Since starting out in 2009, my staff and I have dealt with a wide range of customers from different industries and it got me thinking about what makes a customer great or ideal. Among our pool of customers, there are some who we thoroughly enjoy working with, and I’m confident to say that we’ll be working partners for the long-term.
As we have been in the ACT bookkeeping industry for over six years, we have come to a point where we need to be selective of the types of customers we want to build long-term relationships with. Just to give you a better understanding of what your bookkeeper expects of you, I have compiled a list of ten characteristics that we believe the ideal bookkeeping customer presents.
The ideal bookkeeping customer:
1. Keeps detailed records and is transparent in all their dealings.
2. Has a healthy business and clear understanding of the running of a business. This includes understanding the importance of paying staff, suppliers, tax, and super liabilities on time.
3. Is passionate about his/her business and shares with us his/her business vision. We want to be able to assist our customer’s business in every way we can.
4. Communicates well, promptly, and courteously with us. It is hard to progress if information is not supplied on time, and it creates low morale and bad affect when customers question everything we do and act rudely.
5. Is forward-thinking, open-minded and embraces cloud technology and automation. A majority of our customers have adopted cloud accounting, thus we have a lot of experience and expertise in cloud accounting softwares such as Xero and its add-on products.
6. Is open to us working remotely. Our headquarters is in Braddon, ACT, and a majority of our work is done here even though we have clients in Sydney and Brisbane. The team-based nature of our organisation has helped to facilitate high levels of efficiency and workplace support amongst our staff.
7. Respects the work we do by paying us on time, and understands that we have other customers such that their work may not get processed immediately.
8. Understands the importance of and embraces work-life balance. Don’t call us after working hours or during the weekends expecting us to perform a job.
9. Is honest and upfront with our team. We like customers who provide us with constructive feedback as we strive to constantly improve ourselves.
10. Refers us to family, friends and colleagues. If you appreciate the work we do, the best form of respect and assistance would be to help spread the word about our services to the people around you!
If you think you share the same core values as Tailored Accounts, why not ring us at 02 6169 5196 to explore some long-term collaboration opportunities?
Harry Hoang is Tailored Accounts Executive Director
M3 Building, Level 1, Suite 127, 24 Lonsdale Street, Braddon ACT 2612 Australia
T: 02 6169 5196 | M: 0434 196 607 E: [email protected] | www.tailoredaccounts.com.au