The Four Biggest Bookkeeping Client Communication Mistakes

Like any relationship, good communication is the key to keeping your bookkeeping firm clients happy for the long haul. Whether you’re giving them negative, positive, or neutral information, how you communicate with clients significantly impacts their perceptions of your firm and its services. 

Many firms make the same kinds of mistakes when communicating with clients. Individually, these mistakes may not amount to much. But over time, their collective weight can drag on the relationship to the point where both sides may wonder if it’s worth continuing. 

Don’t let things get to this point in your bookkeeping organization. Avoid the mistakes listed below whenever you’re corresponding with clients: 

Expecting too much from bookkeeping client communication

It’s important to recognize that bookkeeping is a complex, dynamic service rendered from one business to another. Beyond that, it’s also governed by powerful authorities like the IRS and state accounting boards.

There’s no way to get around the fact that your clients will need to be more involved than they might be with other services like cleaning or electrical work. 

However, it’s important not to overburden your prospects and clients with excessive requests. At the beginning of the engagement, strive for the minimum required amount of paperwork and contracts so that clients can help you get what your firm needs without a significant interruption to their normal day.  

Specifically, think twice before incorporating things like: 

• A large number of additional software or web tools to sign up for    

• Additional paperwork beyond what’s required legally 

• Extra meetings and phone calls 

 All of these elements can be critical and valuable tools for moving the relationship forward, but they should be used sparingly. 

Not using your client's preferred channels

One of the nice things about the development of technology is its impact on communication. Business professionals now have a plethora of choices for apps that allow them to communicate via voice, text, or face-to-face video.  

It’s not possible or efficient for a firm to use every single method available, but whenever possible, you should try to meet clients where they are by using the platform they prefer. This is especially true when their preferred methods are universal channels like email or text messaging. 

If their preference is to use a niche app that will be tough for your organization to integrate, you might suggest a comparable substitute that better fits your needs. Don’t be intimidated by trying out new platforms—you might end up finding one you like and end up adopting within your own business! 

Not having enough security

We encounter many accounting firms that think they’re doing a good job regarding security, but in reality, they just do the bare minimum.  

If you want to ensure the security of your client communication, you must take active measures to improve your firm’s security.  

The first of those measures should be checking with governing bodies like the IRS and FTC to ensure you are meeting their requirements. This is especially true if you haven’t checked in a while, as these regulations tend to get updated frequently. 

Other security measures to implement for client communication include: 

• Physical security measures if you work in an office. These include barriers to access specific areas, badges for verification, and the exclusive use of company-approved devices for client communications. 

• Firewalls for your firm’s network and devices. These can prevent harmful actors from breaking into your company network, wreaking havoc on your equipment, or even stealing sensitive client data.  

• Encryption for emails and secure file sharing. The encryption protocol should be strong enough to meet accepted standards, such as the SHA-256 standard used by most government agencies. 

Not having contingency plans (and people) for your bookkeeping clients

It’s a common scenario at bookkeeping firms, especially smaller ones: the company has one specific person who’s the master of a certain account, project type, or piece of technology. For employees, it’s faster to just ask that person for help instead of taking the time to learn what they know.  

But when something happens to that person—perhaps they unexpectedly get sick or leave the firm—the rest of the team is left scrambling to fill in the gaps. This often leads to errors and oversights with client communication, which could put your firm at risk of damaging the relationship. 

If this situation sounds like your firm, ensure you have a solution before you need it. Carve out some time each month and quarter for your team to learn as much as possible about as many different parts of the business as possible, even if it may not be directly related to their primary role.  

Your staff should have skills and information they may not need right away instead of not having the answers that clients are requesting.  

Final thought: make bookkeeping client communication simple and safe

Most clients want you to succeed as their service provider, especially if they’ve already invested time and money into retaining your firm.  

While you will certainly need to stay in touch with clients consistently, that doesn’t mean communicating with them should be tedious and inefficient. 

By following these tips and incorporating helpful tools like accounting practice management software, you can ensure your firm is prepared to make communication simple, efficient, and even enjoyable for your clients, which will set you apart from competitors and help you retain their business for the long haul. 

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