Marketing

How Will Clients Rate Your Client Service This Tax Season?

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gold stars representing accounting client service

By Jean Marie Caragher

According to the Seven Keys to Successful CPA Firm Management the number one reason why clients change CPA firms is “poor client service, inattentiveness.” During this stressful, deadline-driven season it’s especially important to remember to focus on client service.

Here are six factors your clients will use to rate your client service this tax season, adapted from research conducted by Leonard L. Berry, Valarie A. Zeithaml and A. Parasuraman.

  1. Tangibles. The physical aspects of your service, including:
    • The appearance of your building/office
    • Computers, telephone systems
    • The appearance of your team members
    • Communications materials, brochures, correspondence, emails and website
    • Financial statements and tax returns
  1. Reliability. Performing the promised service dependably and accurately. Consider:
    • Performing the required services at the agreed-upon time
    • The accuracy of your billing
    • Safe keeping of files and client information
  1. Responsiveness. The readiness of your team to provide service, including:
    • Returning phone calls and emails promptly.
    • Caring, and providing individualized attention to clients.
    • Working as a team to meet clients’ needs.
  1. Access. The availability and ease of contacting your partners and staff. Ask yourself:
    • Can clients reach me directly or do they need to go through a gatekeeper?
    • How long are clients kept on hold?
    • How promptly do I return phone calls and emails?
    • Do I share my schedule so my team knows when I’m in and out of the office?
    • Am I setting aside enough time to participate in client meetings?
  1. Communications. Keeping clients informed in language they can understand. Consider:
    • Explaining the outcome of their tax return in a clear, simple way.
    • Offering ideas and advice for the coming year.
    • Publishing an e-newsletter that includes practical, relevant information.
    • Updating your website with relevant articles, blog posts, videos and checklists.
  1. Understanding the client. Making the effort to understand the client’s needs, including:
    • Taking the time to learn about your client’s specific situation.
    • Asking questions to uncover the client’s needs.
    • Listening to the client’s responses and taking notes for follow up.

Notice I didn’t mention technical competence. Your clients assume you know what you’re doing. They are evaluating how you make them feel, the way you provide your services, and if deadlines are met.

How will you know if your client service efforts are successful? Ask your clients. Conduct a client satisfaction survey after tax season to measure your level of client service. This is an initiative only the minority of firms execute, enabling them to back up their promise of providing superior client service with the evidence. Your client survey results will identify areas that need improvement and instil pride in your team – and your clients will appreciate being asked for their feedback.

 

Jean Marie Caragher is president of Capstone Marketing, providing marketing consulting services to CPA firms. Download her free eBook, Client Satisfaction Surveys for Accounting Firms: The Answers to Your Most Frequently Asked Questions. Contact her at 727.210.7306 or jcaragher@capstonemarketing.com.

 

 

Revive Your Marketing Efforts After Tax Season
Marketing

How to Revive Your Marketing Efforts After Tax Season

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If you’re like a lot of firms your marketing activities were placed on the back burner while you studied the TCJA and translated the new law for your clients this tax season. Take a breath – or a well-deserved vacation – and dust off your marketing plan and revive your marketing efforts after tax season.

According to Gear Up for Growth: The Marketing Trends Manual for Accountants three of the top marketing activities that firms plan to increase are:

  • Networking
  • Upgrading Website
  • Social Media

This is the perfect place to start reviving your marketing efforts after tax season.

Increase Your Networking Activities

Begin with your current referral sources. Prioritize your list and arrange breakfast and/or lunch meetings. While I recommend three meetings per week, establish a realistic goal that will work for you. One referral source meeting per week is better than none.

Depending upon the number of referral sources in your network you’ll need to add attendance at networking functions to your plan.

In The Sales Bible Jeffrey Gitomer recommends we ask ourselves:

  • Where do I network now?
  • Where should I network?
  • Where do my best clients network?
  • What are three organizations I should investigate and possibly join?
  • How many hours a week should I network?
  • Who are five prime people I want to meet?
  • What are my first-year networking goals?
  • Do I have the networking skills I need?
  • Do I have networking tools?
  • Who is great at networking that I can call and get help from?

Networking is a long-term marketing strategy. Done consistently it will result in increased visibility and new business leads.

Upgrade Your Website

According to research conducted by Greenfield Belser, 76 percent of survey respondents say they are likely to be influenced by the quality of professional service firm websites. Fifty percent put professionals on their short list based on the information included on the websites.

Clients, prospects, referral sources, employees and potential employees – basically everyone responsible for the success of your firm – are visiting your website. Here are seven suggestions for upgrades:

  1. Check for broken links and fix them. Broken links – the ones that bring you to a page that says “404 error” – are frustrating and impact search engine optimization (SEO), user experience, and conversion.
  2. Revise your text and use short sentences and short paragraphs. This makes your website easier to read.
  3. Add headshots of your team members to your bios. This will make your website more personal and help visitors put a face to a name.
  4. Optimize your website for mobile devices. Mobile browsing is becoming more common and this also helps with SEO.
  5. Optimize page speed. According to Google, 53 percent of mobile site visitors leave a page that takes longer than three seconds to load.
  6. Add landing pages to promote specific services, events or offers. A landing page is any page on the web on which one might land that 1) has a form and 2) exists solely to capture a visitor’s information through that form.
  7. Include a call-to-action on every page, including blog posts. A call-to-action is an image, button, or message that calls website visitors to take some sort of action.

This list is not comprehensive but provides a good start.

Boost Your Social Media Profile

When it comes to social media there are many options: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, you get the idea. It’s important to create a realistic social media strategy that supports your marketing goals and you are committed to updating.

Since LinkedIn is the most business-oriented social media platform let’s spend our time today focused on it. Here are five LinkedIn profile updates to make right now to enhance your business development efforts:

  1. Headshot and Custom Background: Your headshot needs to look professional with your face looking forward, making up about 75 percent of the frame. Replace your custom background with an image that reinforces what you want people to know about you. This image could promote your firm’s brand, a marketing campaign, or event, for example.
  2. Headline: Your headline needs to concisely communicate who you help and how you help them.
  3. Summary: Like your custom background, your summary needs to tell readers what you want them to know about you. Focus on your target markets, areas of specialty and write it in first-person.
  4. Custom URL: A custom URL will help to increase the overall visibility of your LinkedIn account and will make it easier for you to share how to find you on LinkedIn. For example, you can find me at www.linkedin.com/in/jeancaragher.
  5. Content: Include two to four pieces of content. This can include documents, photos, videos, presentations, and brochures.

Once you’ve updated your profile you can expand your LinkedIn presence by:

  • Writing posts on a consistent basis. CoSchedule recommends one LinkedIn post per day.
  • Writing articles.
  • Liking and sharing posts.
  • Joining and participating in groups.

Increasing your networking, upgrading your website, and boosting your social media profile, are three solid ways to revive your marketing efforts after tax season. Don’t attempt to implement everything in this article at once. Rather, create a plan and execute one activity at a time.

* This article is adapted from the original published by CPA Practice Advisor on May 1, 2019.