JohnH

My response time is my greatest incentive to get people to use email/texting. I tell them that if they call & leave a message on my voice mail, I'll reply by the end of the busiess day, or next business day a the latest. But if they email/trxt I usuallyi respond with an hour - most of the time almost instantly. And I stick to that routine. In the aprox 75% of the cases where I know the answer, I send a reply and we;re done. In the other 25% where I neeed to do research or need more info, I either respond telling them what I still need from them, or that I need to look into this and will get back to them. THAT'S when the decision is made on whether a phone call needs to take place, but I make that decision - not them. Most cllients are content to wait for an answer, as along as they have the assurance that their tax preparer is aware of their question and is thinking about it. And if the need for info is truly urgent, this is the best process by far for ferreting out those situations. Incidentally, I've noticed a technology-driven change in this matter over the past couple of years. Two years or so back, I would only have referred to email. But with younger clients, they are abandoning email and they text almost exclusively. Older clients are a little slower to adopt texting, but even they are moving in this direction. So anyone who does a lot of business with younger clients needs to be aware of what mode of communication works best with them if you are interested in keeping them as cllients long term. I keep pounding this drum and some accountants/tax preparers don't like it because they're stuck in an outmoded paradigm, but it' a reality. If I retired today and decided I need to find an accountant/tax preparer, I wouldn't even consider one who doesn't communicate via email.

Very good article, only weak on one point. The writer suggest tolerating phone calls up to a point, then asking the client to summarize in an email if they run too long. That's an outdated concept. I suggest the reverse - condition the client to use electronic communication in the first place. Why have them taking up your time on the phone when they can send you an email or text ? I do everything I can to keep my clients out of my office so I can get some work done. The second thing I do is use every available means to keep them from taking up my time on the phone. Besides, starting a conversation with "I only have a minute" is downright rude. May as well say, "My time's way more important than yours - let's get this over with.." If I feel comfortable treating a client in that manner, I may as well fire them.

A professional violinist - now why didn't I think of that ? !!! With of the sob stories I hear from some clients, it would be a real asset having him playing a dirge in the background.

Excellent advice Judy.

That's pretty much what I do. I set an early cutoff date - everything coming in after around mid-Mar automatically goes on extension. Some of those (the simple ones) get out the door by Apr 15, but most don't. That makes Apr 15 a light-duty day for me. Mostly a time to review & cross-check extension filings (and maybe extend a last-minute procrastinator if I'm in the mood, although I'm usually not). Then take my wife out to a relaxed dinner early on the evening of the 15th - this has been a private ritual we've followed for years. On the 16th I sometimes amuse myself (with a tiny amount of compassion) by reading all the panicky posts from last night's forums regarding failed ACK's, computer failures, server logjams, and other crises -> the majority of which were a predictable result of failure to plan properly back in March. I usually take the following week off to go somewhere nice, then come back to finish up lingering payroll tax reports by Apr 30. Beginning in early-to-mid May, I turn my attention back to 1040's.

I agree with Taxed, and I enjoy being an enabler. I like those people who want extensions. They enable me to accept more work than I would be able to accomplish between Feb - Apr without working myself to exhaustion. So I see them as revenue enhancers. Sure, some of them continue to procrastinate, and they take more time to manage, but as long as they're willing to pay the extra charges for dealing with them, I'm happy to do their work. Billable time is billable time - no matter whether I'm preparing a return or following up with them to get the remaining info. Now I suppose if I locked myself into a rigid fixed fee schedule based on the number of forms on the return, I'd feel a little differently. But even in that case, there's always the option to add a line for "Additional Services" related to filing the extension, chasing them down for info, etc. Some people don't respect your time - charge them for it anyhow. They will either make it worth your while or they will go away. Either way you win.

Good point. I'm also glad Eric isn't using the "Raving Database".

Or they will move to the states where their neighbors are getting more from the government. After all, that's how things are supposed to work in a Federal System.

I'll definitely do that. I've only had a few of these over the years (maybe less than a dozen) and have always been able to get them removed when certified mail with RR was used, but I understand we're in a whole new ball game with IRS and penalties these days.

I agree completely. Thanks for mentioning the "Donate" button Jack.

We're going to test that theory in my office. Client had a valid extension and mailed his paper 1120S via Certified Mail with return receipt on 9/13/13. IRS received it on 9/23/13 and the return receipt card came back a few days later. This week he received a CP162 for late filing, assessing a one-month penalty. We're sending them a copy of the green RR card, along with the printout from the US Post Office tomorrow. The printout gives the complete history of the mailing. I'll report back on whether they accept our documentation. But if he had not used Certified Mail with Return Receipt, I would't even have bothered to ask for removal of the penalty.

One never knows when tax preparers may be called upon to help restart the Space Shuttle program. It's good policy to be prepared.

Sh If you'd seen the expression on her face and heard the tone in her voice, you'd likely come to a different conclusion on this particular matter. Nevertheless, she is very understanding and I'm grateful to have a blessing like her.

What's a washing machine? (My wife told me I should ask that question and everyone would understand)

I think all the mud we've been slinging over on the "Political" section is clogging up the gears for the whole site.

If mom happens to live longer than expected, his self-centered shenanigans will guarantee that she ends her days in the worst possible circumstances, with no choices and no financial cushion. His wife should take note of this, because if he outlives HER, there will be a re-run of this scenario in some form.

I usually wait until the last minute for most things, But out of curiosity I decided to log in this evening while relaxing at home. It took about 10 minutes and I was all finished. I pay by e-check and I think that may speed things up. When it came time to pay, I just told the system to use the same as last year. (have seen some complaints about people having to wait for credit/debit cards to be approved).

Agreed. Plus, we teach kids it's cute to extort candy from strangers with an implied threat of some sort.

NC doesn't.

Mr Pencil and I agree completely. Sounds like they may want to drag you into the conversation so if anything goes wrong they can try and blame you. When I get these type of inquiries, I tell them about the gift tax implications and I tell them if they have ANY OTHER QUESTIONS they need to pay an attorney specializing in Elder Care to advise them. I usually try to put that in an email so I've documented the advice. If I had a client who doesn't use email, I'd probably put a footnote on the bill for their visit, or send them a memorandum if I chose not to charge for the visit.

You're correct. It's even helping me and I'm no longer an ATX user. It's helping me make a decision about my backup plan.

Could it be that there are some things they just don't want to talk about?

Surely you know they're going to drag it out.

Are they going to let former uses see it? Or are they so insular and narrowly focused that they are going to miss yet another opportunity to bring some customers back? This is as much a test of their marketing acumen as well as their programming abilities , whether they acknowledge it or not.

Sadly, many times these are the same people squandering money they really can't afford to waste on Lottery Tickets, all in the vain hope of scoring the big jackpot.