clients, services and the partnership.
by rick telberg
the rosenberg survey
ask carrie steffen of the whetstone group where accounting practices are going in 2018 and beyond, and you’ll probably get at least three key issues that are being addressed at some forward-thinking firms.
- redefinition of client services and providing consistent services across the firm
- redefinition of business advisory services
- redefinition of the partnership model
redefinition of client services
steffen’s identification of the consistent services issue stems from increased merger activity in the accounting industry. merging two organizations is not easy. by definition, they become bigger. they include more people. they meld practices and policies. the consistency of service becomes a challenge.
steffen said it requires investments in a process to formally gather feedback from best clients regarding the attributes of services they value most. then the findings have to be implemented across the board.
redefinition of business advisory services
regarding redefinition of business advisory services, steffen said, everything must be on the operating table:
- scope
- process
- deliverables
- pricing models
- marketing efforts
- identification of necessary skill sets
redefinition of partnership model
redefinition of the partnership model turns an eye to a more corporate structure. once client and advisory services are better understood, firms can assess whether non-compliance services might be best managed by non-cpa leaders or owners versed more in business management than in accountancy.
newly formed = new firm
by necessitating these redefinitions, mergers and other disrupters open opportunities. newly formed firms can become new kinds of firms. it’s called adaptation. it’s what helps humans survive ice ages and accounting firms survive information ages.
the upheaval in the business environment brought on by technology in a turbulent world will require an upheaval in adaptation. some firms have already begun the shift, but we ain’t seen nothin’ yet. it’s hard to imagine a business world that isn’t radically different 10 years from now, and unimaginably different in 20 years.