Tip: A strong vetting process starts with describing your ideal client. Start by collecting data from your team on clients they enjoy working with. Focus on the positive. Then build up your social media to attract that client.

It’s all about communication

How do we measure the strength of our client relationships? We talk to them… regularly.

Depending on the engagement, each client must speak with us on a pre-determined meeting date and time each week, month or quarter. No excuses. We realize that we can't build a relationship if both parties don't actively talk.

We have found virtual meetings are the most productive way of communicating with our clients. The client sees my cheerful face, and I am able to understand their nonverbal communication. I can easily understand if the client has a concern or not.

I always leave each meeting with a temperature reading, determined by asking the client if they are comfortable. This may sound ridiculous, but the truth is that we are accounting professionals. Clients are trusting us with their hard work and they should feel comfortable. I don't know if any metric can measure that, but that is what we focus on. It shows that we care, and boy, does that earn referrals!

Tip: Focus on building relationships with your clients by having regular virtual check-ins using Zoom

Hire people who care. A lot!

Nobody wants to speak to grumpy troll, let alone pay for that service. So hire people who deeply care about the well-being of each client’s bookkeeping story. Encourage them to take ownership in the client relationship. Perhaps this is wishing client employees a happy birthday if they are running payroll. Or sending a funny GIF to a client who is having a bad day. And of course, lead by example. You need to show gratitude to your own team in order for them to do the same for your clients.

Tip: Make customer care one of your key selection criteria when you are recruiting a new team member

Innovate your workflows

Karbon has been a big part of improving the customer service experience we provide to our client base. Our team members are instructed to act on Triage items by close of business—either by answering the client’s question or scheduling a work item for the following week. To us, Triage is our ticket system for customer care.

At Moore Details, we always have a pulse on our practice. Our Strategic Planner can easily see the caseload of our team and flag any risk items during our weekly meetings hosted on Slack.

Our workflows are also pumped using other amazing applications that integrate into our cloud accounting systems. We encourage our clients to be a part of the bookkeeping story—for example, clients can run their own payroll using Wagepoint, or capture receipts using Hubdoc.

These five strategies are helping us to deliver outstanding service to our clients, and in return, they stay with us for the long haul and refer the great prospects just like them. Everyone’s a winner!

Jennie Moore is owner and operator of Moore Details Bookkeeping, a fast-growing, forward-thinking business that has helped numerous clients evolve and fine-tune their financial operations for more than 10 years. Follow the journey with @mooredetails on Twitter

Jennie is hosting a QuickBooks App Review of Karbon in July. Find out the benefits and features of Karbon from an accountant who uses it every day, and how it can tie into your workflow. Register now.