For many CPAs, tax season is synonymous with long hours, immense pressure, and seemingly endless piles of work.
The intense demands of this period can take a toll on both the accountants and their firms. Recognizing these challenges, this blog offers valuable insights to help CPAs reflect on their tax season experiences and learn from them. By applying the lessons outlined here, you can transform your firm's performance, streamline processes, and ensure a better work-life balance for the future.
We’ve identified three key areas from which CPAs can learn as they reflect on tax season:
- Strengthening client relationships and pricing strategies
- Boosting effectiveness and streamlining processes
- Enhancing team performance and workflow management
Of course, the key is to act on your learnings. Many CPAs find it’s lonely out there and it’s hard to implement change on your own. Now that we’re approaching the end of busy season, if the points in this blog resonate with you, perhaps it’s time to consider exploring how you could benefit from being a part of a group of like-minded CPAs solving the profession’s challenges together to create a better firm and a better life.
So, let’s get straight into it, knowing you have no time to waste!
Strengthening Client Relationships and Pricing Strategies
- Establish clear expectations: Begin by setting transparent expectations with clients to foster stronger relationships and ensure smooth processes during tax season. Renew firms start by clearly defining their target clients and then progressively remove any clients that do not fit that definition. Use the Sesame Street ditty One of these things is not like the other to give you clarity! During tax season is the perfect time to determine which clients simply don’t fit your model.
- Implement premium pricing: Emphasize the value of your services by adopting value pricing strategies, leading to increased profitability and client delight. By the way, you can never correctly price the wrong client.
Boosting Effectiveness and Streamlining Processes
- Embrace technology: Utilize technology to automate repetitive tasks and enhance the overall effectiveness (which trumps efficiency every time) of your firm.
- Develop a comprehensive checklist: Create a detailed checklist to gather all necessary materials and information from clients, minimizing delays and improving workflow.
- Focus on closing jobs: Prioritize completing open jobs and minimize multitasking to increase productivity and reduce tax season stress. The pick-up / put-down syndrome is the major contributor to lost productivity in most firms.
Enhancing Team Performance and Workflow Management
- Foster collaboration: Encourage collaboration within your team to address issues promptly and complete jobs effectively. Many of our clients find that a quick, 10-minute meeting each morning to map out the day ahead provides clarity and focus and encourages team members to help each other get jobs out of the door.
- Celebrate successes and learn from setbacks: Acknowledge your team's accomplishments while also learning from any setbacks, encouraging an environment of continuous improvement. Do you have your team tax debrief and celebration session on the calendar?
As you apply these lessons from tax season to your CPA firm, you'll notice improvements in your processes, client relationships, and overall performance. Stay committed to learning and adapting, and your firm will continue to thrive.
Taking Action:
If you're interested in more insights like these, consider signing up for our Renewsletter: https://www.renewgroup.com/newsletter. Alternatively, if you'd like to discuss your CPA firm's specific needs, feel free to schedule a call with us: https://www.renewgroup.com/contact.
About the Author:
Colin Dunn, a Chartered Accountant with extensive experience in the accounting industry, is passionate about helping accountants transform their firms and lives. With over 25 years dedicated to creating content for to help CPAs improve their profitability, Colin shares valuable insights and strategies, such as lessons learned from tax season, to enable accountants to improve their firms, live a better life, and reduce stress. Colin believes that CPAs can create a better work-life balance by learning from past experiences and applying these insights to their firms, allowing them to spend more time with their families and pursuing hobbies and leisure interests.
About Renew Group:
Are you tired of being on the diet but not seeing results? Most consultants tothe CPA Profession do lots of talking and deal in 'fluff'. But there's no accountability and no focus on RESULTS.
At Renew, we start with your numbers. Our firms complete a Pareto for Profit analysis EVERY YEAR, set new targets to improve their profitability and then 'weigh in' regularly. We give you a roadmap to transform the profitability of your accounting firm by accessing our content, collaborating with other firms on a similar path and being held accountable by our coaching team and your peers.
Get paid what you're worth, create a better life based on a scalable business model and eliminate tax season insanity once and for all!