CUSTOMER CARE MISTAKES TO GET ACCOUNTANCY PRACTICES OUT OF ‘THE RED’

 

In a recent report^[1] from customer experience (CX) specialists Insight 6 – the accountancy sector’s CX performance was likened to being ‘deep in the red’.

So, as 2022 unfolds and accountancy practices look to grow revenues and market share, it’s vital that customer care is given greater commercial priority.

Here, Louise Wilson, head of the finance sector at leading outsourced communication provider Moneypenny, highlights the top four areas for accountancy practices to improve customer experience:

 

1.Recognise that people buy from people

While Insight 6’s research found that their enquiries were handled by largely friendly, amiable and professional people – only 26% were told the name of the company representative they were talking to.

 

TIP: Offering a name is part of establishing a real and personal connection. Revisit your call handling practices and ensure that attention to detail is applied to every stage, including the very first greeting.

 

2. See it through

A surprising 44% of the telephone messages left with accountancy practices were never followed up. Plus, 95% of the conversations that were had, were not followed up within the next five days. Unreturned calls and poor follow-up practices cost business – not just in terms of lost revenue but also reputation.

 

TIP: Put measures in place so that enquiries and leads, irrespective of where they originate, are always handled swiftly and professionally. There are numerous software tools to aid lead management, plus outsourced outbound calling support can relieve the burden of lead follow up. Also, ask yourself why leads are falling through the net. Understanding the reasons why will help identify improvements.

 

3. Make your shop window transact

Websites are the shop window for any business and marketing teams spend considerable time and money driving prospective clients to them. So, when web traffic turns into enquiries, it’s important it’s met with a professional and timely response. Insight 6 research revealed that while 39% of online enquiries were followed up within two hours, as many as 32% didn’t receive a reply at all. Consistent enquiry handling is key.

 

TIP: Test all of your ‘get in touch’ forms on your website and your general enquiries email. Do they work as they should, are they passing enquiries to the right place and is there room for improvement?

 

3. Embrace live chat

85% of the firms Insight 6 mystery-shopped didn’t offer any form of webchat and of those that did, responsiveness was hit and miss. 50% of chats were responded to within 30 seconds yet the other 50% weren’t answered at all.

 

TIP: Clients expect communication with their professional partners to be easy, almost instant and increasingly 247 so it’s important to offer a variety of channels. Live chat has the potential to deliver the quickest wins when it comes to customer experience. If managing it in-house is time-onerous and inconsistent, or conversations aren’t recorded centrally – consider an outsourced service. Our live chat can capture leads 247 and upload them straight into your CRM.

 

Louise Wilson concluded: “While we all know there are some brilliant examples of exceptional above and beyond customer care in the accountancy sector, this report highlights there is still room for improvement. The demands of the last two years have certainly impacted customer care and resource has been stretched, but it’s important now to look ahead, put remedial steps in place and ensure that the customer really does feel like they are king.”

 

To see where the accountancy sector excelled and needs improvement, download the full report here.  

Moneypenny provides telephone answering and live chat services to hundreds of financial services businesses and is trusted by the UK’s top accounting firms, including 8 of the top 20. Established in 2000, Moneypenny is the world’s market leader for telephone answering, live chat, outsourced switchboard and customer contact solutions.

In total, more than 21,000 businesses across the UK benefit from Moneypenny’s mix of extraordinary people and ground-breaking technology.

For more information, visit the Moneypenny Website.

[1] The Professional Services Client Journey Report 2021 by Insight 6 –Link >