retention

vault names top 50 best accounting firms for cpa careers

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top 5: deloitte, pwc, rothstein kass, marcum, and dixon hughes.

this year, vault said, firm culture, as opposed to prestige, emerged as the most important determining factor. in fact, 36% of all accounting professionals surveyed said firm culture was most important, while only 11% cited prestige as most important. the other top factors cited by survey respondents were: lifestyle/work-balance (14%), location (13%), compensation (5%) and training opportunities (also 5%).

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back to basics with client service

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three rock-solid principles.

by rick telberg

it shouldn’t take an economic downturn and cutthroat competition for accounting firms to rekindle their interest in optimizing client service, satisfaction and retention.

“it should be at the top of the agenda all the time,” sandra wiley, coo at boomer consulting was telling me.

but with the economy of the new normal, client service has become a hot topic.

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the three big how-to’s for client satisfaction surveys

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what you need to know to get started today.

a record number of accounting firm professionals joined last week’s webinar on client service, satisfaction and retention, produced by the seven keys to successful cpa firm management.

co-presenter jean caragher of capstone marketing summed it up at one point, saying, “the bottom line: every cpa firm claims to deliver excellent client service.”

but, she added, “how does your firm support that claim?  do you have a formal client satisfaction and retention program?”

if not, today is the day to start.

here’s how: read more →

five ways to shift from cross-selling to cross-serving your clients

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tracy crevar warren
tracy crevar warren, ceo, the crevar group

how to embrace a new advisory role and really deliver value.

in the new book, “bull’s-eye! the ultimate how-to marketing and sales guide for cpas,” business development veteran russ molinar discusses a concept he calls “cross-serving.” according to tracy crevar warren, writing in the latest aicpa cpa insider, cross-serving offers an alternative to cross-selling, while highlighting the importance that the trusted advisory role plays in serving clients.

she cites the bay street group research showing 63% of clients indicate that proactive advice and consultation is an important criterion in selecting a cpa firm. however, 44% noted problem-solving ability as a top factor.

for more on the research findings and how to put them to use in your accounting firm, visit “the seven keys to successful cpa firm management” and click on client service+satisfaction.

and then she lays out five steps to shift from cross-selling to cross-serving:    read more →

15 reasons to dump a client

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you know the type.

they’re the clients that keep you awake at night, bother you on weekends, and drive your staff crazy. they’re the clients you’d rather you didn’t have. wouldn’t it be great to dump them and make them some other accountant’s problem?

but how do you spot a problem client before they swell into a catastrophe? arvid mostad, president of mostad & christensen, a supplier of marketing materials to accounting firms, outlines 15 habits of bad clients: read more →

eight essentials for measuring client service

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don’t wait until the end of the year to find out how well you are serving clients.

by august aquila

you can ask clients at the end of the year about how well you met their expectations, but that does not give you any time to change your current modus operandi before year-end.

a better way is to have leading measures that tell you how you are doing during the course of the year.

let’s look at eight. read more →