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accounting excellence

Interview with Sarah Sallis - Client Service Firm of the Year 2018

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1st Apr 2019
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Despite the generic name, here is a firm that knows how to stand out when it comes to client service and how important an accountant can be to their clients.

Evesham-based full-service accountant The Accountancy Office is a sole practitioner who truly cares, showing both personal dedication and business brains to offer a very personal service. It shines out as an example to other new firms in its approach.

This firm has a compelling client retention rate of 100%. Its clients rank this accountant highly on a wide range of different measures, from client satisfaction, value for money, accessibility to their willingness to recommend them.

The Accountancy Office’s entry stood out from others due to the wide range of client service activities that are pursued consistently across the year. It accords with the firm’s mission statement that “client service is at the very heart of what we do.” From the introductory welcome pack to the free webinars and workshops right down to the thoughtful flowers when a client is going through a change of personal circumstances such as moving house or illness, here is proof that business can be personal and ultimately successful. The Accountancy Office: generic by name, but certainly not by nature.

Sarah Sallis The Accountancy Office

How did it feel to win Client Service Firm of the Year 2018?

Fantastic and overwhelming! We were up against some great firms and it was very much an unexpected surprise, to say the least! It took some time to sink in, it just didn’t seem real for a couple of days. It was a real privilege to gain such recognition from the accountancy profession. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend the awards evening due to family illness so I’m delighted to be able to attend this year as a Judge.

How has winning the Accounting Excellence Award for Client Service Firm of the Year impacted your firm?

It’s certainly reinforced our standing as a professional firm who prioritises customer care, which is key to the firm’s success. Not only that, it’s helped to ensure that we remain committed to our service levels going forward. To be honest, we’ve been so busy that I haven’t had a chance to shout about it and a lot of marketing tasks have been put to one side since the end of last year. I’m hoping with new staff coming on board that we’ll be in a much better position to embrace the marketing plan and growth opportunities very soon! The award has recognised my firm as being a leader of excellent customer care in the accountancy industry, that’s something I’m very proud of!

What advice would you give to anyone entering the awards? Or thinking of entering the awards?

Go for it! I learnt a lot from the experience, it was a great opportunity to really focus on what we did well and most importantly to listen to how our clients felt we were doing. We were already doing some great things but just didn’t realise how great! Focusing on the metrics, such as our NPS score, was a real eye-opener! The process also gave us an opportunity for feedback and to think about how we could improve processes further going forward, that’s hugely important for every service led business!

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