How to Manage Client Expectations

Businesswoman conducting video meetingNeed data by a certain date? Make it clear what happens when you don’t get it … and what it costs.

By Michelle Long and Sandi Leyva
The Ultimate Accounting Virtual Conference

You’ve accepted a new client and now you have to communicate with that client and set the expectations. So we want to clarify and manage the expectations. We want to make sure we tell the client what information are they supposed to give to us and when, how and in what format. You need to tell the client “I need your receipts to be scanned and input into this folder by the 10th work day of the month” or every week on Thursday – whatever it is.

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So keep in mind when you get a new client you have to spend a little time with them up front training them. It’s like having a new puppy right? You have to train them initially, spend more time with them and hopefully they don’t potty all over the floor. So we have to train our clients, spend more time with them up front and give them very specific information. If you want them to scan and upload documents, then do a remote session and log in and show them how to do it and walk them through it how to do it.