Falling Short on Promises to Clients

Source: AICPA CPA Insider

In their eagerness to impress prospects, CPA firms sometimes promise more than they can realistically deliver. This may not only alienate the client, but may also create a bad reputation. Some frequent hyper-promises are:

• Promising to complete the project sooner than you can.
• Promising a higher level of partner involvement than you can deliver.

If missing a deadline is perceived by the client to be an isolated occurrence, the damage can be mitigated. The reason for the failure should be communicated to the client. It may have been beyond the control of the CPA firm. It may have been because of illness or failure of a client employee to provide information on time. The explanation had better be truthful and supported by evidence. If the CPA firm is culpable, it should apologize and convince the client that corrective action has been taken.

Sometimes partners’ activities are more efficiently conducted at the CPA firm’s office. Research is one example. If this is the case, it should be communicated to the client.

For other articles on client satisfaction, visit prior issues of CPA Leadership Report:

 From AICPA CPA Insider, May 29, 2007, www.cpa2biz.com. For the complete article, click here.