3 Ways To Make Your Accounting Clients Happy

Key takeaways

• Schedule regular client meetings so clients always know when to expect your guidance.
• Educate clients with clear, jargon-free resources to prove your value beyond the books.
• Save clients time with digital tools and by handling routine tasks like bill pay.
• Turn satisfied clients into loyal advocates by asking for referrals during check-ins.

Create and maintain a conversation routine with your clients

Why?

You already talk to clients often. But ad-hoc chats are different from dedicated, scheduled meetings. Here’s why regular meetings matter:

First, your clients will appreciate the intent. By dedicating a special time to talk to them, you’re sending a message that you’re not taking them and their business for granted, and that you’re making it a point to be attentive to changing their needs.

Second, it prevents you from slipping into inertia with your clients. You’ll have a finger on their business’ pulse, so you can offer relevant advice and guidance at all times.

Third, you can learn a lot about what you can improve in your practice from your clients, if you take the time to hear them out.

How?

• Schedule periodical meetings with each client. You can do it on a quarterly, bi-monthly, or semi-annual basis, as long as you keep it regular, so clients know to expect it and can prepare for it.
• Prepare for the meeting and remind your clients ahead of time that the meeting is taking place so they can prepare with any questions or requests they may have.
• Be proactive. Review their business’ financial aspects, compare them to previous periods, provide insights, and point out positive or negative trends.
• Ask questions. As a starting point, you can ask:
  – What are your main financial concerns and challenges?
  – What are your financial and business goals for the next year?
  – Do you need help with your business plans?
  – Are there any accounting services you need but aren’t getting from me?
  – Is there anything else you want me to know?
• Implement the feedback. The process isn’t over when the meeting is over. Use the information from the meetings to learn lessons about your practice, and see if there’s room for improvement.

Inform and educate your clients

Why?

Educating clients means giving them the financial knowledge to make confident decisions. It is one of the clearest ways to add value beyond the books.

Many small business owners want more guidance from their accountants. In fact, OnPay found that more than 25% of small businesses expect their accountant to help with services beyond the books, from payroll to accounts payable.

Financial knowledge and awareness are the backbones of any successful business. On the other hand, it is also something that many business owners are most intimidated by.

Guidance and financial education are real services that your clients need you to offer them.

How?

• Prepare written materials. Create a written knowledge base you can use with all current and future clients. You can write periodical newsletters, educational presentations about accounting terms, and financial guides. As an added bonus, you can use the material you create as an effective marketing booster.
• Offer webinars and Q&A sessions. Yet another powerful tool to provide clients with quality content is by doing webinars. They don’t have to be long or over-complicated. Just cover basic terminology and principles, and offer some essential tips. You can also open your webinars up to take questions from participants.
• Write and talk at eye level. Providing your clients with educational content is only half the job. You also want them to read it. Make your content approachable, simple, and free from complicated terminology, so your clients won’t be intimidated by it.
• Go personal. Take the time to offer specific advice or education for each client separately. Go over their numbers with them and give them specific pointers. Each business is slightly different, and your clients will appreciate the personal care.

Give your clients the gift of more time

Why?

If there’s one thing a business owner never has enough of, it’s time. Managing a small business is a time-guzzling, never-ending task.

When you take routine tasks off their plate, clients get hours back to focus on growth, and they credit you for it. You, as their accountant, are in a great position to do just that.

How?

Harness the power of technology. The right tech tools can save your clients tremendous amounts of time, and you as well. Opt to move from paper to digital, and from manual to automatic, when working with your clients. Here are some examples:

• Introduce your clients to receipt scanning apps to make it easier for them to upload receipts, invoices, and other documents.
• Sending documents over email is cumbersome and disorganized. Use secure cloud services like Revver (formerly eFileCabinet) and SmartVault.
• E-sign software, such as DocuSign, lets your clients sign documents you send them from their laptop or mobile phone.
• Online bill pay services like Melio let your clients pay vendors by bank transfer or card, and choose the method that fits their cash flow. Melio’s free plan includes up to five free ACH bank transfers a month, with paid plans for higher volumes. Giving clients the flexibility to choose how they pay their vendors is a useful tool that saves them time.

Take bill pay management off your clients’ hands altogether. Handling AP/AR is a pain for almost any business owner, and many of them would love their accountant to take it off their hands.

In fact, according to OnPay, 37% of small businesses expect their accountants to help them with their AP/AR.

If you’re not offering this service already, you should consider it. It will not only alleviate your clients’ workload. It will also generate an additional revenue prospect for you.

Turn happy clients into loyal, referring clients

Happy clients do not just stay. They become your best source of new business.

When you build trust through regular communication, useful guidance, and time saved, clients reward you with loyalty and referrals. A satisfied client who recommends you to a friend is worth more than any ad.

Keep showing up for your clients, and ask for referrals as a natural part of your check-ins. The stronger the relationship, the more your firm grows. Ready to save clients time on payments? Sign up for Melio.

Making accounting clients happy FAQs