Too Much Griping About Clients

Source: Innovative Practice Management

Following is a synopsis of a blog entry by Mark Bailey:

Some of the most common complaints expressed by our assurance seniors are that the client “didn’t complete the schedule request properly, or provide adequate support timely, or apply the appropriate accounting principles properly or yada, yada, yada”. And correspondingly the audit team didn’t meet, or, had trouble meeting its due date.

After hearing this refrain/excuse for the umpteenth time during one of our recent after action reports for a very good client, I reminded the offending senior of the purpose of our use of Client Service Agreements and why we have change orders.

No client is perfect. Propose based on what they commit to but invoice them for what they actually do or don’t do. Don’t whine because they aren’t perfect. Just implement a system that accommodates that imperfection without penalizing your Firm or creating animosity with your client(s). You might want to try Client Service Agreements.* (Oh, and to all you seniors—‘imperfection’ is why you get paid the big bucks! If all our clients were perfect we wouldn’t need your gray matter. We’d just use checklists.)

* See the article “Use Client Service Agreements Instead of Engagement Letters” in the December issue of CPA Leadership Report.

For the complete blog entry, click here and read the November 16, 2008, entry “Nobody’s Perfect.”

From Innovative Practice Management, the blog of Mark Bailey Co., http://www.markbaileyco.com/blog/, November 16, 2008.