CPA_Practice_Advisor_April_2020 - 30

THE MILLENNIAL ADVISOR
Keeping Customer Satisfaction Simple:

The A.S.K. Principal

INSTINCTIVELY, YOU PICK up the phone on the first ring. Instantly, you are taken aback by the
angry voice on the other end of the line. You were not expecting this kind of call, and most
certainly not from this client. After all, you did a great job preparing his tax returns-just
as you have done for four straight years. So begins the first Monday of the month.
Can you relate to this feeling?
Seems no matter how much history
we may have with a client, no matter
how well a job gets done, every dog
has his day. We complete the task.
We believe that we have provided
service without error. But the client
concludes a target was dramatically
missed.
Ships pass in the night at companies large or small. Perceptions
get misaligned across departments,
various audit functions, and so
on. Wherever and however these
disappointments are generated,
we are left to wait and wonder as
the anger gets vented and conflict
emerges-how, where, what and
when things did things go wrong?
What steps might can I take next
time to better understand this client's needs and avoid this horrible
unpleasantness?
Do I need to update my resume?

CREATING CUSTOMER
SATISFACTION
There is a way to deliver a more
seamless experience. There is a
simple trick to help us anticipate
and stay ahead of these sorts of
misunderstandings that blow out
of proportion.
One thing we can do is to shift
our focus toward seeking to understand the needs of others instead
of making too many assumptions.
Instead, we need to pause and clarify
issues with the client, customer,
co-workers, etc.
When it comes to understanding
each person's needs, this isn't some-

APRIL 2020 ■

thing that is limited to the partners
and managers. All members of the
team can do their part and embrace
the concept of having an inquisitive
mindset. The inquisitive mindset
also appeals to millennials who
have a natural drive for greater
understanding and knowledge.
They may not even have an ulterior
motive; they just like knowing things
to know them. As an added benefit
of improved client relationships,
you will engage your millennial-age
associates like never before.
So, one way to defuse having one
angrier client is to break the cycle
doing the same old thing, changing
our habits, and recognizing that
these times, they are a-changin'.
There's a handy acronym, A.S.K.,
that we can use. It helps to ask the
right questions at the right time.

ASSESS
The first obvious step is taking
time to understand the true needs
of others.
■ What are your goals, your concerns
today?
■ What do you want as the end result?
Too often we project our goals or
those of the last client in the door
in place of the client in front of us.
For example, when completing a tax
return, we may assume the client
wants the return completely buttoned up. However, what this client
really wants is to understand if moving expenses can be written off this
year. The fact that their tax return
gets completed ASAP is secondary. If
moving expenses cannot be written

www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com

off, the client may want
to invest time pulling
out other receipts
and discuss other
itemizations that
were less handy.
If we do not
start on the same
page, and assess what
our client's true intentions may be, we are going
to get that distasteful phone call.
But asking a few simple questions
from the onset gets us truly aligned
with that client-and save everyone
a lot of aggravation down the road.

SOLVE
The second step is being sure to
solve the right problem. Because
we first assess the situation, we are
aiming to get to the bottom of the
right problems. Now, we can use our
knowledge and experience to solve
the right problem. This second step
enables us to shift into a truly advisory capacity as consultants, rather
than backtracking later. You know
what that sounds like: lobbing questions midway through the project
as you discover the awkward truths
about why you are really here and
what the client really wanted.
Some start to blame the client.
"Oh, why didn't you tell me?" As you
may know, that kind of talk never
goes over too well. The answer, of
course: "Because you never asked.
You never ask me anything."
But if we assess, we can solve
and have a clear understanding of
what we are being asked to solve

GARRETT WAGNER, CPA

CEO/Founder, C3 Evolution Group
garrett.wagner@cpapracticeadvisor.com

before we ever get
started.

KEEP
As we move into
the third and final
step, we may be
tempted to fall back
into our own biases
about what we are doing.
This final phase is where
most go awry. We get pulled into
the old temptations. The goal is to
keep in mind our initial assessment
and execute the correct deliverables.
Remember, this isn't about delivering what you think clients want
or need-or even what you think is
good for them, despite themselves.
This is about communicating with
them to understand what they need,
advising and informing them on
nuances and improvements, then
going about creating the solution.
The A.S.K. method's simplicity
helps us to truly serve others as
trusted advisors. It will set you apart
from the vast majority of accountants, for instance, as you shift focus
from the technical to compliance
services. And it vastly reduces those
surprise, angry phone calls on a
Monday morning. Try sharing the
A.S.K. concept with those around
you. Assess the needs, solve the
problem, and keep those needs and
solutions front and center as you
communicate with your client. The
impacts will astound you. ■

http://www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com

CPA_Practice_Advisor_April_2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CPA_Practice_Advisor_April_2020