The Woodard Report

Maximizing Your Scaling New Heights Experience:  Make your Plan Now!

Written by Alison Ball | Oct 13, 2021 3:26:44 PM

It’s probably an understatement to say that I am excited about Scaling New Heights in 2 weeks! My team is preparing the Client Experience 2.0 Track and Certification for the conference, plus our booth activities.  So we are living, breathing, and sleeping SNH in between the other normal activities we do as a team.

But one thing I always do before a big conference is to make a PLAN.  I create a master schedule of all the activities that I “have” to do (for me this is booth time, any parties I have committed to, and of course the sessions I am fielding for the conference).  Then I add to that plan all the things I want to do so I don’t forget, including a list of vendors and people I want to connect with.

I offer these suggestions to help you get the MOST out of your time at Scaling New Heights (or any conference really!)

  • Step 1 - Look at the current situation in your practice and/or life and thoughtfully evaluate what is working and what you want to improve or change. Come to the conference with this WRITTEN DOWN.  In the excitement of the conference, it will be very easy to get distracted and take you off track. 
  • Step 2 - Make a list of your “have-to’s”. Your list should contain classes you are teaching, parties you have committed to, and people you have agreed to meet. These are your commitments.
  • Step 3 - Look at the Vendors and Classes that are at the conference and see which ones will help you shift (in a positive way) the challenges you are currently having in your practice and/or your life.
  • Step 4 - Make a master schedule by day, so you don’t miss your commitments, and you know which vendors and classes you really need to make time for.

In other words, make your plan ahead of time and carry the schedule of that plan with you.  

The exhibiting vendors help solve key challenges in your firm as well. It's worth a few minutes of your time to look at the Sponsor Page and then click through to their websites to see what they do, and how they might solve the pains and challenges you are having. 

As an example, if one of your challenges is that clients do not send documents on time, and you have to chase them for what you need, then be sure to add the Client Experience 2.0 classes to your list and come and see me at the Liscio booth.  

Client Experience 2.0 is based on a simple premise. If you make it drop-dead easy for clients to work with you digitally, they will not only respond quickly to your requests, but they will send their documents on time and on the first request.  Staff can then spend their valuable time actually working on their clients’ books or tax returns, instead of chasing them for documents and searching.  To make this happen, most firms need to change the way they ask their clients to send documents securely to the firm.  Instead of using email plus a link to a portal (everyone knows these methods don’t work because it's too easy for clients to not respond) CX 2.0 firms give their clients a delightful “accountant app”.  So there is a mindset shift that is required and the Client Experience 2.0 classes at SNH are a mix of mindset and tech and practical application.

At Liscio, we’re dedicated to the craft of client experience. We believe the right client experience speeds the exchange of data between firm and client, minimizes wasted motion, and creates raving fans. Liscio puts all of the tools clients need to respond quickly right at their fingertips -- including an all-in-one mobile app, automatic reminders, and even a mobile document scanner.  With all client communications and documents centralized in Liscio, it’s easy for staff to quickly see what is going on with each client’s account. And since Liscio is so easy for clients to use, they send documents quickly. No more data silos, no more chasing clients for documents, and no more searching across multiple platforms. To see how Liscio can help you provide a world-class experience for your clients and staff, book a personalized demo.