One of the best ways to succeed within the accounting industry is to improve not only on your technical knowledge, but to work on essential soft skills to create a well-rounded experience for your accounting firm and your clients.
Brushing up on your soft skills can elevate your firm to be able to deliver your technical skills in a concise and on-time manner. From working on your communication skills, time management, relationship-building, to creative problem-solving - what you improve upon could garner you the clients you desire and the employees who practice versatility.
Accountants are already well-versed in delivering critical information about their client’s financial status. Whether you are advising a client regarding their annual tax return or speaking frankly about their business’ future - the soft skill of effective communication is one that requires constant improvement. It’s always important to be clear with your client, favouring concise communication when delivering complex financial information. When you’re working with client’s from a multitude of backgrounds, changing your approach to suit the client’s prior knowledge is a soft skill that will win you their trust.
When running a firm, time management is an essential part of the process. Working with your employees to ensure their time management skills are a precedent means that you can face peak season knowing your output is running to a strict schedule. There are so many dates to remember within the accounting calendar - from EOFY to PAYG annual reports to BAS, creating a schedule of your annual timeline is a fantastic way to manage your firm’s deadlines and obligations. Some firms look to management software to create a seamless timeline while others outsource to virtual assistants or offshore companies.
One of the most significant soft skills to work on to ensure your firm succeeds is improving your client’s experience. Customer service is a crucial facet of your business model and ensures you can partner with the clients you want and build long-lasting professional relationships with them. This particular set of skills will see you being able to handle conflict with sensitivity, encouraging open feedback, following up on enquiries, and going above and beyond to guarantee your client’s experience is positive.
When handling business strategies and the issues that arise - creativity is key. Having the skills to be able to think outside of the box is a primary resource when engaging in creative problem-solving. Perhaps a client has a financial issue that you might not know the answer to. It’s absolutely fine to let them know you’ll come back to them later with a solution for them. You may have someone within your community that can reach out to and put your client in touch with them to resolve their issue. A client needs some advice regarding an upcoming estate transfer? Partner them with an estate lawyer in your circle of contacts and creatively solve their problem.
Organisation is a time-heavy and detailed skill that is a requisite to create success across all aspects of your firm. While not all staff members may possess a natural ability to organise, it is a skill that can be practiced according to your firm’s individual requirements. Regulations and laws regarding accounting are regularly being updated so it is important to make sure you and your employees are up to date and organise your systems to include them. When dealing with multiple clients and their files, creating an organised system either online or physically can help during peak seasons, allowing you to access information with ease.
The love of learning is a soft skill that can elevate your own and your staff’s career while upskilling your technical work. If you have employees who are driven and passionate about what they do, their hunger for learning will come naturally. Make sure you have the resources available to upskill your staff either through online courses, conferences, training days, or even lessons that go off the beaten path but improve morale. These could include after-work activities like trivia nights, painting classes, or escape rooms. They’re designed to bring your firm’s staff closer together to work as a team, fostering the soft skills of learning and teamwork.
Communication is key. Taking the time to engage your staff to work on their soft skills is an invaluable way to make sure your team provides a versatile environment for not only your firm but when forming loyal partnerships with your clients.
