of the way through what the author was saying.

I've argued for years that the profession needs more than a lick of paint or a makeover. You're arguing similar points. But...if the profession is to survive then quite frankly these retread arguments should be put to pasture and fresh thinking brought to the table. Our US colleagues have much to teach us...we should not be afraid to learn from their experience.

Thanks Finola, I found this article a great read.

My own thinking is that there are two sets of people that partners need to talk to.

1) as Dennis says, their clients.

2) their staff.  Staff are the people who often interact with clients regularly (e.g. by asking them for more info) and so build up a relationship with the clients.  They'll know the clients as individuals and know what kind of service they're looking for.

Some clients want a once-a-year tax-return service.  Others want a bit more TLC.  It's all about providing that.  Different strokes for different folks.

M

Support Accountant, FreeAgent Central 

@Dennis - I am agreeing that accountants play lip service to customer care which is what the article was about and everything I write is based on Value Pricing methodology based on Ron Baker's work.  He is based in the USA so I must be right!

I am curious, you champion the client so much...do you think clients should come before the practice owner in strategy development?

As regards me being right, my key points are:

• Price and have a value mindset with practice management, marketing and sales
• Get a better understanding of clients and help the client get a better understanding of their situation
• Have a wider range of services available and be more effective at communicating the value

What specifically is wrong with this?

Just so you know, I am currently looking at software which will allow accountants to take a holistic view of their clients with the business positioned as one of the financial assets.  This moves accountants into the seat of the trusted advisor so that they can get out of the rut of compliance.

I am interested to know how does this differs so dramatically to what is happening across the Pond?

Bob

Portfolio Marketing

 The reason I place emphasis on the client is because without clients we have no business. I'm convinced that unless we examine our practices through their eyes then we have nothing of value to offer.

+ what Emily said