By Steve Saah.
You know exactly when the busy season is, and yet somehow it always seems to catch you by surprise. What’s worse is you made a promise to yourself that this season, you and your team would be better prepared than you were in the last go-around. But now, you’ve run out of time to get ready.
Or have you? If you move quickly now, there is still much you can do to make sure your team has the resources and mindset to tackle this intense work period with gusto and help your CPA firm deliver high-quality service to clients. Here are five actionable steps to expedite your preparation on a short timeline:
1. Streamline Workflows and Prioritize High-Value Clients
Conduct a quick audit of workflows to identify bottlenecks that typically arise for your team. Is there a cumbersome review process, or do repetitive manual tasks bog them down? Identifying and addressing pain points can help you secure quick wins for increasing efficiency.
At the same time, confirm your team is ready to prioritize the needs of your CPA firm’s most valued clients during the busy season. These are the clients who are the biggest revenue generators for your firm, or may have other strategic value for your business. Making sure their needs are met promptly and efficiently will help you safeguard your firm’s reputation and profitability.
As for other clients, take care to manage their expectations, especially about potential delays.
2. Use New and Existing Tech Tools to Drive Efficiency and Productivity
Technology like AI and automation can be game-changing for your CPA firm — and not just during busy season. While you may not have the time to make large-scale upgrades or roll out advanced capabilities, you can still find opportunities to implement robust tools and use them to your advantage.
For example, with automation solutions like workflow management software, you can reduce manual tasks for your team like data entry, report generation or routine client communications. And with cloud-based accounting platforms, you can enable seamless collaboration, and give your team members secure access to client files from wherever they’re working.
Also, don’t overlook your existing tech tools. How can you make the most of the capabilities you already have? Take a few hours to review your current technology portfolio and identify features that can help your team save time and improve accuracy.
3. Redistribute Workloads Preemptively and Strategically
Uneven workload distribution is one of the most common challenges for CPA firms during the busy season. Some team members, usually your most valued players, end up feeling overwhelmed and stressed out with too much work piled on their plates. Meanwhile, other employees may feel you aren’t fully utilizing their skills, or that you don’t think they can stretch their abilities. You can address this talent management issue head-on by assessing your team’s capacity and redistributing tasks before it’s too late to change course. This approach helps ensure that critical tasks —
and your firm’s high-value clients — can benefit from the expertise of senior staff because routine or lower-risk assignments are being delegated to others. Taking a strategic approach to workload distribution is also a great way to maximize the potential of your multigenerational workforce. For example, by pairing less-seasoned staff members with more experienced pros in your organization, you can accelerate the learning curve for the former group while giving the latter an opportunity to mentor on the job without adding to their workload.
4. Create a Supportive Work Environment
The busy season is inherently demanding, with long hours, tight timelines and a heightened focus on delivering top-quality, accurate work. But you can keep morale running high by recognizing the effort your team is putting in and celebrating small wins along the way. Regular and timely acknowledgement of your employees’ hard work can keep motivation up and help boost retention, too.
You can promote your team’s well-being with simple but effective strategies like providing meals or snacks during late nights or permitting flexible hours when possible. Wellness perks, like resources for stress management, can also help your team maintain their energy and focus.
Avoiding burnout should be a high priority. It’s easy to push even the most talented and experienced employees to the limit through overwork. So, encourage your team members to take regular breaks and prioritize work-life balance, even when the deadline pressure is dialed up.
5. Bring in Highly Skilled Reinforcements
Many CPA firms rely on contract talent to provide support to their core team when workloads surge and deadlines loom. According to research for Robert Half’s 2025 Salary Guide, public accounting firms are bringing in contract professionals during seasonal peaks specifically to alleviate workloads and stress. Many finance and accounting leaders are also hiring contract talent to access hard-to-find skills and specialized expertise in areas like financial reporting and financial planning and analysis. If you have yet to adopt a scalable talent model at your firm, you’re missing an opportunity to quickly access skilled professionals when you need them, for as long as you need them. You may also be undermining your efforts to help your team maintain a positive work-life balance during the busy season and other intense work periods.
Experienced contract professionals can step in to manage complex client accounts and handle work overflows. They can also provide fresh perspectives and innovative ideas that may enhance your firm’s performance. Importantly, with their support, your full-time team can focus on your firm’s most important clients and projects.
Getting ready for busy season requires thoughtful planning, strategic allocation of resources, and a priority focus on your team’s well-being. Ideally, you won’t need to do any of these things under a time crunch. But even when the calendar tells you it’s time to scramble, the five steps outlined above can help your CPA firm quickly set a course for busy season success, ensuring you can deliver exceptional service to your clients without overburdening your employees.
====
Steve Saah is the executive director of the finance and accounting permanent placement practice at Robert Half, the world’s first and largest specialized financial talent solutions service. The company has more than 300 locations worldwide. He is responsible for leading U.S. operations, based in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. He was named executive director in 2017, previously serving as director of permanent placement services.
Saah has been with the company since 1998, where he started as a recruiting manager, following a career as an internal auditor and assistant controller. He is a noted expert, author and presenter on career, management and hiring trends, particularly those affecting the accounting and finance fields. Saah earned a finance degree from Virginia Tech.
Thanks for reading CPA Practice Advisor!
Subscribe Already registered? Log In
Need more information? Read the FAQs
Tags: Firm Management, Taxes
