Here we are on COVID-19 Island, isolated. Like being shipwrecked, for businesses to survive there needs to be quite a lot of reevaluation, trial and error, and a lot of creativity and innovation to acclimate and move forward. Client service in the accounting industry, too, needs a lot of readjusting, pivoting, and reevaluation to survive.
By Dorothy Potash
One of my clients compared Pennsylvania’s Red, Yellow, and Green pandemic shut-down phases to the “three-hour tour” of Gilligan’s Island. So true! We all thought we were going on a three-hour tour, and we were just not prepared for an indefinite stay on a deserted island named COVID-19. No one I know packed appropriately.
Alas, here we are on COVID-19 Island, isolated with limited supplies, limited knowledge of the environment, no experience, no radar to understand storms ahead, or a complete inventory of what is needed to survive. I would suspect being shipwrecked demands quite a lot of reevaluation, trial and error, and a lot of creativity and innovation to acclimate and move forward. Client service in the accounting industry, too, will need a lot of readjusting, pivoting, and reevaluation to survive this pandemic.
For CPAs, there is a lot to think about. This virus, coming when it did in the middle of busy season, sure did a great job of being a disrupter. How prepared were you, your teams, and your firms to seamlessly transition to a virtual service model? How much of a burden did a lack of preparation strain clients’ resources?
It has never been more important for those in the accounting industry to take time and reevaluate their own value proposition, their “plan,” their goals, and their networks. A lot of work needs to be done if you are to help clients secure and stabilize their enterprises, respond and pivot to the demands of the new normal, and best arm your clients to innovate and secure the futures of their enterprises.
Everyone in the client service business should be asking themselves some overarching questions:
Ask deeper questions about strengths, weaknesses, external threats, and opportunities that may help or hinder your goals and how you execute your value proposition.
As you take inventory, here are some things to consider:
Remember, to serve better, one must first ask “What can I do better?”
Dorothy Potash is cofounder and president of Development Dynamx LLC in Wayne. She can be reached at dorothy@developmentdynamx.com.
Sign up for weekly professional and technical updates in PICPA's blogs, podcasts, and discussion board topics by completing this form.
Statements of fact and opinion are the authors’ responsibility alone and do not imply an opinion on the part of PICPA officers or members. The information contained in herein does not constitute accounting, legal, or professional advice. For professional advice, please engage or consult a qualified professional.