From Sterling CPA Practice Management Consultant
Do your clients insist on talking only to you, the practice owner?
As flattering as that might be, it can also be very time consuming and distracting. A crucial component of a successful practice is the swift and courteous handling of public questions and queries. But, you don’t have to be the main person (or the only person) at the practice or company who does that.
Making Your Staff Known to Clients
If you wish to have your clients talk to your staff instead of you, you must introduce the staff to them. Familiarity with employees and their job functions facilitates putting the client in front of the staff member who can best deal with them.
Ideally, upon arrival, the client will be introduced to the person(s) who will be directly handling them. Providing a name, a face, a brief history of the person’s background and credentials will increase their familiarity.
How to Introduce a New Staff Member to Clients
Whenever a new employee joins the firm, you should introduce them to your client base. This can be done in a newsletter or other written communication, as well as through social media.
In the case of an accounting firm, for example, this could go something like:
“We are happy to announce the addition of Mary Bloom to our firm.
“Mary is an experienced accountant who has worked on individual and corporate returns for the last 15 years. Her special expertise is in the field of financial planning and she will be happy to meet with you to review your portfolio at no charge.
“Mary is a mother of 10-year-old twins, Joe and Beth. Between them, her husband, Mike (a firefighter), and the family cats, she is kept rather busy. How she finds time for her golfing hobby, we have no idea!”
You want to make Mary very real to your clients, not just a name. The personal information really helps. You should also add any and all professional credentials and a picture, if possible.
If a lot of your clients do not know your staff, put out a newsletter introducing them all. If the clients do know all your staff, you could do a newsletter with everyone’s baby picture and a contest for guessing who is who correctly.
How to Bring About Service-Oriented Staff
There are many more actions you can take to get efficient staff who provide top-notch customer service. They are covered in Sterling’s training program and in workshops held at venues all over the country throughout the year. Find out how Sterling Practice Management can help you build an efficient staff team by requesting our free practice solutions DVD.
CPA Practice Management Consultant, Sterling
