Customer service is a defining difference in Accounting but most Practices are getting it badly wrong.
It’s 2020 not 1990 so act like it!
Lockdown has highlighted just how bad many Accountants are at serving their clients.
Are you different?
Sure they do all the compliance work, send over the odd report (Xero makes that a few clicks so that’s hard!) and they are there to answer questions if needed. But clients deserve more and I hope lockdown will finally make more Accountants get it!
There are 1000s of Accountants out there so what makes you different? Sure you may have a niche but it’s not like you are the only one in that niche. You may have a specialist knowledge but how special is it these days?
Sorry but what you Do is not special. But You can be!
What differentiates great Accountants from all the rest is how their clients FEEL about what they do. That is down to the Customer Journey, tight internal processes, simple systems, training/advice and about all exceptional SERVICE.
The right way!
A perfect example is Joanna. We were talking a few weeks back about what she was doing for her clients dealing with lockdown and how she could help more people.
What came out of that was letting all her clients, friends and family know that they could share her daily email updates and that anyone could sign up. Her updates are the latest advice and guidance translated from all the Government announcements. They are straight to the point and easy to digest info and advice for everyone impacted by being in Lockdown.
Joanna made sure her contacts knew that they could let everyone know they could sign up to get the advice she was giving her clients. Free! And if they needed to jump on a call Joanna would help them.
To add impact she is doing a Shout Out for other local businesses to her list on the email – to freely help others in this difficult time.
Crazy thing is so many businesses owners have not heard from their accountants, can’t get hold of them or are being charged extra fees for support.
Right now your best play is FREE support. Do what you must to help businesses get through and come out of this as the accountant everyone raves about.
Joanna and I were talking on Tuesday and the update is that she had 4 new clients sign up last week and 2 looking to sign up next week. All of them unhappy with the support from their old accountants. All needing a higher level of service than they were getting.
Customer service is a defining factor when what you offer is much the same as the next business!
The difference that makes the difference.
Joanna and Grant McKnight stand out and those businesses switched! I guarantee off the back of this more businesses will move to her firm because they are different – they go the extra mile all the time!
An unexpected upside is the support and services those businesses in the Shout Out are offering Grant McKnight.
Your business Customer Journey and Customer Experience can and should be designed so your clients have an end to end exceptional experience. It is not complicated but it does take a shift in thinking many accountants are not willing to make.
It is not just about doing what is on the proposal – its the customer service that makes you stand out and turns clients into Raving Fans.
Have a great day.
Angus
We help owners scale up, build a more profitable and sustainable businesses and get more free time. We provide Business Coaching, Advice and Training to help you get clear on the route forward, create the plan and develop the systems to take your business to the next level now. With Clarity, Certainty and Confidence.