“Client experience” isn’t just another buzzword (although it’s used a lot). PwC’s report shows that clients are willing to pay a 16% premium on services when they feel appreciated. Conversely, the same study found that 32% of customers will stop doing business with you if they have a single bad experience.
Delivering an exceptional client experience, it seems, is no longer an optional strategy.
Shifting from technical service to using the client experience as a growth driver offers:
Greater client retention
Ability to charge higher rates for your services
Higher service utilization and referral rates
Firms must work towards an “exceptional” client experience to meet (and exceed) modern expectations, and this requires going beyond the basics. Technology helps bridge the gap between mediocrity and exceptionalism.
Before you can begin identifying client experience gaps and using technology to fill them, you need to properly define what exceptional means for your firm.
Define What an “Exceptional” Client Experience Looks Like Today
Accuracy was and is the cornerstone of client experience for accountants, but demands add to this metric. Clients expect you to offer transparency, speedy service, ease of communication and responsiveness.
Tech ticks off most of these boxes when the right solution is chosen.
For example, using a full-featured practice management system helps accounting firms cater to clients with:
Simplified proposals
Intake systems
Share and request files
Easy communication
So much more
Aaron Ackerman, Oklahoma City Managing Partner of HoganTaylor, shared with me once about how your clients aren’t comparing their experience at your firm to another accounting firm, they are comparing their experience at your accounting firm to the best experiences they have – like with Amazon. You want to recreate that type of experience for them.
That’s what exceptional client experiences look like. And you can create them by filling in gaps where expectations aren’t being met.
Identify Gaps in Your Client Experience
You want to offer the best possible experience to your clients. Even with the time and effort you’re investing, you might still be falling short. Common signs that there are gaps that you can fill are:
Client confusion
Delays
Repeated requests
You aren’t using modern-day technology
Technology, which we’ll talk more about later, can put your firm on par with Amazon, where the client can pull up their phone and access their documents in seconds. No need to call you. No need to wait until business hours to get what they need from your firm.
Instant satisfaction.
Start identifying gaps in the client experience by performing a full assessment of what you offer. A good starting point is to map out the client journey for yourself and put yourself in their shoes. What would you change? What could be done better?
Audit your communication and request flows while you’re at it.
Clients want an easy way to get in touch with you. Gathering feedback from the source (the people who already call you their accountant) is one way to identify gaps that you can address immediately.
Another source of invaluable insights into the client experience is your team, who interact with them daily. Your staff will help you pinpoint friction points so that you can make impactful changes as soon as possible.
You’ve identified the gaps in your client experience. Now, it’s time to bridge these gaps with the help of technology.
Use Technology to Eliminate Friction and Bridge These Gaps
Tech changes are nothing new in accounting. Every firm is trying to do more with less, and leaning on technology can help you begin to bridge the gaps you just spent time identifying.
Entire practice management systems are available that:
Centralize Document Access, Automate Repetitive Tasks and Streamline Communication
Clients want quick, fast communication and the “Amazon” experience of instant gratification. Firm management systems offer an out-of-the-box experience boost with:
Centralized client portals that are available across devices
Automation of repetitive tasks, such as sending reminders
Secure client communication tools
Accountants are busy. You spend countless hours on client work, and sending reminders manually or emailing a completed tax form takes away from the higher-touch interactions that clients expect.
By automating repetitive tasks and simplifying client interactions, technology frees up your team’s time for high-value, relationship-driven work.
Make It Easy for Clients to Work With You
The right technology makes it easy for clients to work with you and reduces onboarding friction. The fewer hoops clients have to jump through to get started, the better.
With Canopy, for example, clients can use your branded client portal on their phone to:
Share documents
Answer questionnaires
Receive automated reminders
Sign documents electronically
Simplified forms, streamlined processes and automated reminders make your services more convenient and eliminate barriers that keep clients from submitting their documents on time.
Personalize at Scale
An estimated 81% of consumers prefer to work with companies that offer a personalized experience. Technology can help you deliver that tailored experience your clients have come to expect from businesses.
Here’s how:
Customer relationship management (CRM) tools and client dashboards provide team members with pertinent client data, like conversation histories, filing histories, and more. With this data in hand, your team can deliver a more personalized experience by offering specific guidance and assistance based on their individual needs and goals.
Data such as file history and past deadlines can be used to anticipate client needs and ensure service is never interrupted, even if someone is away on vacation, out sick, or leaves the firm. All of this information is available in one centralized location, making it easy for your team to continue serving clients no matter what.
Technology doesn’t remove the human experience; it enhances it and allows you to deliver the hyper-personalized experience your clients desire.
Streamline Internal Workflows to Improve the External Experience
When your internal workflows are optimized and efficient, productivity improves, and teams have more time to focus on high-value tasks that elevate the client experience.
Better task management, for example, means fewer delays and errors. In turn, clients feel valued because your team is on point and deadlines are met.
When your firm runs like a well-oiled machine, it naturally creates a better client experience.
The Takeaway
Today’s clients want more from their accountants. They want responsive communication, streamlined processes, and convenient services.
Technology can help you achieve these goals without overburdening your team. Through automated processes, client portals, and communication tools, your team can deliver an exceptional client experience while saving your team time.
Ready to learn more about Canopy?
