Tax season is upon us, and that means accountants are burning the midnight oil to handle all of their clients’ needs. Many accountants find tax season to be a mixed blessing. On the one hand, business is good. On the other, sleep, social life, and sometimes even family don’t receive the attention they deserve. It can be challenging to balance all the needs of clients during tax season while also maintaining a semblance of work-life balance. In fact, for some accountants, tax season is simply accepted as a time when other priorities are neglected.
Fortunately, there are ways that accountants can reduce some of the burden that comes with tax season. An answering service for accountants can streamline non-accounting work, allowing accountants to focus on their core work.
Here are some specific ways that an answering service can benefit accountants.
Handle non-urgent issues
An answering service can answer all of the non-emergency questions that a client might inquire about. Whether it’s a pricing question, an inquiry about turnaround times, or some other logistical issue, an answering service can give client’s a live individual to speak to without burdening the accountant.
Set up appointments for after tax season
If a current or potential client is interested in setting up an appointment, an answering service can be utilized to set that appointment up. In addition, if the client’s request isn’t urgent (i.e. it isn’t related to the current tax season), the appointment can be scheduled for after the busy season — all without the need for an accountant to look at his or her calendar.
Reduce office overhead
Some accounting offices hire temporary, or seasonal, front office workers during tax season. This is due in large part to the huge influx of client calls that come in during this period. This of course adds significant overhead via office operating costs, but many accountants simply take it as a given that these expenditures needs to be made. Furthermore, temporary workers hired for the tax season might not have the same level of dedication or knowledge that someone who worked with your firm year after year might.
An answering service employs highly skilled virtual receptionists who can assist your accounting business with streamlined efficiency. This means you aren’t paying for idle customer service workers. Instead, you’re benefiting from the economies of scale provided by the answering service itself. Virtual receptionists for accountants handle all the calls and appointment scheduling at a fraction of the cost of in-house employees. Go ahead, crunch those numbers.
Ensure high-priority calls and clients are heard
By the same token, high-priority calls — whether from high-value clients or simply an urgent call from any client — can be automatically directed to the appropriate individual. The ability to filter high priority calls from the rest ensures that client needs are handled efficiently without sacrificing the client’s interests.
A high-quality live answering service spends time learning about your firm, and even you as an individual accountant. They understand what makes a call urgent, and they know who the key clients are. If you haven’t yet tried an accountant answering service, contact MAP Communications to learn about starting your free trial! You’ll be able to focus on your core business, and provide your clients with the best possible tax preparation service.
Here’s some related articles you might be interested in:
Financial Benefits of an Answering Service
Benefits of Hiring an Answering Service Instead of a Receptionist
