On the LinkedIn Tax Professionals forum, someone asked: “What sets you apart as a tax professional?”
That’s a good question.
After all, we face growing competition from do-it-yourself tax software (boxed/online), the purportedly less expensive storefront operations, and various volunteer programs, such as VITA, TCE, and tax clinics. Why should anyone need us?
There were some good replies in the forum, focusing on providing customized reports and analyses about clients’ tax situations and finances. It’s also definitely important to provide personalized service.
One of the most important things you can do as a tax professional is return phone calls promptly. Besides, who would want to refer their friends to you if you’re too busy to even return their calls? Long gone are the days when you could look important by not deigning to return client calls for several days. (A huge problem in the CPA firm where I worked. Although staff knew the answers the clients needed, we were not authorized to provide them. The partner would often wait a week or more to return calls. Meanwhile, clients were calling us frantically each day because business decisions, escrows, etc., were riding on the answers.)
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Source: Eva Rosenberg (www.acountingweb.com)
