Tips to improve communication during tax season

We are edging closer to the peak of tax season. Don’t become one of the many CPAs that lets their communication suffer with both their employees and clients. Communication is an extremely important skill to have; by having good communication skills you will be able to portray messages and information better and have all around improved relationships.

Without good communication you will likely face more problems and a much tougher tax season.

Your employees are your number one asset, especially during the tax season when you have an influx of work with a tight deadline. For this reason it is vitally important to ensure you are communicating appropriately and effectively.

Here are a few tips on how to communicate with your staff and clients.

Employees

Have an open door policy but close your door on occasions to allow yourself time to concentrate on your own tasks without interruption.
Don’t just speak about work; learn about your employees’ lives as this will help you understand the reasoning behind an employee being more stressed than usual.
Put yourself in their shoes, they’re prone to make mistakes just as you are.
Be lenient with them, if they take a bit of a longer break occasionally, don’t make it a big issue.

Clients

Clients give their tax work to accountants for two reasons; 1. Too busy 2. They don’t understand accounting. Most commonly it’s the second one; so don’t get upset when they don’t understand something technical you say and remember to use general language
Put yourself in their shoes as well; if you were someone who knew nothing about accounting and tax deadlines were approaching, you’d be stressed too.
Appreciate your clients for being organized, it takes time for them as well

These simple changes and adjustments might not seem like they’ll make much of a difference, but it’s often the little things that matter most.

Try these out and you’ll most likely see your tax season go a lot smoother. Let us know how your experience was!

QXAS

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Originally published Jan 25, 2018 04:01:02, updated Aug 10 2023

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