Unique ways to suprise and delight your customers.

**Louise Madgwick** · 18-May-12, 11:09 AM

We are an accounting and tax firm and we are looking for unique ways to suprise and delight our customers, has anyone got some pointers, good articles to read, or books to recommend?

**Dave A** · 18-May-12, 09:18 PM

Don't charge them for services rendered...

Sorry - I've got Friday night fever

**Nickolai Naydenov** · 19-May-12, 07:30 AM

Hahaha... Dave you must add a "Like" button option

**Blurock** · 19-May-12, 12:26 PM

Originally Posted by Nickolai Naydenov

Hahaha... Dave you must add a "Like" button option

I agree. A Like button is not the same as thanks, such as jokes etc.

**Blurock** · 19-May-12, 12:24 PM

My experience is that most business owners can not read a balance sheet and understand very little about the financial side of their business.

How about displaying the monthly management reports in graphic form? You can show graphs or pie charts of YTD profit, t/o, stock movement etc compared to previous month/year. Eventually the client will be able to relate the pictures to numbers and get to understand his/her own business.

You may also charge for a discussion session where all is explained.

**Neville Bailey** · 19-May-12, 05:25 PM

Hi Louise, I'm assuming you are using Pastel to produce monthly accounts for some of your clients.

Following on from Blurock's suggestion, why not use Pastel's Business Intelligence Centre (BIC) module to automatically produce customised monthly accounts with graphs etc?

Let me know if I can assist you with this option.

**adrianh** · 19-May-12, 05:55 PM

I'll give you my view from a customers prespective. We also use a tax and accounting firm to look after our affairs. I cannot think of a single graph or pie chart that they would draw that would add any value to my life whatsoever. We go about our business most of the time and they go about theirs. We come into contact now and again so as to meet whatever regulations need to be met.

Ok, let me tell you what happened to me as a customer and the ourcome of that event. There was an advertisment on radio that annoyed me no-end. Everytime the ad played I would go off and my youngest daughter would make a particular noise related to the ad. I got so annoyed one night that I wrote the company an email and told them how terrible their ad is and that all they've accomplished through runnning the ad was to get my 10 year old daughter to make silly sounds. I get an email a couple of days later asking me for my daughter's particulars because they would like to make an investment of R5,000 on her behalf. They made the investment into their own business and sent us proof. We get updates on the state of the investment every so often. I'll tell you this much, my daughter sure as hell will never forget the name of that company, nor will I.

Now I'm not saying that you need to do the same but what I am saying is that you can reach your customers in very abstruse ways. I bet that if you were to send a letter (no not an email or a postcard) to your customers kids on their birthdays that the kids would be delighted and the customers would think that you take an interest in them as individuals. You don't have to do anything related to your business as such, just a "Hi, hope you have a great day with your friends"

**Blurock** · 20-May-12, 07:44 PM

Originally Posted by adrianh

I'll give you my view from a customers prespective. We also use a tax and accounting firm to look after our affairs. I cannot think of a single graph or pie chart that they would draw that would add any value to my life whatsoever. We go about our business most of the time and they go about theirs. We come into contact now and again so as to meet whatever regulations need to be met.

Maybe no need if you understand financials, however there are so many business owners that do not understand the basics. Their eyes open when they see how much they are over stocked and how much money is tied up in stock and debtors. Money that could have been spent more productively.

Also number of days outstanding on debtor accounts may show you that you need to tighten up on credit control.

Monthly management accounts (as early as possible in the following month) is a very useful, but most neglected business tool.

**eldonp** · 20-May-12, 03:52 PM

Originally Posted by Louise Madgwick

We are an accounting and tax firm and we are looking for unique ways to suprise and delight our customers, has anyone got some pointers, good articles to read, or books to recommend?

Hi Louise,

I'm a new small business in Customer Service improvement. Your question is exactly what I want to do. I'm looking for clients. Please could we have a chat? I see some mutual benefit for us.

Kind regards,
Eldon
info@delacroy.co.za

**adrianh** · 21-May-12, 12:45 AM

I agree with you but a little business does not use an accountant or tax consultant to handle the day to day running of the business. The information that you want to graph will at best be in the hands of the bookkeeper and at worst stashed in a pile of papers to be given to the bookkeeper at some point. My accountant has absolutely no insight into our monthly, let alone daily activities. Our bookkeeping is very good and up to date.