Today I fired my CPA
I have been thinking about it for a while. A few things have bothered me over the last six months, and in the end, it was the lack of courtesy and communication that really tipped the scales for me.
Customer service is an attitude which makes the client feel included, educated, and safe. With my CPA, I felt none of those things, and as a result, I left.
Of course, results matter
In terms of a score card, my CPA experience was fairly good in terms of tax refund amount and cost. I got a good return, and the cost for his services was in line with my expectation. Pretty good, so far.
- Financial benefit: A-
- Cost: B
The experience was terrible
Un-returned emails. Dismissive tone. Invoices attached to blank emails. Charges for training that I thought was complimentary. Lack of any education and process. I am the one who asked questions and felt like I had to “double-check” the work.
Oddly, the lack of service made me doubt his content expertise. Intellectually, I knew that his unresponsiveness, and aloof attitude should not impact his ability to analyze and file taxes. . . but there was a crack in the dam of confidence. I just was not sure anymore. Essentially, I could not trust him. If he would not return calls on time, then would he go the extra mile with the IRS? No trust = no relationship.
- Subject-matter expertise: B-
- Customer service: D
People hire consultants for many reasons
- Validate a “hunch”
- Deliver a difficult message (e.g., layoffs).
- Provide staff augmentation for a roles that abruptly went empty
- Conduct some of the analytic “heavy lifting”
- Access best practices and industry-standards
Paying for security
Clients are ALWAYS hiring consultants for a sense of security. They want to know that they made the right choice. They want to be advised, appreciated, and involved. While it seems like a small thing, I felt this first hand. When I am paying $$ for professional services, I want to feel good about it.
- “It was a smart decision”
- “They will protect me. They have my back.”
- “They know their stuff.”
- “I would recommend them to anyone.”
Golden Rule
As a consultant (by profession), who fired a CPA today, it makes me reflect on how professional I am to my clients. How much security is my team giving my client? Does my client feel safer because we are helping them? Am I following the golden rule? Am I treating my client, as I would want to be treated?
In my CPA’s case, the answer was no.