Most accountancy firms now have staff working from home. Whilst technology allows many of us to be able to work remotely and still access clients and the firm’s data, some staff job roles have been significantly hampered by the change in location. So, here are some ideas for keeping staff productive when working from home.
Who is likely to be affected by remote working?
You may have staff from across the firm who are not being as productive as they were before they had to work from home. From trainees who need to be sat close to someone to learn what to do, to bookkeepers or accountants who have seen a sharp fall in clients sending in their financial records to process. You may also have reception and admin staff who usually require the physical presence of the office to perform their duties.
So how can they use this time effectively?
Data cleaning from home
Now is the time to get your database up to date. Not only can this help with future client communications, but it will also make your marketing more effective and easier to implement if you have an up to date, accurate database which you can use to target different groups. The type of things to review and update are:
- Check contact names, addresses, emails, phone numbers, etc are correct and complete.
- Make a note of clients’ business details – number of directors/partners, number of employees, turnover, business structure, business sector, etc.
- Do the same as above with potential clients.
Data cleaning could be done by anyone using their personal knowledge of the client/prospect – to ‘fill in the gaps’, or by doing desktop research on websites and sites like Companies House. During this time, you may also want to review your GDPR policies to ensure they cover you and your staff for working from home and processing data.
Develop your hidden marketing resource
Our blog ‘Getting staff involved with marketing’ gives some great tips for how to get all staff doing their bit to stay in touch with clients and to help target new clients. From sending emails and letters to clients updating them on the latest COVID-19 support, creating short webinars on topical subjects, posting on social media and creating lists of businesses who would be great clients in the future, anyone can be involved in the marketing process. The above blog also talks about networking. However, in the absence of any face-to-face events currently taking place, check out your local networking groups to see if they are arranging any virtual networking events that staff could participate in.
Proactive client care
Most accountancy firms have been overwhelmed with worried clients asking about what business support is available to them in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Partners and staff should use this time to send email updates as and when new information is released, with links to the appropriate websites. Staff should also talk (via the phone or video meeting) to clients. Sometimes having someone to talk to can be just as important as having someone fixing the problem. Partners may also want to carry out a similar phone/video meeting with prospective clients they have developed links with. This can all be done from home.
A further opportunity to be proactive is using this time to have a detailed review of your clients’ tax affairs. Software such as Absolute Accounting’s Taxpert Tax Apps lets you accurately review, calculate and compare (where relevant) the liabilities for different tax planning scenarios. The Apps cover salary vs dividend and interest income, tax and NIC on an individual’s income, and comparing the figures for being a sole trader vs a limited company. They also have developed Apps to calculate tax on Company Cars and Pension Contributions, as well as identifying if tax can be reclaimed (or saved) from Top Slicing Relief on insurance policy gains, following a major change in legislation announced in the Budget.
Don’t stop training!
Now is a great time for staff to catch up with their CPD or professional qualifications. The recent Spring Budget saw some major changes being announced. Chargeable staff should use this time to get themselves up to speed with all these changes and the impacts they could have on their clients. Firms such as PTP Training have developed great online courses and training products that staff can log onto remotely.
Likewise, if you have trainee accountants, they can continue their studies from home (even if they have been furloughed). Providers such as Accountancy Learning have great AAT distance learning courses covering accounts and bookkeeping. Plus, they can help you recruit, train and support accounting apprentices using their tried and tested online and remote working support packages.
If you’d like to get your trainees producing a set of accounts in as little as 5 days, or perhaps provide a refresher course for anyone returning to work, Accountancy Learning have also created an online bookkeeping course, The Balancing Act, which can achieve just that.
Working from home doesn’t mean that things don’t get done. It just means we have to go about tasks in a different way. Where we can carry on as normal, albeit using different forms of communication – great. But where we think there is nothing we can do, start looking around, that list of ‘rainy day jobs’ may now be at the top of the pile!
Free client communications review
Are you worried about keeping in touch with clients? If you’d like to chat through your concerns and come up with some actionable points that you can do yourself, please don’t hesitate to book a free ‘marketing’ review Zoom or phone call with me. The call doesn’t have to be about marketing, but if you need advice on how best to serve your clients in these difficult times, I’d be happy to share my experiences free of charge. Simply complete the review request form here.
