Find a Little Extra Time for Your Clients, Even in the Middle of the Tax Season

It’s the middle of income tax season and the last thing on most practitioners’ minds is how to engage even more with even more clients. Not that you don’t want to. But with the usual chaos surrounding this the busy season, plus the added stress of new laws, courtesy of the Affordable Care Act, time is scarce these days.

And, that is exactly why it’s imperative that you make connecting with your clients high on your to-do list. You have been doing this long enough that your regular clients know that tax season is crazy. They know because it’s crazy for them. They appreciate your help preparing and filing forms for each of their employees and issuing any necessary corrected forms.

Let your clients know that you appreciate their business. Set aside a few minutes each week to send out follow up notes for each client who you have finished filing for. Check-in to see if everything went as expected or if they have any questions or concerns. If there are concerns, take the time to address them right then and there. If there aren’t, remind your clients that you are available for any questions they have.

Now’s also a good time to start planning for next tax season. If there were some unexpected surprises, schedule time with your client after tax season to address them. Make the appointment now so that it’s on the calendar before either of you get too busy. Keep track of everything that will need to be addressed and create a solid plan together to tackle the issues head on and avoid them resurfacing next tax year.

Checking in with clients is also a good way to make sure that you are meeting their needs. It’s possible that a situation may arise that they are not even aware falls within your range of services offered. By casually engaging with them, you are able to further expand your service offering and they are able to quickly resolve a matter or business need.

These may be small gestures, but they keep the line of communications open between you and your clients. After all, you shouldn’t just talk when it’s time to file taxes or there’s a payroll issue.