Client switching feedback

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I’ve not had many clients tell me they are switch accountants because it’s a new practice and rather small, also I provide a good service at cheap prices. I had one client switch due to our fees, at £165 for a sole trader tax return I wasn’t too upset and I’d have had to double in the following year to make it worthwhile.

Roll forward and I’ve had another client email me this week to say he is switching accountant, it’s a shame has it was a much more reasonable fee, I replied and was very pleasant and told him he was always welcome to come back. I also asked if he had any feedback or if there were any areas we needed to improve but he ignored that. I’d really like to know why but I think calling him up and asking is a bit serial killer.

What do you do, call them up? Email? Questionnaire? Do you often get feeback?

Replies (29)

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By Andy556
10th Nov 2020 15:24

I wouldn't take it to heart. As long as you know you've provided a good service then you will know that it isn't your service.

It might be the price - but would you be happy to lower your fee? If not then you've not lost out as they would still leave.
It might be a family member has recently started working at an accountants so they feel like they are doing them a favour by using that accountant.
It might be just a recommendation from a friend who had a really good experience with another accountant.

As long as you are happy with the service you provide, there's not much else you can do. There will always be reasons out of your control, just focus on getting new clients and keeping up the quality of your work.

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By OldParkAcct
10th Nov 2020 15:30

I’m afraid that most people are too polite to provide honest feedback.
Over the past 8 months most of us have been experiencing a different workload, with the constant changes and advice. Some clients due to their sector have need more attention, which has left some others perhaps feeling neglected.

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By ireallyshouldknowthisbut
10th Nov 2020 15:43

I tend to call them to ask permission to release information as outgoings rarely give it

I find sometimes they talk, sometimes they don't.

Clients can be embarrassed if engaging a half arsed bookkeeper to do it, some of course like the type that ask no questions and just plonk some numbers in without any of that boring 'tax talk' stuff that can grate when doing a proper job and actually checking things (gasp) and getting it right.

Its rare anyone tells you in an email they think you are too expensive/rude and in one case I got out of a an ex client who I was a bit miffed I was fired from as I spent hours with him, was that I "cared too much". Which was an odd one but essentially didn't like my opinions when they disagreed with his. Client was a serial setter upper of poor business I was trying to save him from several expensive mistakes and get him to put his energies into the one business he had which actually did quite well. He went to a "ra ra" merchants who promised the world, charged a lot more than I did and probably delivered little other than hot air. I think they were welcome to each other.

if it cheers you up, I was took a client from a poor local franchise operation (you know the ones, 8 weeks and you are an accountant), and he was moaning about all the leavers. I didn't say much as I know they suck, but he let on his average time of acting for only 3 years. Unbelievable rate of loss.

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By SouthCoastAcc
10th Nov 2020 15:45

Thanks, great idea I'll call him to get the authorisation and ask.

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By memyself-eye
10th Nov 2020 15:37

There's a new tv add advising a flat fee of £119 - so £100...ish plus VAT - for an online service from a 'qualified accountant' which will appeal to some, or at least provide a marker to Joe Public about the fees he will expect us to charge. Your £165 is not expensive - I charge £150 minimum for the simplest xcel spreadsheet sole trader jobs, but like everything except the public sector and 'save our' NHS there are folks who will undercut.

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Replying to memyself-eye:
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By I'msorryIhaven'taclue
10th Nov 2020 16:32

Oo-er, mine all pay £500 - £600 (+VAT). I do hope they make themselves a cuppa when the ads are on.

Is that £119 service just for a loss=leader tax return, with the s/e accounts preparation as an add-on at extra cost, I wonder?

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Replying to I'msorryIhaven'taclue:
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By Paul Crowley
10th Nov 2020 17:57

I have an employee that worked for a chop up job, sell it cheap firm
Worked there years, no idea how to do accounts and returns in the real world
Client must do everything their way on their software. Phone calls not allowed
Just like most company formation agents, who advertise co for £9.99

My Minimum start price is £250 plus Vat

Closer to yours if self-employed.

If a client understood the way those guys work, they would not move

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By Paul Crowley
10th Nov 2020 15:54

In feedback you are likely to get version A when real reason is version B
The request is both reasonable and recommended, I always send a disengagement email to state the position, say a joy to work etc and offer to come back if it does not work out

Always contact client for direct authority to pass on info, both partners separately.

It is not you it is them.

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By Moonbeam
10th Nov 2020 16:26

As others have said, they will never tell you the real reason.
Many other accountants have said on Aweb that people who leave them often come back later, so if you want that to happen with leavers, write a nice disengagement letter and don't be surprised if you hear from them again.

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Replying to Moonbeam:
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By I'msorryIhaven'taclue
10th Nov 2020 17:10

Lack of feedback is IMHO a Brit thing - being too embarrassed to complain we all of us tend to make excuses and (as Paul put it) cite reason B rather than say what we truly feel.

When's the last time you told a waiter that no, everything isn't alright? Or a post office clerk that you haven't appreciated waiting while the customer before you spent 20 minutes rummaging in her purse for a 20p piece whilst chattering about her nephew in Australia? When did you last tell Aweb you weren't happy with entire posts and their threads being deleted?

The client might come back to you one day, but I doubt even then you'd get to hear the real reason for their jumping ship. By the same token, I expect we've all sacked a few PITAs in our time and cited reason B. See what I mean?

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Replying to I'msorryIhaven'taclue:
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By Truthsayer
13th Nov 2020 14:22

I've sacked a few PITA clients, but I've always cited reason A rather than B. I just tell them they're not worth the trouble!

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By I'msorryIhaven'taclue
15th Nov 2020 13:07

Truthsayer by name and by nature!

I normally reserve such directness for when I'm dealing with my wife's family. PITA clients receive a dressed-up explanation along the lines that we are no longer geared to servicing their developing needs at an economic cost (which nicely paves the way for a fee hike should they one day return).

I'm guessing you must hail from Yorkshire, and therefore an exception to the general embarrassed Brit rule. Come to think of it I've yet to meet anyone from Yorkshire who hasn't taken the time and trouble to very thoughtfully point out my personal deficiencies, and offer firm suggestions as to how I might remedy them :)

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By NYB
10th Nov 2020 16:43

You win some and lose some. Clients go for a mixture of reasons. We always find when one goes another one comes. Some you are heartily grateful to get rid of. We too, provide an excellent service - always available etc. and at a good price. You get the ones who come along saying they have found someone to do it cheaper. You look at the work and fee and you think - so be it - I wont make anything if I drop the fee. Quite often they go to what I call a front room person without office overheads. Your £165 is very reasonable. Sometimes we gain clients where thousands are charged and we can do it for a fraction of the price.

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By spilly
10th Nov 2020 21:50

Don’t spend too much time worrying on this. You probably did a good job at a good rate.
We’ve had a couple of clients that make a point of only staying with a firm for a couple of years. They then move on and each time make the new accountant agree to a lower fee than before. I take some solace in that eventually they will end up with what they deserve when a tax investigation looms.
You would be better off spending the time to find a new client instead of looking to find a definitive answer.

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By Calculatorboy
11th Nov 2020 01:51

I wouldn't bother following it up , there is always someone cheaper , let them have it

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By Duggimon
13th Nov 2020 09:54

You will always lose some clients, and you will always gain some clients from other accountants. If you make your service the best you can at a price that's fair to you and the client, the number in the first group will be lower than the number in the second.

I wouldn't bother worrying too much about their reasons if you don't feel you've done anything wrong.

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By johnjenkins
13th Nov 2020 09:57

The important thing is the first interview, to get to know your client. That is when you ask delving questions and don't be afraid to ask them. Have a laugh as well. Once you get to know your client you will know why they leave.
Easy for me to say as I've had 55 years experience of getting to know clients. It's automatic.

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By Tosie
13th Nov 2020 10:06

Sorry to hear that you have lost a client. Probably through no fault of your own. In my area a number of accountants are losing clients because of unprofessional leaflet drops guaranteeing not only to save tax but for a "fraction of your present accountants fees". In one case a profitable small company was told to forget about paying CT.
It maybe that decent accountants who refuse to play the game of tax evasion will lose clients but can look forward to a lucrative future sorting out the mess.

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Replying to Tosie:
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By johnjenkins
13th Nov 2020 10:18

This is why you have to know your client inside out. Yes it's time consuming but in the end they don't normally leave. A leaflet drop will always be discussed and the simple answer is, "as they don't know your business they can't make assumptions of saving tax". I had a client who was a salesperson years ago. He would always undercut any quote. He sold orthopedic beds, double glazing and patios. His philosophy was that there will always be someone who needs the money to do a cheap job (not necessarily a bad job). He is now retired with a few million in the bank.

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By Ammie
13th Nov 2020 10:19

Agree with many of the replies.

Hold your nerve. We live in a world of cheap and cheaper everything, but with it often comes disaster. You get what you pay for and yes occasionally you come across a rip off merchant. The market is littered with unbelievably cheap products which are clearly fake or scams, but people still seem to miss the obvious, they can't see the wood for the trees.

I very rarely move on my fee, it is what it is. If there's a cheaper option, bon chance and adios! Clients come and clients go.

I expect that many of the ridiculously cheap alternatives are ill set up to act, often not insured and in some instances cannot possibly operate a professional business with systems and standards. Sadly, too many clients are not interested in discussing their affairs, nor how they have been dealt with or if they are of an acceptable standard. Using an accountant in those cases is often a necessary obligation they resent.

I just hope in such cases they don't opt for a similar bargain basement, any which way the wind blows, option if they are in need of medical attention or surgery!

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By MRsoton
13th Nov 2020 10:33

Let the kitchen table people have him
Use your energies and reputation to replace with a better quality client who appreciates what you do and pays an economic fee

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By MRsoton
13th Nov 2020 10:33

Let the kitchen table people have him
Use your energies and reputation to replace with a better quality client who appreciates what you do and pays an economic fee

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By indomitable
13th Nov 2020 10:39

I wouldn't bother asking for feedback. It won't tell you much if anything because many don't tell the truth or their expectations are unreasonable.

If you want to find out if your clients are happy with your service far better to send out a questionnaire or survey to your current client list. I do this every year, usually get a 70% to 80% response and you will see if there are any areas where you need to improve on.

Asking for one ex-client feedback won't tell you this

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By sammerchant
13th Nov 2020 10:44

Just move on. I remember one prospective client who, when asked about his current accountant, said he didn't have one as he'd fired him. I then asked about the previous one. Said he'd fired him too. I didn't waste any time with him, said I'd get back to him (which I didn't) and left.

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Replying to sammerchant:
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By Truthsayer
13th Nov 2020 14:26

'said I'd get back to him (which I didn't)'.....that's contemptible. Just have the courage to tell the truth, even if it is by email later.

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Replying to Truthsayer:
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By sammerchant
14th Nov 2020 15:13

I should have elaborated. We met in the lobby of a five-star hotel (his choice). He was nursing a drink. I had a tomato juice as I was driving. When it was time to part, he stiffed me for the drinks - said he'd left his cards behind. I deduced that the previous accountants had not been paid, and I wasn't going to waste any time with him.

Telling him by email is wasting your time further. If truth be told, I think you are being a bit 'holier than thou'.

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By North East Accountant
13th Nov 2020 12:10

I always ring and ask for authority to release the data.

At the same time I find out why they have gone, wish them the very best and assure them we would be delighted to have them back if the new firm doesn't meet their expectations.

We've had quite a few returners.

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By Crouchy
13th Nov 2020 16:23

you can't please everyone all of the time, to some clients you are just a commodity

just move on and focus on doing a good job for the clients that want to stay with you

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By sammerchant
16th Nov 2020 13:41

I know of firms/people offering cheaper jobs. Some have no idea, whatsoever. I picked up a client whose accountant had prepared bound accounts showing an item described on the Balance Sheet as 'Suspense'. It was for an amount equal to just over 8% of the taxable profit. I kid you not!

You get what you pay for and you pay for what you get.

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