The most important thing for any accountancy firm is to gain the trust of its clients because accountants take care of the most sensitive part of the business. That’s why every successful accounting firm places great emphasis on customer satisfaction and strives to provide the best experience to the businesses it serves. But the new digital age brings new challenges for accounting firms if they want to meet all their clients’ needs. Let’s look at some of the most important things every accountancy firm should do to keep their clients satisfied!
In the business world, a good reputation equals more value. When you take care of your customers, you also increase the value of your brand, which means that your company will be perceived more positively by the public. This will lead to new customers becoming interested in your services. Client testimonials are more well-accepted than the ones generated by your employees or marketing team.
Give Your Customers What They Expect. And That Is…
Hopefully, by now, you’re convinced that customer experience in accounting is as important as it is in any other industry. But you’re probably wondering how you can raise the CX levels. That’s why we’re providing you with some actionable tips that have worked for us in the past.
Enough Staff
We’ve already mentioned that having too few people in your company will leave them overwhelmed, and this is something that your clients will inevitably be impacted by. The quantity of work impacts its quality, and it’s up to you to decide which should be increased and which should be decreased. Keep in mind that no one likes to be kept waiting – especially when money is involved. The waiting times for responses will leave the customer disgruntled, and you may risk losing them.
Similarly, having sufficient staff on hand will boost productivity and morale since juggling more tasks than possible is a big stressor. Teams can brainstorm together (once they have enough time and members for it), bringing better solutions for improving customer satisfaction.
Competent and Motivated Financial Professionals
Of course, the number of your employees is very important, but so are their capabilities. According to DUO, the number of students interested in studying accounting and related financial fields has been dropping in the past eight years, both in bachelor’s and master’s programs. This means that even when younger generations start to enter the workforce, they’re more interested in other industries.
Another reason that many CEOs are looking to hire innovative younger people into their companies is that they are more well-versed in modern solutions. Each FinSuperstar goes through the FinAcademy on top of their formal education in order to master AFAS, Exact Software, Twinfield, and Reeleezee. The tech age brought about many tools and software that can make accounting and bookkeeping smarter, safer, and easier – which is precisely what your clients want. These can involve automatisation, standardisation, and optimisation of various processes, as well as the ability to streamline many mundane tasks.
Wide Array of Services
The customer base wants what’s the most convenient for them, and that is having one company providing all financial services. That’s why the firm that offers a broader selection of services will have an advantage over those that don’t, so make sure to hire enough (varied) staff and display all the services on your website.
With FinSuperstars, you’ll be able to hire highly educated Finance Analysts, Financial Controllers, Bookkeepers, Finance Managers, Financial Accountants, and Payroll specialists. This allows clients to meet all their financial department needs at just one stop. In the words of Marcel Palm, FinSuperstars CEO, the goal is to make these services available to other accountancy firms and larger companies whose finance departments need to keep up with their growth.
Bonus Advice: Incorporate These Features Into Your Work
Admittedly, there is no one perfect formula for increasing the customer experience in accounting, but there are a few characteristics that will definitely be of help.
Flexibility – allowing room for your clients and partners to scale up or down depending on their needs (and being able to follow them) is a surefire way to increase their satisfaction and build a long-lasting relationship.
Responsibility – the financial sector deals with highly sensitive information, so any small error may have detrimental consequences. Handling all tasks with care and focus will prove your responsibility to the client.
Promptness – we’ve already established that time is of great importance when handling finances, so make sure you’ve got enough staff on hand and that they’re able to handle tasks in a timely manner.
Conclusion
This article dealt with the importance of customer experience in the accounting industry and the actionable ways to increase client satisfaction. We recommend ensuring you’ve got enough staff and that they’re well-educated in their fields and the software solutions and tools to help them with work. Another step you can take is to expand the number of services your company offers, as well as to try to be as flexible, responsible, and prompt as possible.
If you’re looking to extend your current team with expert staffing in the financial sector, find out more about FinSuperstars!
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