now that everyone has (hopefully) had time to recover, there are four important steps to take to help next tax season go as smooth as possible
by christopher hayden
managing partner, hayden nelson & yoder
christopher hayden, cpa, cma, cgma is the managing partner of hayden nelson & yoder, a cpa firm based in pennsylvania, at hnycpas.com.
to avoid sugar-coating it, tax season is stressful. long work hours, back-and-forth with clients and mountains of documents can keep accounting professionals in the office for 20 or more additional hours each week. and this tax season felt extra-stressful with all the tax law changes, not to mention explaining to clients who had huge capital gains why they owed taxes.
but once the busy tax season is over, it’s time to review processes and take action to help the remainder of the year go smoothly.
more: civility goes a long way | don’t overlook office relationships | how to deliver authentic value | why deadlines get missed | five reasons you’re not swot-ready | are you productive or just busy? | accounting is a profession, not an industry
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.
before that, allow a few weeks to:
- rest
- relax
- recover
make sure to give team members a pat on the back, especially if it’s their first time going through the madness of tax season or they went above and beyond this year.
however, once everyone has recovered enough, it’s time to go through the following steps:
1. after-tax season meetings
first, you’ll need to have your after-tax season meetings. we have two meetings: one with the entire team and one with just management. meetings are meant to review and change any business processes that aren’t working well.
here are a few things to cover in your meetings:
- what went well during the busy season?
- what didn’t go well?
- what could be improved by the next busy season?
your firm needs to adjust and make changes, and the starting point for these changes is in the meetings you hold. two changes you’ll want to be sure to dive into are:
process changes
consider the technology and software your team is using. can you add to these solutions to make the workflow smoother and help with processes?
what about the workflow itself? do steps need to change?
how about personnel? were the right people in the right positions? were they adequately trained? do you need to make changes?
client changes
some clients are time-sinks. you need to have open, honest conversations with your team to identify:
- difficult clients
- clients that don’t follow protocols
- clients with unrealistic expectations
- clients that don’t pay
you’ll need to address these clients because they’ll likely continue to be an issue moving forward if you don’t. perhaps you need to change your communication policies and send documents and reminders to all clients earlier. or take a harder line on clients getting you information by your deadlines. however, there are times when you just have to say “goodbye” to a client and cut your losses.
next, it’s time to put your meeting discoveries into action.
2. create and execute your after-meeting plan
meetings teach you a lot, but if you never create a plan for the next steps and processes, the meeting will be a mere distraction. you should spend time doing the following:
- assign people to specific tasks to make necessary changes before a concrete deadline.
- put a plan in place where employees and management can see the progress being made.
changes are often promised and never come to fruition. the longer you wait to implement changes, the more resistance you’ll inevitably experience along the way. implement plans and ensure that progress is easy for everyone to see and follow. doing so will allow you to reach your plan milestones faster.
3. tackle tasks that you’ve been putting on hold
tax season often leads to firms neglecting other crucial parts of their business. you should take this time to catch up. a few items that you may need to check off of your list now that everything is in order are:
- discuss any additional services with clients that they may need.
- review and implement marketing plans.
- continue business development efforts.
- complete work that you put off until after tax season.
- follow-up diligently on extensions so they don’t linger until you’re up against the next deadline.
of course, life isn’t just about work. you’ll want to find passions outside of the office, continue your education and take the slower season to catch back up on life.
it’s all too common for productivity to fall after tax season because everyone is exhausted. try and fill this time by restoring work-life balance. however, don’t allow the relaxation bug to stick around for too long.
4. analyze productivity issues after tax season
there’s a natural tendency for productivity to drop during the post-tax season. employee hours should fall back down to normal ranges, and the last thing you want is to keep the rush going and for your entire team to stay exhausted.
with that said, there still needs to be some productivity coming out of your team.
it’s up to you to:
- remain mindful of who needs some extra help staying focused;
- realize recuperating will take some people longer than others; and
- motivate your team to still hit deadlines and exceed client expectations.
additionally, it’s crucial to show your team that they’re appreciated and valued. your team is your most important asset, and acknowledging the value they bring and provide to clients is extremely crucial to keeping morale and productivity up.
tax season’s end is a time to transition back to work-life balance, reflect on your team and clients and find a way back to a regular workflow. if you follow the steps above, you can use the post-tax season to improve your firm’s productivity, processes and client experiences.