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CPAs make a case for customer relationship management
Despite best intentions and good advice, accountants have long avoided or been mystified by the concept of customer relationship management practices and tools. To be fair, many in the profession still barely understand what CRM Is or can do for a CPA practice, but times are changing.
In 201 1, our survey of the Top 100 Firms found that CRM was the most popular technology plan among those that were planning on implementing anything new that year.
Firms discovering the benefits of the latest CRM tools are doing so for the purposes of better communicating with their existing client base, marketing services, building practice areas, or as a key component to overall firm growth. Below is a small sample of the CRM solutions CPAs selected, how and why they chose them, and their overall experience of working with them.
The technology comes last
Firm: BDO USA / Chicago
Size: Approximately 2,600
Product: Microsoft Dynamics CRM
Commencement date: August 2011 (pilot, October 2010)
On record: Senior manager of IT Jeff Clark and national business development director Erica Yesko
Challenge/objective: Growing the client base, improved outreach to the existing client base and taking a collaborative approach to doing so.
Amount spent: Pricing was by seat. Due to firm size, cost was "seven figures with consulting and licensing."
Process: CRM had been on BDO's roadmap for many years, but lack of understanding of what a consolidated CRM system could offer a partnership slowed the process. Many partners in the firm had used other contact management systems, ranging from simple Excel files to Goldmine and ACT!
"I think what finally clicked for us was partners getting clear on the goals and strategy of the firm; technology needs to be the last piece of the puzzle," said Yesko. "This new system would involve anyone who touches the sales process and that was key to building momentum and adoption from partners, administrators and IT. We really spent the better part of a year before we even began the selection process."
In 2010, BDO asked for requests for proposal from CRM product finalists, and Clark pointed out that what stood out about Dynamics CRM was that it "looked and felt much like Outlook."