Tips to Improve Communication During Tax Season

We are edging closer to the peak of tax season. As the tax returns roll in, don’t become one of the many CPAs that lets their communication with both employees and clients suffer.

Communication is an extremely important skill to have; by having good communication skills you will be able to portray messages and information better and improve 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 talk 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: the first is that they are too busy to do it themselves, or they simply don’t understand how to do the task at hand. Most commonly it’s the second one, so don’t get upset when clients don’t understand something technical, and remember to use general language.
• Put yourself in their shoes as well; if you were someone who knew nothing about approaching accounting and tax deadlines 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!