ORLANDO, Florida – Client retention is a top concern for CPA firms and
missed opportunities to create stronger client connections can be costly. At
the same time, firms are reducing staff due to economic pressure. So how can
firms improve client service, while staff resources decline?
Today, over 1,000 attendees of the annual CCH User Conference, CCH Connections,
heard about ways to improve client retention, including an address from industry
leader Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting CEO Kevin Robert. CCH, a Wolters
Kluwer business (CCHGroup.com)
is part of Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting, the global leading provider
of tax, accounting and audit information, software and services.
“Today, your clients’ service expectations are being driven in
part by their consumer-based service experiences – whether it’s what they
can do on their iPhone, or how they conduct business with their bank online,”
said Robert. “They expect you to be closely connected to them, and they
want you to be available anywhere, anytime.”
Findingnew ways to keep clients satisfied must be at the center of every firm’s
strategy, and one way to do this is to connect more successfully with clients
by optimizing firms’ top investments: both technology and people. Although
many firms are reducing staff size by necessity, firms can also leverage technology
to create new connections with clients, while staff focuses on high-value client
work.
“As you think about your clients in today’s environment, ask yourself
these critical questions: What’s the right mix of face-to-face client
service and technology enabled self-service; and how can you better leverage
new self-service technologies and opportunities to create the best full-servicestrategy
for your firm?” Robert said.
Robert encouraged attendees to reevaluate their service channels based on client
preferences and the strategic vision for the firm. Service channels includeevery
point of contact, he said, from the office and staff, to such things as firm
newsletters, e-mail updates, websites and portals.
“Firms may be using several of these channels today, but are you making
the best strategic use of each to create a full-service approach?” Robert
asked. “Your people are your greatest assets. But are they spending their
time on what delivers the highest value to existing clients, and what helps
bring in newones?”
Creating a Technology-enabled Self-Service Strategy
Robert encouraged firms to optimize technology such as websites and
portals to enable a successful self-service strategy, that ensures firm staff
can focus on high-value work, while clients get fast access to information and
answers they need.
“Portals can be a seamless extension of your firm’s website and
offer an exceptional new level of service for your clients, creating an entirely
new opportunity forconnecting and collaborating,” said Robert.
As part of its new suite of SaaS solutions, CCH offers ProSystem fx
Portal for firms. Portal offers an easy, convenient and highly secure way to
access information, documents and applications, exchange data and share information,
around the clock. It’s 24/7 service – and introduces to clients
levels of access and control that they’ve never had related to accounting
services before.
“Customers are adopting ProSystem fx Portal at a very rapid
rate, in fact the fastest I’ve ever seen for any new solution. It’s
clear that firms and their clients are realizing significant and immediate benefits
from working in this new way,” said Robert.
“Firms should challenge themselves to refresh their service channels
based on new technologies, such as websites and portals, and what clients value
today,” Robert said.
CCH Creates New Innovation Lab for Customers and Their Clients
“It’s clear that clients value time with partners, but they also
place very high importance on efficiency and responsiveness and being able to
access their own information,” said Robert. “As firms look to improve
profitability and meet clients’ growing expectations for just-in-time
information, technology-based self-service delivery touch points will become
an even more important part of shaping the client experience.”
To help firms better understand what clients want and how they can leverage
technology to serve them, Robert announced a new initiative by CCH to create
an Innovation Lab where CCH will partner with customers, working side-by-side
with them and their clients. The initiative is an extension of the Contextual
Design process that CCH already has in place to work closely with customers
in theworkplace to observe workflows.
“We’re seeking volunteer firms to participate in this new innovation
lab with their clients,” said Robert. “Under this initiative, CCH
will work directly with firms and their clients so that CCH can even better
understand what clientswant and what the next wave of connectivity and collaboration
tools need tobe.”
Video of the address by Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting CEO Kevin Robert
is available
here.
About CCH, a Wolters Kluwer business
CCH, a Wolters Kluwer business (CCHGroup.com)
is the leading global provider of tax, accounting and audit information, software
and services. It has served tax,accounting and business professionals since
1913. Among its market-leading solutions are The ProSystem fx Suite,
CorpSystem, CCH IntelliConnect, Accounting Research Manager and the U.S. Master
Tax Guide. CCH is based in Riverwoods, Ill. Wolters Kluwer (www.wolterskluwer.com)
is a market-leading global information services company. Wolters Kluwer is headquartered
in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands. Its shares are quoted on Euronext Amsterdam
(WKL) and are included in the AEX and Euronext 100 indices.
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Tags: Technology
