Communication Is King!

Nov 6, 2019

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But why?

Communication is there for the sharing of information… That can be conveying how you feel (the “fluffy” stuff), sharing ideas (the exciting stuff) or just imparting knowledge (the geeky stuff). If you don’t communicate, quite simply, the information isn’t sent to the person it’s intended for, it isn’t received and therefore cannot be acted upon.

It sounds obvious doesn’t it?

But the number of clients that come across to Troy because they just want better communication suggests it isn’t all that obvious after all !! The common issues are that they:

  • don’t know what’s happening with their accounts
  • don’t understand what the numbers mean
  • have asked a question of their accountant but haven’t had a response
  • just don’t talk……

All of that can leave you feeling frustrated, scared, worried and generally just in the dark about what’s going on….

Personal preference

Every individual has their preferred way of communicating; whether telephone call, email or gaming headset (ok – we draw the line there, but perhaps a Skype call?). Personally, I prefer face to face conversations, but it’s not all about me!!

If a client feels more comfortable with a telephone conversation or doesn’t have much time on their hands so prefers email to answer in their own time, then that should be respected where possible and communication should be in accordance with those wishes.

How regular is the communication?

How regular do you want it to be? The point is that there is no right or wrong answer here, but there must be communication. As an accountant, it would be all too easy to communicate with a client once a year when they need their accounts or tax returns filing. After all, we only need the accounting records to do the work and then it’s job done! Right?

Wrong!!

When the client is given a set of accounts showing they were loss-making last year, or a tax calculation which must be paid to HMRC imminently but with no cash to pay it, it’s too late!

With regular communication (whether weekly, monthly, quarterly) between an accountant and their client, these types of nasty surprises could be avoided…

Open relationship

We’re not here to hide things from you or trick you into thinking that accounting is a “dark art” or bamboozle you with technical terms… Unfortunately, there are people out there who do that, but it leaves the client feeling belittled, bewildered and vulnerable.

I don’t know the first thing about computers when they go wrong, or what to do when the flashy warning sign appears on my dashboard, or when I injure myself at the gym… I ask the experts and I don’t want to be made to feel daft when I do ask!!

The point is that no question is a stupid question because you don’t know what you don’t know….

And you should also be able to ask when you need to ask…

We believe that your relationship with us should be one that’s open, comfortable, honest and trusting. A client should be able to ask anything (within reason!) and we believe in taking the time to listen and truly hear them…

The conclusion to this blog?

Communication is King!

#ignitesuccess


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