As an accountant, it's hard to stay on top client work when you’re drowning in a sea of emails. But while these emails are necessary for client interaction, they shouldn’t be depriving you of the time (and money) you need to grow your business. For example, getting notified when a client tries to communicate with you is great, but getting caught in a chain of CC'd emails and FYI’s is not - and it's a surefire way to lose track of time.
With so many client relationships formed online, it's important that you manage your inbox as seamlessly and efficiently as you can - so here are a few tips to get you started;
The most efficient accountants use a team inbox; to share and store their emails in a unified dashboard. This means you never have to worry about a proper handover when a colleague leaves the firm as all client-related communications are automatically being archived.
Having a shared email will also ensure everyone is on the same page when it comes to client issues; when a problem has been solved or a payment has been processed.
We’ve done our research and found that email causes professionals to leak over $50,000 in revenue per year - so stop using your Gmail account to communicate with team members and start using it to make more money. Keep track of all your billable hours (yes, this includes email) with a time-tracking feature which automatically captures and logs the time you spend messaging clients.
Whats even better than tracking time? Saving time! Easily convert an email into a payment reminder or invoice to fast track the payment process for you and your clients.
Personalize and organize your inbox so it works for you. Delete all irrelevant threads, flag important requests and unsubscribe to annoying campaigns that clutter your feed. Try to respond to messages that matter when you first see them - before you get distracted or inundated with client work.
Save even more time with a service operations software that syncs your emails to your sales, so you can check in with clients from anywhere (at anytime). And remember, if you have a question that can easily be asked or answered over the phone, just do that - it will save you waiting in suspense for a reply that's urgent.
To learn more about the high costs associated with untracked time, check out our report or see how much more you could be making with this simple calculator.
