Face to face with your accountant

[Sally@InTouch]

In the 18 years I've worked in the contractor accountancy business, I reckon I have had a face to face with around 10 clients or prospective clients, none of which have been since 2004. With a good accountant who you can get hold of quickly, there's no need in my opinion. It's all down to personal choice at the end of the day.

[Alan @ BroomeAffinity]

I have about 10 client meetings a year and mostly these could be avoided but the clients are old-school and like them so I have them.

I once had a client who owned a gym and he said that his research said that something like 80% of members of gyms with pools took a membership out based on the fact that the gym had a pool but only 10% of members actually use it. I think face-to-face meetings are the accountants version of a pool.

[THEPUMA]

To be a contrarian as always, I reckon I meet 95% clients face-to-face around the time when we start to act for them.

I just prefer the personal approach and believe that more information comes out that enables me to understand the client's circumstances better and provide better, more tailored advice.

We do have clients where it isn't immediately convenient to meet due to geographical location. Wherever possible I still try and arrange a meeting either by us both travelling half way or next time either of us is somewhere in the vicinity of where the other works.

Occasionally none of this works and we end up doing everything by phone or email and it just doesn't seem to work as well, in my opinion.

[geoffreywhereveryoumaybe]

3 letter acronym

The prominent ones on this site have done for me for over 10 years and all of the accountants and support staff have been female and I have never met any of them.

[BolshieBastard]

Hi All,

I just wanted to enquire if those of you that use the most prominent contractor accountants have every met your accountant in the flesh so to speak ?

Before anyone has a go, I'm simply interested in the answers, I think there is no need in this day and age but someone else here is arguing the personal approach i.e. face to face with tea and biscuits is still needed.

I think there's an almost legal requirement for the accountant to see you F2F once a year. I think its the chartered accountant's body that recommends this.

Doesnt make any odds though. I have a good chat about the footie, life and other things because I've known him for 15 years. Im not interested in the 'cheapest accountant' anyone can find, thanks.

[Jessica@WhiteFieldTax]

I think there's an almost legal requirement for the accountant to see you F2F once a year. I think its the chartered accountant's body that recommends this.

No, thats not so Trust me on that.

[d000hg]

Never. I seem to recall Quay had local people if you wanted but I didn't, and it's simply not something I even considered when switching.

As long as they are quick to reply to emails and answer the phone, I'm happy.

[mudskipper]

I tried to sort out a face to face meet when I started contracting, but it got cancelled twice and never actually happened. I chose an accountant with a local office, thinking it would be useful, but the actual accountant I was assigned was miles away. It was never a problem though.

Personally, I think it would be nice for an accountant to suggest a face to face (or even a phone call) with new customers to talk through their tax affairs - we don't always know what we need to ask.

[Contreras]

Hi All,

I just wanted to enquire if those of you that use the most prominent contractor accountants have every met your accountant in the flesh so to speak ?

Before anyone has a go, I'm simply interested in the answers, I think there is no need in this day and age but someone else here is arguing the personal approach i.e. face to face with tea and biscuits is still needed.

My accountant probably isn't in the category that you define as "the most prominent contractor accountants", but he does deal mainly with one-man-contractor types, and he is also local.

I have had face to face meetings with him a couple of times prior to engaging services but since then everything has been done by email, despite me WFH and him being only ten minutes down the road. This surprised me at first but ultimately it's an efficient way of working.

The point is that he is readily available for face to face meetings and, rightly or wrongly, that adds confidence to the relationship in my view. Being able to easily turn up at his office to deal with any 'issues' is something I value, although hopefully there will never be any disputes that need to be resolved in that way! Having actually met I feel I know his 'character' better and this helps takes the edge off what can be an otherwise cold and impersonal medium of email alone.

[Jeremiah@RHJAccountants]

I have met 5% of my clients over the years as a contractor accountant and i get the general feeling that most contractors don't feel the need for the face to face meeting.

When i was a normal accountant i had a lot more face to face meetings with clients to review the year end accounts etc

In my opinion if you can respond to emails and telephone calls within a reasonable amount of time ( I do with all my clients within 24 hours) then there is no need to for the face to face meeting

Although the thumbs up for meetings gives me the excuse to have some more biscuits and maybe even sneak in a sarnie too