By: Dustin Hostetler, Flowtivity
Sarah Johnson, Inovautus Consulting
@TheCPACA
Polling Question:
What size firm do you
represent?
@TheCPACA
The mission of the CPA Consultants’
Alliance is to explore leadership issues
facing the profession and develop and
share solutions that benefit
practitioners. CPA Consultants'
Alliance members support each
member’s growth and collaborate to
make a difference in the communities
we serve.
@TheCPACA
• 78 Billion Baby Boomers Retiring over
the next 15 years
• Less than 50 billion Gen Xers
• Unemployment within the CPA
profession ~3% -- nearly “full
employment” and growth in jobs is
projected at 18% by 2016
• Younger CPAs with talent can find
employment anywhere or start their
own practices with so many retirees
willing to transition their books
@TheCPACA
• In spring 2012, conducted an online survey
of 788 CPAs and CPA firm administrators in
public accounting
• In spring 2012, conducted an online survey
of 788 CPAs and CPA firm administrators in
public accounting
• 3.3% of respondents were sole practioners
and 2.2% represented the big 4. The
balance were CPA firms with between 275+ partners. *
*full response data can be found in the whitepaper
@TheCPACA
• 46% of respondents represented
owners, shareholders and partners
• 15% senior managers and directors
• 7.8% manager level accountants*
*full response data can be found in the whitepaper
@TheCPACA
Top 3 Most Important Characteristics
• Integrity
• Ability to develop a strong team
and delegate to them
• Be visionary
@TheCPACA
Top 3 Missing Characteristics from the
partner, owner and shareholder
perspective.
• Motivate others
• The ability to develop a strong team
and delegate to them
• Being Visionary
@TheCPACA
Top 3 Missing Characteristics
• Communicates at the right time, to
the right audience
• The ability to develop a strong team
and delegate to them
• Being Visionary
@TheCPACA
Photo Credit
@TheCPACA
@TheCPACA
• NOT a policy, memo or email
• NOT a one time event
IS a consistent process to get people
on the same page
@TheCPACA
We retain approximately 10 percent
of what we see; 30 to 40 percent of
what we see and hear; and 90
percent of what we see, hear, and
do.
@TheCPACA
• Excellent Client Service requires
excellence in internal
communications
• Communication of client
knowledge, information,
engagement status, expectations,
future needs
@TheCPACA
• Teamwork requires timely
communication
• Be on the same page for your
clients
• Internal Customer Dynamic
@TheCPACA
Polling Question:
What channels do you currently
use to communicate to your
employees?
@TheCPACA
• Marketing & Business
Development
• HR
• Leadership
• Training
• Building a culture
• Client Service
@TheCPACA
Marketing & Business Development
• Expectations for new business
• Roles/Activities in marketing
• Ties to promotion and
compensation
HR
• Firm policies and procedures
• Performance feedback
• Recruiting
• Career path opportunities
@TheCPACA
Leadership/Culture
• Mission
• Vision
• Core Values
@TheCPACA
Polling Question:
What communication
methods does your firm use
to communicate review points
on engagements?
@TheCPACA
Client Service
• Audit
◦ Scheduling
◦ Interim and Planning
◦ Pre-Fieldwork and Fieldwork
◦ Wrap-Up
@TheCPACA
Client Service
• Tax
◦ Request Lists to clients
◦ Readiness to start Preparing Return
◦ Collaborative Review
◦ Assembly and Delivery Instructions
@TheCPACA
Frequently and Often
@TheCPACA
@TheCPACA
Director of Internal Communication
• Owns internal communication
function
• Develops and crafts messages and
key points
• Preps and arms your mid-level
managers to field questions
@TheCPACA
Polling Question:
Do you believe “collaborative
review” can benefit your firm
and client engagements?
@TheCPACA
Client Engagements:
• Voice and Real-Time vs. Text and Delayed
◦ Benefits:
 Timelier completion and better service
 Improved Training and Development
• Remote Options
◦ Video Conferences
◦ IM
◦ Pick up the old-fashioned phone…
• Proactive, timely, real-time
communication strategies are a must for
managing and reviewing engagements
effectively
@TheCPACA
@TheCPACA
Gary Thomson, Regional Managing
Partner, Dixon Hughes Goodman
Mike Sibley, Audit Partner,
@TheCPACA
1. Describe the improvement that you
have seen from more effective
internal communication in your
processes?
@TheCPACA
2. What are unique approaches or
non traditional channels you are
using to communicate internally?
What has been the impact of this
approach?
@TheCPACA
3. What is the process you went
through to implement and get the
buy-in for the new processes?
@TheCPACA
4. What are 1 or 2 things you wish
you had done differently as you
implemented these changes?
@TheCPACA
5. What types of things are you
communicating and how frequently?
@TheCPACA
Questions
@TheCPACA
Visit our website to:
• Download the Whitepaper
• Subscribe to our newsletter
Dustin Hostetler, Flowtivity
• 330-345-1646
• dustin@flowtivity.com
Next Webinar:
• September 24, 2013, The
Quest to Build a Learning
Culture
Sarah Johnson, Inovautus
• 773-208-7170
• sjohnson@inovautus.com
CPACONSULTANTSALLIANCE.com
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@TheCPACA