An Efficient Accountancy & Tax Partnership

Maintaining the highest level of service deliverable is of the utmost importance to us.

We know that not being able to get hold of someone, not getting a quick answer to a query, having to chase for information & updates, with promises and deadlines not being delivered are all immensely frustrating……to us, getting righting this forms the foundations of an excellent relationship where we both prosper.

Lessons Learned

Earlier in my career, I watched with horror at the endless list of unreturned phone calls and unanswered emails, clients constantly chasing (sometimes for weeks & months) and the frustration and dissatisfaction that it brought for the client.

It also created a chaotic approach to working life in the accountancy business. Poor planning and communication leads to stress and poorly delivered advice at best, mistakes and monumental balls ups at worst.

Honestly, it was set up to fail.

Planned chaos, where we all ran from fire to fire, desperately hanging on and often failing miserably.

There was no system other than it being a reactive, last-minute, “who shouts loudest” approach that no one enjoyed!

When I set up my own business, I wanted to avoid these failings and build a system where we always aimed to excel in creating the highest level of service possible. Being ahead of the game was the name of the game.

Continual improvement is at the heart of that.

For some time, we resisted the temptation to “formalise” this – it felt far too rigid and very “accountancy”- but it is important to it set out the framework of how we can all work together as efficiently as possible. It also gives us the foundation to continue to improve our service levels in the future.

Communication

We have set this out in this flowchart to make it easy to follow.

Let’s explain why we feel it is important to communicate in this way:

• Availability – The simple fact is that we’re not always available when you call.  Meetings, training, urgent deadline work, walking the dog, taking a day off may mean that we’re not around to take that call.  This leaves you frustrated that you can’t get hold of us and us frustrated that we’ve let you down.  By booking calls in, even as short as 15 minutes, no one feels let down, your time isn’t wasted and things run more smoothly – everybody’s happier.
• Planning – we like to think we’re an organized bunch at Elevate.  Client work, deadlines, meetings – they’re all booked in in advance so that we are always ahead of the game and never running on lastminute.com. Unexpected phone calls (however minor) disrupt that flow and lead to deadlines slipping and client service levels falling – this is something we cannot let happen.  By booking calls in, we’re aware of them in advance and can shuffle things around in the background so we always stay in front.
• Preparation – our Calendly link gives you the option of giving a brief description of what the call will be about.  This gives us the chance to prepare, giving us thinking time, maybe even finding the answer out before the call to make best use of your time and giving you the answers & solutions quickly.
• Prioritising – in a past life, working in your typical accountancy practice, we’ve seen first-hand the impact of unplanned phone calls and emails.  Everything is labelled as “urgent”.  There’s a reason why hospitals have a separate A&E department to a minor injuries walk-in department.  Without the separation, a cut finger takes the same priority as a heart attack.  By planning phone calls and separating emails, we can see what is business-critical and act appropriately.

One thing we’re definitely not saying is “please don’t contact us” – absolutely not!  Open and regular communication is encouraged and is key to a close working relationship.

Deadline management

We have set out the deadlines for each of the following services, the information required, when by and what we promise to deliver if we receive that information on time.

We have the ability (with Xero and Dext) to maintain records on a live, ongoing basis but this relies on the information and data we receive from you.

When your records are live, we can spend more time looking forward, planning and adding value rather than nagging & chasing (does anyone really enjoy being nagged and chased?!) and reporting on history.

The aim is to always be in a place where the flow of information is seamless with minimal chasing and maximum efficiency which will give us the vital ability to look forward and make a difference to you and your business.