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Client Appointments


ETax847

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Tax season never runs smoothly for me.  If I set appointments in the Organizer, clients dont keep them.  If I dont set the appointment and tell clients to call to schedule, they never do.  What do you do to ensure your tax season runs smoothly in terms of having your clients come in when you want them to?

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I have moved to having as many of my clients as possible, drop off information.  In my private practice, with ~220 clients, I only do 10 in office preparation appointments.  The exception is for new clients.  First time, I always have an in office appointment with new clients.  After that, drop and I will call.

It is much faster to prepare returns when the clients are not in my office.  I am able to be more efficient.

You are correct, people do not keep appointments and do not have enough courtesy to even call when they know they will not be there.  One of the reasons I adopted the "drop and I will call" approach.

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^ what Jack said!  Drop off solved multiple issues for me. No more missed or late appointments, the few that always show up much too early and interrupt other work, and especially the ones that think it's ok to bring multiple very young hyperactive children with them. Most of my clients really like the idea too because it is more convenient for them.   My only regret is that I didn't do it many years sooner.  

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I don't make appointments, either.  I find that the more flexible I am with that type thing, the less stressed I am.  Drop off anytime, we'll talk as necessary, and I'll call you when it's ready.  I also tell them, if the door is unlocked, whether during official hours or not, come on in.  I used to keep the door locked on Saturdays, and always had somebody banging on it like they might die.  I didn't find any bodies when I left, so I guess not.  Now I leave the door unlocked on Saturday, and fewer people "have to" see me on Saturday.  Seems like the way it works.

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If you really want people to book appointments, you can try https://youcanbook.me/ for free.  You can set up the times YOU are available, clients can book for a half hour or an hour, both you and client get confirmation emails and a link to cancel or re-book. It links to your computer calendar, too, so if you block out vacation (or CPE class) schedules those are already included in your not-available times.

I have used the freebie version for about a year now, and it works just fine.  

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First off, I *like* meeting with my clients.   Yes, its a PITA, but I like to say hello, how are you, how are the kids, and what happened last year.  I do encourage drop-offs, it does save me time, but I feel that it turns the tax return into to much of a commodity if there isn't that personal face time.

So, I set the appointments and mail them the Organizer with the appointment date and time on the *outside* of the envelope, as well as on the inside.  Most of my clients show up.  Those that do not, get a phone call from a staff member to reschedule.

I also use YouCanBookMe and find it to work great, I have the link in my email signature line.  I tell folks to follow the link in the email, and they are good with it.

Rich

 

 

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I too prefer drop offs, but in-person appts have advantages too.  A big one is that the return gets DONE and doesn't sit there in the ever-growing stack.  And sometimes you pick up things that don't get captured by just paperwork, like changes in family circumstances or sale of a second home (they never thought to bring in the HUD).  I was chatting with a client who was picking up his dropped-off return and he mentioned that his teacher wife was now part time and had no retirement plan anymore.  I had never heard of a teacher without a juicy retirement plan. I marched him into my office and set up an IRA contribution, so instead of owing a lot he owed just a little, and the state turned from a balance due to a refund.  Bad things about in-person appts is that if the return takes 15 minutes, it's hard to justify your big fat fee.

Most of my returns are complex and the clients would never sit there for 2-4 hours (or 5 or 6 or more), nor would I want them to.  I do a couple of in face appts a day, a few more than that on Saturday, and the rest of the time I work in peace.  One of my colleagues does the opposite--schedules 12+ appts a day and spends late nights and Sunday on the complex stuff (or gives it to me, or gives me the thorny parts and he does the rest of the return).

ETax, you have to train your clients better to keep and/or make appts.  Our phone will start ringing right after the new year for appts, and by mid-Feb most of the schedule is filled.  We do not set their appts nor do we call them to make one or remind them.  Funny how your clientele is so different than ours in this regard.  It must be what they're used to.

 

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5 hours ago, Richcpaman said:

First off, I *like* meeting with my clients.   Yes, its a PITA, but I like to say hello, how are you, how are the kids, and what happened last year.  I do encourage drop-offs, it does save me time, but I feel that it turns the tax return into to much of a commodity if there isn't that personal face time.

I like meeting with my clients, too, and we do plenty of yakking at both drop off and pick up as I am the only one here.  Too much, but I like it, so it's fine.  Some days it feels like I get nothing done between 8 and 4 because of the visiting, and I get started "working" when people clear out.  I can't stand the chatter while I work, and want quiet.  I commend all of those who can chat and work at the same time.  But I'd make too many mistakes, I think.

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For me it's easy to be very productive with nearly all mail ins and drop offs, that for some reason come in on a fairly metered schedule making for a fast turn around.  I used to do appointments and it got out of hand.  New first time clients (I only accept a few now),  I'll meet at their place if local where I can manage the time and escape on my schedule.  I'll have some chit chat on the phone during tax season but limit it to only a minute or two.  Off season, all of a sudden I have 300 friends as clients knowing they can call any morning with questions and concerns.  Then they try to get away from me as I love hearing about their lives.  They say friends are like therapy and I find being genuinely concerned about their lives is a form of showing my gratification to them.   I heard there have been studies done that showing gratification is healthy, so I win all the way around.

 

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16 hours ago, Richcpaman said:

I also use YouCanBookMe and find it to work great, I have the link in my email signature line.

You can also make the client appt thru ycbm *for* them - they then get an email with the reschedule link.  I've done that for some folks who dither on times - I pick one and let them change if they want.  

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We do hourly appointments from 9 to 5 Monday to Saturday.  With a 1 hour and 30 min. break for lunch.  Give 1 hour to each client.  Collect our fee at each appointment.  We do 500 1040 returns during the normal tax season with no time for a second appointment.  Our average return was $178. this year.  Do another 100 after April 15th.  We don't bill.  That's  why I can't mess around with should I provide my e-file summary page or not. I have to be ready now and not have a snag in late January.  We only do 1040's.  I feel that's where the money is.

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There's money in 1040s because there are more of them.  Start getting into 1065s and 1120s, and not so many preparers do them so you can charge more.  I do plenty of 1040s, but the big bucks come from 1041s.  Many clients come to me with estates and trusts because their regular person doesn't do them.  Tax law is so complex that I think eventually we will all have to find a niche.  No one can possibly know all this stuff.  (I refer out foreigners with US income unless they are here are the most basic visas; don't want to make a mistake with those.  I'm sure the people who do them charge A LOT.)  You'll end up doing your 500 1040 returns and the pro at foreign taxes will end up doing 100 returns and I'll end up doing 25 1041s and we'll all make the same income.  You will need to have a strict appointment schedule to fit in those clients.  I won't.  Your life will be much more relaxed after tax season; mine won't. I'm amazed by those of you who have clients walk in anytime to drop things off and chat, or pick up returns and chat.  What pleasant days you must have.  Our practice is just too big for that.

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Drop box = no chatting, interruptions, or meeting with me unscheduled. Plus, they can return e-file signature forms and payments in a secure location. Before that box was installed I was meeting with each client twice, or more. Some still request a drop off appointment, but now I meet with many only once when they pick up the finished product.

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I agree with everything said about keeping the clients out of your office so you can get some work done. Use US mail, Fedex, drop box outside your office, private delivery service, email, text, (anything but the telephone).  

The same rule applies to obtaining missing info, asking follow-up questions, and getting clarifications. 90% of the time you don't need to speak with them or see them. 

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Well, you do have a point, Rita. 

Reminds me of the time I was speaking with a banker at church, when another member walked up to us.  She reminded me of a previous conversation when I had told her she should not apply for a separate Fed ID Number for a sub-ministry of the church because it needed to fall under the blanket exemption the church enjoyed.  She said she had called IRS and they had told her it was OK to do, so they sent her the application form and she had filed it anyhow. I thanked her for letting me know and she went on her way. 

The banker then asked if it bothered me that she didn't listen to what I had originally told her.  I told him it really didn't bother me that someone didn't value advice I gave for free, because people frequently pay me for advice they don't follow... 

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22 hours ago, SaraEA said:

   I'm amazed by those of you who have clients walk in anytime to drop things off and chat, or pick up returns and chat.  What pleasant days you must have.  Our practice is just too big for that.

 

11 hours ago, RitaB said:

It would be even more pleasant if somebody paid me to chat.  There's that...;)

It all is in the perspective ---- I have two clients that all they do is chat === phone === but a VERY different business than taxes. They make excellent dollars and set own hours, etc. with a very restrictive/different cliental.  They enjoy "chatting" but it is definitely not for everyone.

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I'm going to Sacramento for a week to see some clients in person. These are either people that don't do computers and/or some special ones I like to socialize with. I'm not set up here to see people. Remote or nothing!

i bill if I have to get dressed. Last year I wore slippers for everyone. Bought black ones so it wasn't as obvious as the bright pink fluffy ones. ;)

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23 hours ago, BHoffman said:

I work at my home office.  If I have to put shoes on, someone is getting a bill.

Reminds me of a couple summers ago when I was still at my home office only.  Client dropped by unexpectedly to discuss a situation that had just come up.  I was working in my garden after a rain, mud from hands to elbows and from feet to knees.  He paid me to sit on my back porch with him and talk, while he pulled pertinent documents and held them so I could read them.  Then he opened my back door at my direction and put all the papers on the kitchen table - I wasn't going to touch them until after I'd cleaned up, which wasn't going to be until I was done in the garden!

And he apologized for interrupting my work, and then made nice comments about my garden.

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Some of these comments make me wonder if never/rarely giving clients face time contributes to the commoditization of tax prep (" the process by which goods that have economic value and are distinguishable in terms of attributes (uniqueness or brand) end up becoming simple commodities in the eyes of the market or consumers." Wikipedia).  Drop your tax docs off, get a phone call that returns are done, come in, sign, pay, do it again next year.  Kind of like dropping off your dry cleaning.  I admit that I have many clients whom I've never met.  Yet with many of them we have multiple phone conversations and emails throughout the year so I feel that I know them.  (Kind of like online dating?)  I do make a point of calling every client when his/her return is done to discuss the results and perhaps offer some insight into what to expect next year.  Now I wonder if that's enough.  Just maybe the fact that clients don't have a personal connection to their preparer drives them to DIY software?  Maybe we should do more to engage them personally, even if it takes away precious work time?  I work hard on every single return (treat every one like it's your only one), and do my best to find every tax break, and now I wonder if that gets through.  Thoughts?

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Sometimes I feel like I have too much of a personal connection to my clients. I've known most of them for 30 or more years. I have lost many of them and now prepare returns for the grandkids. I know more about many of them than I would like to know. I feel like a therapist for many and they would love for my to be their attorney, banker and financial advisor, but I don't get into any of that stuff. I do have to try to limit my time with some of them or they would stay for hours and I would never get any work done. I care a lot about my clients and that is one of the reasons that it is difficult for me to raise my fees. I know that coming to me is a financial burden for some and I give them a discount, even though my time spent with them warrants a much larger fee. I hear about it constantly from my family and it is difficult now that I am the breadwinner since my husband became disabled. I did lose a couple of clients last year that get later and later every year about bringing in their work way after my deadline. I finally put my foot down in 14 and put them on extension, instead of busting my rear to get their returns done in April. 

 

 

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I guess it is up to us to decide how much of a friend, confidant, and advisor we decide to be with our clients.  Knowing so many for so long makes it difficult to not listen as they consider you more than a preparer.  During tax season I'll limit the other than tax stuff talk and will gladly call them back after the season ends to "catch up."  But you know the ones that you just can't resist hanging out on the phone with because you happen to like them and they are nice people.  

Something I've been doing for a few years is I will record their birthdays on a calendar and make about 50 Happy Birthday calls.  I don't sing, but they are really impressed you remembered them.  These are the people I can consider more than a client and the few minutes I spend on the phone is enjoyable for them and makes me feel good that I did it.  And the little old ladies that have been around forever, believe me, that makes their day, I did a good thing, maybe I'll get a room with a view in tax heaven.

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