Help I need a new accountant ?!

It's that time of year when we as BAS Agents often hear this phrase out of client's mouths.

I do 2 things :

1. Respond

2. Reject or refer.

BUT...... I have to ask the difficult question - why?

What is the reason you think you need a new accountant ? Why do you need to 'break up'?

The most popular answer is one of mis matched expectations.

The client thinks they know how the accountant's practice works.
They have lots of expectations about the relationship. Some valid and others perceived.

Their main expectations seem to be centred around:

When their Accountant will contact them?

Clients often expect help after business hours or on weekends - our society is becoming used to solving problems NOW
What do they do with that burning question or unsolvable problem at 10am on a Saturday ?
I feel their pain but as a fellow business owner I too need to hold my time as sacred and define my working hours.

How their Accountant will contact them ?

Clients vary in opinion of whether they want phone contact, face to face appointment or email answers to their questions.
A lot of dissatisfaction can stem from mismatched expectations in communication.
I also find this a challenge to get this balance right - when does an email suffice? Is it reasonable to answer the phone to every client all the time - interrupting other work ? How do I prioritise work ?
In my practice I am still trying to use systems and programs like Zen Desk to prioritise client requests.

What value the accountant can offer them apart from compliance ?

Clients often do not seek out their Accountant prior to making pivotal decisions.
We see many opportunities for clients to access the wealth of knowledge that is their Accountant . They often do not consult the Accountant prior to purchasing assets or indeed making changes in entity structure.
Tax Planning is also another area we actively encourage them to engage in conversation pre 30 June with their Accountant.

Often when we have this conversation with clients they decide they don't need to change Accountants - they need to define their expectations.

There are instances where the expectations are not going to meet - this is when we refer.

It makes our job so much easier to have a group of Accountants with different practice models to refer clients so Accountants and clients alike get the maximum from the relationship.

We also understand that Accountants are one of our best referral sources - they are already trusted advisors to their clients.
We want them to understand that we also need to have the correct 'fit' with the client.

Book keepers and BAS Agents are increasingly trying to manage client expectations themselves in their practices.
Email is a constant source of communication yet it can swallow up a lot of time responding to it.
The ringing phone is important to business yet can be a source of interrupting work already in progress.
Clients have important problems and they need to attended to but how do we set down boundaries without appearing disinterested ?

In recent weeks as I drove to work my constant thought was "Who will I disappoint today?" It's not a nice place to be especially when all you want to do in business is to help as many clients as possible. Over the past few weeks I have said "no" when I could see the expectations were not going to be realistic. I have referred to clients to others who are more specialised in that area. I have not answered my phone on the first ring. I have not taken some new clients on where I know their expectations will not align with mine. I've taken time away from work - so I can be at my best, give my best to clients.

If a client insists on a Friday 4pm appointment - these days I will say no - you are not getting me at my best so I'd rather not book the time.

Its a work in progress and the expectations will shift and move and I am certainly not the expert. My aim is to re align expectations and provide a win-win experience for all.