Be Crystal Clear
Using tech to deliver exceptional client work
::Sponsored by Financial Cents::
We have had many renovations done over the years. Some went better than others.
The one thing that was consistent with the great experiences were great processes that were clearly communicated.
We have another one coming up in January and we are using a contractor that we used previously. We loved our experience with them and are happy to be having them do the work again.
They sent a detailed scope of work and estimate
They made it easy to accept the proposal and send the deposit
They walked us through the timeline and what disruptions to expect during the renovation
They completed the job on time and budget and quickly sent a final bill - again making it easy to pay
What they did that made it a terrific collaboration for us, the contractor and their team, was having documented processes that were clearly communicated to all parties using great tech.
Our renovator had a very definitive start and end time - for working hours and for the reno timeline
They had a very clear policy to make sure that areas were kept clean, clutterless and damage-free
Of course, they had safety policies including Covid-related ones
They had an end-of-day clean-up process
They checked in with us as the renovation is progressing - we never had to chase them for updates
Their team was pleasant - with us, with each other and they spoke highly of our contractor
I had some friends renovating lately as well. I can tell you their experience was not as harmonious.
The quoting phase was messy and confusing
There was no consistency to start and end of day times - the entire renovation timeline was fuzzy
The work safety environment was up to the team members who were present
There was discord - for my friends and for the team members
And of course, everyone pointed at someone else when the bumps kept coming
One thing bugged me in particular. The construction zone was always a mess, even at day’s end. I asked my friend about the state of the site and she said it was because the supervisor was new and inexperienced.
I beg to differ.
The sloppiness of the site, the erratic work hours, the team discord - all the hiccups - were because there were no standard operating processes, let alone documented and disseminated ones.
Processes are “top-down”. They start with the owners and managers - the key decision-makers. And they are moved “out of their heads” into formats that can be shared, team buy-in created and adhered to.
The end-user experience is only as good as the processes created at the top of the command chain and how they are moved down clearly.
I’m sure this sounds familiar to some of you. You have had great customer experiences and lousy ones.
I hope you are not running your show like my friends’ contractor
I hope you are setting client expectations early on and making it harmonious for them to collaborate with you
I hope your team knows what to do, when to do it, how to do it and are happy to do it
I hope your clients consider your service delivery 5 Star
For all of us in the accounting community, we are lucky to have so much great tech available to us to create exceptional client experiences.
In my bookkeeping biz, I keep work on track using the practice management app Financial Cents.
Customizable dashboard - clearing the clutter to see what I want to see in-the-moment
Workflows with dependencies, time budgets, tasks, sub-tasks & descriptions
Recurring projects with custom dates - templated
Client page with custom fields, related contacts, notes and files
Time tracking and budgeting
Team assignments and communications
Consistent, crystal clear client communications including messaging and file exchanges
Reporting including capacity management
Of note, my friends’ contractor should not have taken on their project at all - a big part of the problem was they did not have capacity for it - a lesson for all of us
Using great apps to run your business takes commitment to developing processes & systems, communication templates and to implementing them.
Here are few pieces of advice on creating kick-ass systems.
1. Define the outcomes of your processes - what does the exceptional client experience look like
Always start with the end run of why you are creating systems and processes and work back to the beginning
3. Create a system, routine or process before you automate anything
4. Use a “test” client for every single tech and every single process you implement and be the Guinea Pig
You need to experience what it feels like to be your client
Work the bugs out on yourself, not on them
5. Use naming conventions! Use numbers as well if you want absolute order.
I use naming conventions for many, many aspects of running my business
Project identification, task templates, email templates, collateral material…
Template names look like this: Onboarding = ONBD’G, Bookkeeping = BKP’G, Year-End = YE
Then I break it down further: "ONBD’G - Prospect Q & E so that the prospect questionnaire goes out with the correct email, BKP’G - Monthly with HST, No Payroll or BKP’G - Client Name
Numbering and naming conventions are a part of my accounting file as well
Gas is for vehicles (note I use vehicles - always, not automobile interchanged with vehicle), Fuel is for equipment, I use Gratuity rather than Tip, Gift Cards not Gift Certificates…
I have a standard COA numbering system - I love numbering in the Chart of Accounts so it lines up in the order I want it to and my subs are organized properly (QBO, you have to turn numbering on - it's off by default)
I have a standard monthly closing password across my clients
Custom reports in QBO are all named as “Previous” Month, Quarter, Year… not “Last, not “Prior” or a random combination
The groups are numbered as well, to fall into the order I want to view them.
Did you know the drop-down arrow next to “Edit” allows you to export a single PDF of all the reports?
Super neat, tidy & efficient!
6. Create explainer videos
For your team and your clients. In Financial Cents you can live-link them into the client task communications as well as into the client page, in project descriptions and in task and sub-tasks.
Loom is my fav for creating explainer videos.
Whatever tech you use to create exceptional client experiences, make sure your systems & processes and communications are clear, consistent and concise. However fantastic the app is - it is only going to make your relationships shine if you put the up-front work into creating great outcomes.
Harmoniously yours, Kellie
Shameless plug: I sell Stand Operating Process Handbooks for QBO (bookkeeping - cash coding and full cycle Dext/Hubdoc, Plooto, Rewind) and Financial Cents Bookkeeping and Onboarding workflow templates.
