satisfaction

Gold Medal Client Service: Start by Returning Phone Calls

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If it’s so simple, why are clients so surprised when it happens?

EDITOR’S NOTE: In the weekly Research Update (join here), we report initial results from a new nationwide survey of client attitudes. And it’s not necessarily a pretty picture. Clients are clearly becoming more demanding, with higher expectations for service and value. And yet, too many CPA firms have yet to respond to the challenge. But then, that’s good for those that do. What’s your best client satisfaction tip? Tell us here; we may quote you. — Rick Telberg

Meanwhile, here are a few of the best client stories we’ve heard so far…

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Client Satisfaction Ratings Show Signs of Decline

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More firms see the problem. But fewer are doing anything about it.

What do clients really want? In their own words: Service.

by Rick Telberg

Just at a time when accounting firms are struggling to gain new clients and hold on to the ones they already have, client satisfaction ratings appear to be dropping.

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Four Reasons Why Getting New Clients Isn’t the Answer

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Getting new clients may be many firms’ chief concern these days.

But for most firms, there’s un-mined gold in their current clients.

The accounting business may not be the same in five years. Today’s standard products and services are evolving quickly. How long, for instance, will simple 1040 tax prep last with the speed of data aggregation?

But if you still have the same clients, you will still have cash flows.

The Bottom Line:

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Five Keys to Better Client Retention

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From the Accounting Office Management & Administration Report via Texas Society of CPAs.

Attracting and retaining clients has taken on new importance for CPAs whose firms have taken a hit in the last few years.

“In this recession, CPAs have had some whoop-ass put on them, mostly because the number of clients is dissolving,” says Rick Telberg, president and chief executive of East Hampton, N.Y.-based Bay Street Group LLC, advisers in marketing, management, and strategy for the tax, accounting, and finance industries.

The biggest way to land new clients is through referrals, Telberg says, and these days it’s happening online. “What we’ve found is that the firms that are doing something—anything—are making progress,” he says.

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25 Surefire Ways to Keep a Client for Life

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Arnold Sanow

Client service is not just smile training — it’s about treating people the way they wanted to be treated.

by Arnold Sanow
arnoldsanow.com

In today’s fast-changing and competitive environment, excellent client service is not only nice but essential for success. In fact, the only way to differentiate yourself and to become less of a commodity in the marketplace is through outstanding service.

MORE: Arnold Sanow at CPA Trendlines

The strategies for keeping clients for life can be honed down to some basic steps that any business owner can use. READ MORE →