Product Tips

How to Keep Your Clients Delighted Practitioners Share Their Secrets By: Intuit Product: N/A Tip Category: Practice Development

Situation

Accountants, Bookkeepers, QuickBooks consultants, tax preparers and other professionals are always looking for ways to keep clients happy. Happy clients are loyal clients.

Response

Recently Intuit surveyed readers of Intuit® ProConnection® to ask them for their secrets in keeping clients loyal and happy. It turns out to be the small things, delivered consistently, that make a big difference.

Luckily, it's okay to share their comments with you. We told respondents ahead of time we'd publish their tips anonymously.

Here are their best ideas for improving client loyalty.

Be Consistent on the Basics

• Get client's work done sooner than they expected
• Clients appreciate having their phone calls, inquiries, etc. answered promptly... even if it's just to say you are working on their problem and the progress you've made.
• Quick response...when a client calls and leaves a message, I have found that returning the call quickly shows that client that he holds top priority in my day.
• [I do] pickup and delivery [of client records].
• Having QuickBooks expertise that enables you to answer there questions in a timely manner.
• I try to always smile, have a pleasant demeanor and respond to them as quickly as I can. That means a lot to clients.
• Do the work right the first time and don't try to cut corners.
• Be timely in service and responses to questions. Our support of their operations helps guarantee their success, which will further our own, not just through them but through referrals which is the best advertising in the world, and it's free!
• Be there for them. Service delights clients much more than fancy presentation.

Be Courteous

• Clients really appreciate being treated like the professionals they are... no question is too small or insignificant to be answered...and answered without making them feel incompetent.
• If I am not able to answer their question, I offer to check with someone in my business network that is better qualified to answer it. The follow up truly makes a difference for my busy clients.

Share Information

• Offer tips in saving money/increasing revenue in their particular business

Be Accessible

• I am an independent bookkeeper. I have multiple clients and multiple sites that I visit. I am always available via phone or email to do up to the minute bookkeeping for my clients.
• We don't have a "hoity-toity" office. The clients have told us they appreciate not being intimidated by power suits and conversation they don't understand.

Gifts

• We give gift cards from local restaurants. All of our clients have to eat.
• We give out discount cards with chocolate bars attached. It's a sweet touch our clients like.
• We keep snacks in the office for when the clients are visiting. Finances make clients nervous and anxious. Have trail mix, granola bars, pretzels, cookies individually wrapped for them to snack on makes the visit more personable.
• [We give clients] something for free with each completed tax return... even if it's a free pen. This year we had a prize wheel the client would spin at the completion of their return and they won whatever the wheel landed on. It was a big hit! It keeps us competitive with the big chain firms.

Personal Attention

• I try to get out to see my clients right after tax season for a couple of reasons. I like to be sure that they have imported the Accountant's changes we've sent them, and then I sit with the bookkeeper and review the file for YTD. I always try to leave them with at least one new thing - like a new way to manipulate a report to give them information that they need, in an easy format.
• When providing the period end financial statements, the cover message acknowledges the hard work the client has put into their business to get the positive results. The owner is the last to hear "You did a great job!"
• I have a client who is very "last" minute oriented. He has to have checks cut within 15 minutes in order to give settlement checks to his clients when they show up at his law firm. Being able to access QuickBooks Online Edition from anywhere allows me to calm his nerves & anxiety by simply preparing a batch of checks for him to print from his office within the needed time frame. He looks good for his customers and I help save the day every time! He is apologetic for his bad habit of waiting till the very last minute before he does a customer closing; but so far hasn't been able to "curb" his tendencies. It's okay because each and every time...I am able to log in and take care of what he needs done from any location. He is thrilled with that kind of quick and adaptable service.
• Giving personal attention to the clients who are so busy running their business they forget to call in their payroll. I call them instead. They love it.
• Whenever my client has a large adjustment on their bank reconciliation, I let them know immediately so they can take care if it as soon as possible.
• [I] send clients an article or website link that I think they'll be interested in as a follow-up to a conversation. [I] send that article or link just because it made me think of the client, even if I haven't seen her for a long time.
• Customize and personalize QuickBooks user procedures so that the instructions pertain directly to their company situation.

Staying in Touch

• Giving personal attention to the clients who are so busy running their business they forget to call in their payroll. I call them instead. They love it.
• Whenever my client has a large adjustment on their bank reconciliation, I let them know immediately so they can take care if it as soon as possible.
• Monthly Email newsletters. The first newsletter covers information on "How to Grow Your Business" and 2) second newsletter covers various individual and tax planning ideas. These newsletters spur clients to let us know when they need help in new areas and may not have considered their accountant as a resource.
• I include a monthly newsletter with my monthly billings (send electronically and by hard copy). The electronic version is a group email address that is sent "blind copy" so no addresses are visible to the recipients except mine - making the process extremely easy for our office). This goes to current clients & potential clients. The newsletter covers a number of topics and clients are delighted when they see their success story (names changed to protect the innocent).
• I also e-mail (it's a group email address that is sent "blind copy" so no addresses are visible to the recipients except mine) all clients & potential clients reminding the quarterly when tax payments are due (both for estimated tax payments and quarterly payroll reports). I seem to always get feedback thanking me for the reminder as they would have missed it without the reminder.

Win-Win Billing Practices

• When I conduct an initial consultation with a prospective new client, I charge a reasonable fee for the 1 to 1 1/2 hour fact finding meeting. However, if we contract for future services, I then waive that fee or apply it to future services. It is a win-win situation...the client feels like they are essentially getting a free consult, but yet I am no longer trapped by prospective clients who may be just fishing for free advice or information.
• When I bill clients and want to reduce my rates for whatever reason, I always show the full bill amount followed by a discount line item. They always smile when they see a discount line!

Work with the Client

• Refer my clients to each other for services and products. Nothing makes them smile like a sale or a problem solved.
• Clients always like to be shown a new, easier way to do things. As they get more experience, I like to expand their "duties". If the client uses Credit Cards or has loans, I show them how to record information and reconcile to the monthly statement/bill. This seems to be a huge timesaver at year-end. They all look at the CC bills, but until they reconcile, were never sure that they had entered things properly.
• Give them structure. Some clients really struggle with organization. When asked to provide guidance or training I go beyond the verbal and provide brief operational procedures that can be added to a general operations manual (3-ring binder). These written procedures include screenshots of forms or menus that they will access to complete the procedure. This step-by-step reference is well received by clients and the structure teaches them organizational skills which they can apply themselves with time. Also when I go back on site, the procedure is a quick reference for me to quickly get back in that mindset.
• My clients (as do most owners, from my experience) go into anxiety mode whenever they receive notices from the IRS or a state agency. The immediate thought is negative and fearful. I try my best to alleviate those feelings and reactions by keeping the explanations calm, reassuring and simple. I handle all forms and notices from these agencies with professionalism and most of all- peacefully. I work out problems carefully and make sure that the client is notified of what is transpiring, but does not have to do the work involved to rectify any issues. My clients are very appreciative of my willingness to do the corresponding and to deal with agencies that are normally "scary" to the average individual. I keep the atmosphere calm and confident, and my clients are grateful for the stability I provide in explaining what notices are about as well as handling all corrections on accounts.
• These are all great examples of what practitioners are actually doing today to keep clients happy. But the ideas don't stop here. We also asked practitioners what ideas they are thinking about trying next to up the level of client support. So piggyback on their ideas to stay ahead of the curve.

See Also Practitioners' Ideas for the Future: More on How to Keep Clients Delighted

For other ideas, you may also want to see

• I Can't Get No Satisfaction, But Hopefully Your Clients Can
• Are Your Clients Really Satisfied? (Includes client survey forms.)

Last Updated: 07/25/2007

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