How do you ensure new Clients are taken care of efficiently?
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What happens when you get a new client?
As an accounting firm, it's important to have a clear and concise onboarding process for new clients. This ensures that your firm can provide the best possible service on a consistent basis and avoid any potential misunderstandings or problems down the road.
In this blog, I'll outline a few things that you'll want to consider implementing into your client onboarding process.
Establishing Expectations
Before starting work with a new client, be sure to establish clear expectations of what services will be provided and when. This can help avoid any potential confusion or misunderstandings down the road.
One thing that I have learned working with accounting firms is that there is a ingrained focus on billable hours within the industry, this can be intimidating to clients. Instead of focusing on what you have to say, or the advice that you are giving, they're looking at their watch or the time on their phone, wondering how much this meeting is going to cost them.
By outlining what your pricing structure is, how you bill, when you bill, and being clear and upfront about what to expect will go a long way in minimizing the number of tough conversations that you have in future.
One way to help simplify this process is to create a pricing sheet.
We've created a pricing sheet for one of our clients for their bookkeeping business, and this exercise was great.
Gathering Information
In order to provide the best possible service, your firm will need to gather a good deal of information about the client - including contact info, business info, accounting history, etc.
The best way to do this is to create a form, ideally a digital form, that your client, or you, can fill out during or prior to your first meeting with them. Logging this information into a centralized CRM or client management software like Microsoft Dynamics, can go a long way into ensuring that all of your client information is stored in one place.
Setting up a Consistent File Structure
When you first get a new client, it's important to set up files and accounting systems for them as soon as possible. This will allow you to track their financial progress from day one, and ensure that everything is kept organized and in order.
I'm all about creating templates and standardizing processes. Not only does it keep things clean and simple, but it is also scalable. Depending on the software that you use, you may be able to simply click one button and create a whole new client file - with all of its subfolders underneath.
There is a great book by Tiago Forte called Building a Second Brain, you can find a link to the book here (CAN) and here (US), and what he shares is a categorization and organization system that is exceptional for keeping you organized.
One of the concepts he shares at a high level, is called PARA, which stands for Projects, Areas, Resources, and Archives. The way that you might organize your client files could be as follows:
Your Client file would be you client's name.
Then inside that folder you would have the following sub folders:
Projects - in this folder for example you might have another folder for the current personal tax year, their business' year end, and maybe business valuation if they are thinking of selling their business
Resources - in this folder you would drop any information that you stumble upon that may be relevant to that particular client's projects, or maybe you have your client intake form in that folder. These are files that you may like to refer back to in the future but are not associated with any particular project
Archive - in this folder you would move all previous tax years, so they still exist in your system, but are out of line of sight so they aren't cluttering up your projects file.
Forte goes into much greater detail as to how you can build a second brain, but that's a simple way that you can create a new file system for a new client when they are onboarded.
Welcome Package
One thing that I love to see, is when service based businesses offer a "gift" or welcome package when you begin working with them. There is something about paying money for something and getting a physical object in your hand that makes you feel like you had a fair exchange in value.
Make it stand out.
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
I'm not saying that what you do for your client's isn't valuable, because I know for a fact it is, but there is something about how the human brain works that when you hold something, it carries a different weight, no pun intended.
A nicely packaged welcome kit with some branded swag, welcome booklet, hand written card, or anything that you think your clients may find useful, is a wonderful way to say thank you for doing business with us, and make your client feel special and appreciated.
It's a small thing, but you can't underestimate the power of gratitude.
Training staff on new clients
The last thing that I will speak to on this is the importance of staff training.
If you have more than one person in your firm, other than you, it is imperative that after you have flushed out your onboarding process that you train your staff to implement that onboarding process the exact same way, each and every time.
Make sure all members of your accounting team are familiar with the onboarding process and the specific needs of each new client. This will help ensure a smooth transition and prevent any miscommunication from happening.
Not to mention it builds your reputation with your clients as a well oiled machine that knows exactly what they are doing and that you will take the same care with their tax, bookkeeping, and financial needs as you did with onboarding them as a new client.
Another AMAZING business book that talks about this in great depth is the E-Myth Revisited my Micheal Gerber.
If you haven't read that book, it's another great one that you can grab on amazon here (CAN) or here (US).
Wrap Up
When it comes to accounting firms, having a clear and well-defined onboarding process for new clients is essential for a number of reasons. Not only does it help your team members be better prepared to serve each new client, but it also helps build trust with potential and current clients by demonstrating that you are professional and organized.
Need some additional help? Book a FREE Discovery Meeting today, here, to chat about how I can help!
About the Author
Bryton Udy is the Founder and CMO of atHeart Creative, and host of the Accountant Marketing Mentor YouTube Channel. Dedicated to helping accountants simplify their marketing and communications so they can grow their accounting, bookkeeping, and financial planning businesses, he is passionate about harnessing creative marketing to support the independent accountant.
