Those messages that you ignore...but you have a little fit inside

[RitaB]

Guy owes and waits three weeks to return Form 8879.   While he is standing over my shoulder watching me enter his bank numbers (I actually insisted, if you knew these people, you would, too) because he has changed his mind about mailing a check, the phone rings.  Of course, I let it go to voice mail. 

IT WAS HIS WIFE WANTING TO KNOW IF SHE COULD TELL FAFSA THEY HAVE FILED OR IF SHE SHOULD WAIT A COUPLE DAYS.

Thought bubble:  Yes, when I hit "send" every agency in the universe has your very special and mysterious tax return in their system.

[Catherine]

I have a lady whose trustee contacted me a year or two ago to do her tax returns.  Disabled, and a little "weird" shall we say?  Trustees send me all the financial stuff, but she sends me medical expenses, which are substantial.  MULTIPLE phone calls that always get shunted to voice mail, "Hi Mrs White this is (name name name - always the FULL name) calling.  I wanted you to know that I'm working and I hope to have things in the mail to you by March 21st will that be OK?"  "Hi Mrs White this is (name name name) I'm still working on it and just wanted you to know."  "Hi Mrs White this is (name name name) did I send you my information yet? I don't remember."

Dear Lord have mercy.  I know she has "issues" and the trustees pay promptly and *very* well and understand why the bill is as high as it is.

The time she called my HOME number (not home office: home) at FOUR IN THE MORNING I read her the riot act.  Sent her a letter the next day saying if I got ONE more call outside of office hours she would be an immediate EX-client.  Got profuse apologies by letter and several more phone calls... 

But yeah, that little fit inside whenever I see the caller ID.  Oy!

[RitaB]

24 minutes ago, Catherine said:

But yeah, that little fit inside whenever I see the caller ID.  Oy!

I can't have caller ID.

[Catherine]

Just now, RitaB said:

I can't have caller ID.

Still on rotary dial - or can't be trusted with it?  

[RitaB]

8 minutes ago, Catherine said:

Still on rotary dial - or can't be trusted with it?  

If I knew who was calling, I'd answer about three calls a week.  But I have push buttons this year and really like them. 

OK, this latest message I won't ignore, but really?? 

"Rita, this is (Name).  (Cause it's not possible that I have more than one Carol.)  Would you have them put my refund in Pen Air Credit Union in Florida?  Thanks."

Thought bubble:  Yeah, I can probably get it to that bank, would you also like for it to go into your account at the bank or are working on donations for 2016?

[Lion EA]

Rita, it is worth every penny to have caller ID even if you have to string the wire yourself from town!  If I didn't have caller ID, I'd let EVERY call go to voicemail.  I'd listen to them twice/day and choose when I wanted to return each one.  Oh, and I'd turn the ringer off, too.

[RitaB]

2 minutes ago, Lion EA said:

Rita, it is worth every penny to have caller ID even if you have to string the wire yourself from town!  If I didn't have caller ID, I'd let EVERY call go to voicemail.  I'd listen to them twice/day and choose when I wanted to return each one.  Oh, and I'd turn the ringer off, too.

Nope.  I don't want it.  I had it.  I'd rather be surprised.  And if I don't answer, half my clients would drop in to ask whatever question it was.  I'm not even kidding.  I think everybody in this county drives by every day.

[Lion EA]

Client just dropped her documents through my mail slot.  Not many drive by; I'm in the boonies.  In winter weather, NO one drives up my steep hill; but we had an early spring.  Hubby put in a doorbell, so now a few ring the bell and wait instead of dropping and leaving.  I might have to take out the doorbell !!  I'm trying to learn to ignore the bell like I ignore the phone.  I have the phone set at two rings to give me time to look at the caller ID and decide if I want to answer.  My voice message says, "by the next business day."  I'm really training people to use email.  I answer email almost immediately for real questions or information; last thing at night for those checking on my progress.  But now, more and more of my young clients are texting me.  My cell phone is usually in my purse in the bedroom or in the back seat of the car when driving.  So, I don't always notice those messages until the next time I go to use my cell; I have to start looking at that twice/day.  I do have it sitting in my office now.

[RitaB]

I have a commercial office in town.  I don't think I could handle working from home.  I salute you all.  I'm glad when I go home I can shoot anybody who comes down the driveway.  Just kidding.  Ok, maybe not.

[Richcpaman]

I am in the center of town.  The courthouse square is right out the door.  But you have to pay for parking.  That keeps down the "Drop-by's". 

Rich 

[SaraEA]

Lion, you respond to clients checking on your progress?  For those clients calling because "I just want to know how if my return is done," we have trained our receptionist to ask if we called them yet.  When the answer is no, she is supposed to tell them that we will call them when it is.  This does save us time from responding to some ridiculous phone calls.  (Doesn't mean they don't call again though.)  If you have a solo office, I would simply hit "delete."

Yesterday I got a call from a gal who moved out of state and sent her stuff to me.  I had both emailed and left a voice message that I was missing her IRA distribution 1099R.  I answered her call thinking she had some information for me.  Nah, she said she would look for the form but just wanted to know if she was getting anything back "so far."  Me:  I can't possibly tell until I see how much you took out of your IRA and how much tax was withheld.  Got the form today and the distribution was in excess of $100k (10% withheld, no state).  This is the same client who had moved to one state in 2014 and moved to a different state in January 2015. and told me, "I don't have to pay taxes (in new state that she lived in for 11 months), right?  Did the return and she not only owes federal big time but BOTH states.  Can't wait to see how long that phone call takes.

I've been watching it and have come to the unscientific conclusion that between one-third and half of the calls and emails I get are unnecessary.  In August I can put up with it, but certainly not now.  How do we make clients realize that they are not our only client, that they can't get an immediate response to nonsense communications, that their communications ARE nonsense and time-consuming and that if they would just leave us alone we could get their returns done?  And when people text, they do expect an instant response.  Never in a million years would I call a client from my personal cell because then they would have my number and I'd never get away from it. 

We need to train our clients to respect our time better.  Anyone done it successfully?

[Lion EA]

I'm working on it.  I don't take calls unless I want to/caller ID.  I don't answer texts via text; I email them back.  I return calls and texts by the next biz day via email, but I do return emails the same day to keep clients emailing.  I'm sitting here now returning emails and other messages via email.

When I first went out on my own, used my cell for biz until I got an office line.  Just about weaned all clients off cell when a few regressed to texting me on it.  And, a few knew me socially before becoming clients, so have my cell or even home # programmed into their phones; harder to break them but I always return calls from my office phone, or more often email, and tell them I don't answer my house phone during tax season.  And, I don't return biz calls from my cell or text.

I return emails to try to keep them emailing.  I return calls by the next biz day, but usually via email and not phone.  The just checking messages get a short No or Started or You're missing cost or.... via email.  Just returned an email now with a "preparing returns in the order received" email which I want to put on auto-respond.  I do respond to everybody.  But, I seldom pick up the phone for anybody!  I don't have staff, so I'm the one that has to keep clients happy enough to pay my prices.

Sara, your gal I would NOT have answered.  I would've waited for her to upload her 1099-R to my FileShare and emailed her or maybe called her when her return was done.  I do email clients that I received their documents, because they are nervous about their tax info/SSNs getting lost or stolen, so I would've emailed her when I received her 1099-R.

Hubby schmooses with my clients, so I don't have to take the time, when he does pick-ups and deliveries for me.  I even have him deal with signatures in the front hallway to keep clients out of my office.  He was a teacher for 37 years, so maybe I can put him in charge of client training.

[joanmcq]

Almost all my clients email or text if it's short. This is how well trained: today I got a text form a client I had emailed last night "got time to chat?"  Sometimes it's easier to clarify by phone, so I said yes.  

[JohnH]

23 hours ago, SaraEA said:

Lion, you respond to clients checking on your progress?  For those clients calling because "I just want to know how if my return is done," we have trained our receptionist to ask if we called them yet.  When the answer is no, she is supposed to tell them that we will call them when it is.  This does save us time from responding to some ridiculous phone calls.  (Doesn't mean they don't call again though.)  If you have a solo office, I would simply hit "delete."

Yesterday I got a call from a gal who moved out of state and sent her stuff to me.  I had both emailed and left a voice message that I was missing her IRA distribution 1099R.  I answered her call thinking she had some information for me.  Nah, she said she would look for the form but just wanted to know if she was getting anything back "so far."  Me:  I can't possibly tell until I see how much you took out of your IRA and how much tax was withheld.  Got the form today and the distribution was in excess of $100k (10% withheld, no state).  This is the same client who had moved to one state in 2014 and moved to a different state in January 2015. and told me, "I don't have to pay taxes (in new state that she lived in for 11 months), right?  Did the return and she not only owes federal big time but BOTH states.  Can't wait to see how long that phone call takes.

I've been watching it and have come to the unscientific conclusion that between one-third and half of the calls and emails I get are unnecessary.  In August I can put up with it, but certainly not now.  How do we make clients realize that they are not our only client, that they can't get an immediate response to nonsense communications, that their communications ARE nonsense and time-consuming and that if they would just leave us alone we could get their returns done?  And when people text, they do expect an instant response.  Never in a million years would I call a client from my personal cell because then they would have my number and I'd never get away from it. 

We need to train our clients to respect our time better.  Anyone done it successfully?

Well, I'll start the conversation for her.  I don't see how the $100K would cause her to owe, other than maybe a little bit of state tax.  After all, they "already withheld the taxes" on the Federal.