As technology continues to transform the accounting industry, it’s important to remember that what will always differentiate us as accounting professionals from technology is our ability to humanize the numbers and create long-lasting relationships. In particular, this means the connection we build with people and our ecosystem -- our clients, teams, colleagues and business partners.

But all too often, our continuing education budgets focus on teaching technical and compliance skills and not always the communication and people skills we should strive to continually improve. With the ever changing and fast growing technology that is being adopted in the accounting profession at a more rapid pace than we have ever seen before, it’s now more important than ever to focus on developing your own communication skills, and that of your employees, so together you can build the solid client and peer relationships needed for long-term success.

As a leader, placing an importance on this in your workplace allows your team to know this is an important piece of the work you do. Improving your communications skills will not only help your firm withstand technological advancements and curveballs in the profession, but create a more dynamic and nimble firm culture and a better client experience.

Training on communication skills

To excel in the accounting profession, it takes being highly valued, honored, and respected by your clients or the business partners you work with. I call this being a Cherished Advisor® -- it’s more than being trusted -- it’s being so highly valued for your advice that they can’t imagine not having you on their team.  

A key skill to becoming a Cherished Advisor is having excellent communication skills in a variety of areas. But good communication skills don’t always come naturally and like with any skill needs to learned and regularly practiced. 

Below are five areas where it’s important to develop good communication skills: 

• Leadership - is the ability to provide a level of experience that gives your clients, colleagues and business partners comfort and shows that they are getting significant value from their investment of time with you. This can also be applied to your teammates, as you guide by example and share your knowledge. This is not necessarily a title or role, this is how you demonstrate your expertise, as well as your team’s, and gives your client or business partner confidence they have the right team in place to help the overall business.

• Project management - is the ability to initiate, plan, execute, control and complete work in order to help your team and your customers achieve their goals. Project management is the complete end-to-end experience - all the touchpoints in your department and who interacts with each customer for all of their needs and ensures each project deadline is met.  

• Responsiveness - is establishing certain protocols that send a clear message to your client or business partner that they are important and you are invested in them. Part of being responsive means never letting distractions get in the way of your communication with the person in front of you. It also means setting a standard response time for returning phone calls and messages as a guideline for anyone on your team. It doesn’t mean it has to be you, it could be you assigning certain staff to different types of inquiries or finding ways to automate some of the answers to repetitive questions you receive through a CRM.

• Problem-solving - is about thinking on your feet, assessing problems, and developing a well-thought-out solution. If you find yourself not responding to an inquiry because you are concerned you may not have an answer they need, this is a skill to take more time with. Practicing how to respond to questions you are unsure of, without feeling like you are letting someone down is important. It comes back to responsiveness, as long as you get back to someone within a certain time period, they are usually more than satisfied to wait to get the answer they need.

• Collaboration - is the ability to approach a task with mutual respect in a way that best achieves your clients’ goals. Many times your client or business partners may have a different viewpoint. Learning how to find a place in the middle and finding the place of compromise is a crucial soft skill in advising others. When people feel heard, and you were able to move them forward in a positive way, both parties win.

To get started, lead by example. Find the skills that you can improve upon, and show your team and employees what steps you are taking. If project management isn’t your strong suit, delegate those tasks or hire someone to help in this area. If your team needs to work on effective collaboration, show them how you are going to help through training, new processes, or implementing new communication methods. 

Whatever you do, remember that while technology makes processes easier, the opportunity to grow as an advisor is what will differentiate you in the future. Take advantage of this opportunity by training yourself and your team on these skills to create a more dynamic culture and a firm that thrives well into the future.