Barriers to Successful Client Transition

Client transition is a hallmark of a healthy and growing firm. The ability to transition clients well will impact the longevity of your firm, buyouts from retiring partners and successor interest. Because of this, it should come as no surprise that many CPAs/partners in the profession are concerned about how to prepare for successful client…

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Positioning Your Lobby for a Great First Impression

The client experience starts long before a client sits down in your office for their first appointment. One piece of the client experience, and possibly the first impression of your firm, is your office lobby.  What message does it convey? Think beyond the warm greeting they are hopefully receiving from the receptionist. What is their…

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All About Fees

Clients expect their professionals to be able to discuss their fees but are usually just as scared to ask about them as you are to bring them up. As their accounting professional, it’s your duty to articulate your fees to your clients. Getting comfortable and confident about discussing fees increases the value and perception of…

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Spotlight on LBMC and Client Experience

Client experience is something that many accounting firms and marketing professionals are talking about, but very few can explain. In a 2010 Huffington Post article[1], CEO and founder of Zappos, Tony Hsieh wrote about how the new and (somewhat) improved digital landscape has challenged customer service to be less rote and more proactive. Individual touchpoints…

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Take the Fear Out of Client Transitions with These Tips

While client relationships shouldn’t be transitioned too often, occasionally it makes sense to realign clients with key people in an organization. Practical client transitions are often triggered by retiring partners, a re-alignment to specialty niche teams, and the need to free up partners to do more business development. A shadow might hover around the topic…

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Foundations of Client Service

Client service is something every firm claims to do well, but not something every person can execute well on. Sadly, it’s this disconnect that often makes or breaks a client’s experience with your firm. So, what do your clients really want when it comes to client service? The answer may surprise you. Here are the…

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Why High Expectations Are a Good Thing

I remember the summer between my 5th and 6th-grade years well; mostly because I couldn’t wait for the day when the class lists would be posted. In my school, there were four 6th grade teachers. Two of the teachers were middle-of-the-road, one would let you get away with anything, and the last had really high expectations…

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Embracing Virtual Service

There is a lot of talk among accounting firms about workplace flexibility and work-from-home options. In fact, many firms of the future are actively seeking out employees that will not be physically located in their offices. Virtual work leads to virtual service. Regardless of your location, service is the cornerstone of your accounting firm’s perceived…

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Measuring Client Satisfaction: A Case Study for Client Surveys

The Challenge Like many accounting firms, a certain 20-partner accounting firm was looking to better evaluate their client satisfaction. This firm had never performed a client service survey and was even a little apprehensive about it. The agreed-upon goal was to gain insight on how to improve their client service levels and find a way…

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