We’re sure you’ve heard a lot about customer experience (CX). Everyone from top executives at major companies like Comcast to leading publications like Forbes and Harvard Business Review have talked about, written about, and implemented CX strategies over the past few years.

Many of our experts have previously worked in the CX space, helping clients like Nike, Hertz, and Tiffany & Co. build and manage these programs. And while there are certainly differences between those businesses and professional firms like yours, the principles are the same for everyone when it comes to CX. Every company—from Fortune 500 retailers to sole accounting practitioners—should build a strong CX culture into their business. 

While some firms are staying true to old-school methods, many more are pushing hard for prioritizing CX. They recognise its importance, especially in an industry where competition is fierce and the ability to switch to another provider is easy. At the end of the day, audits are standardized, which means that clients can get the same work done by any firm. 

But pushing for CX programs is a way for these firms to differentiate themselves from the competition.

With that in mind, we have a few things to share that our experts have learned from their time in the CX world and how those programs, attitudes, and initiatives can transfer to accounting and other professional services firms.

Lesson #1 — It’s never too late to start

The first lesson we’ve learned is that everyone (and we mean EVERYONE) is still trying to figure out how to best differentiate through CX. It’s still a relatively new concept and industry. Even the largest companies that are considered thought leaders in the space are just trying to figure it out. The first takeaway, then, is that it’s never too late to start, because nobody is so far ahead that you can’t catch up.

Lesson #2 — Being data-driven is critical

If everyone is still trying to figure out the key to unlocking the CX mystery, the companies that are making progress are doing so because they are data-driven. These CX leaders have found that the cycle of test > measure > evaluate  > evolve > repeat leads to real results (in this context, providing an improved customer experience with all the attendant benefits of increased revenue and decreased churn). No company or firm gets CX right on the first try. The important thing to remember is to measure your results and rely on that data to guide your future efforts.

Lesson #3 — Technology should support CX

In past lives, our experts saw countless companies buy a piece of software or send out a survey and call that CX. The trap here is that technology alone can support your CX efforts, but it cannot be the total sum of your CX efforts. Your people and employees are just as, if not more, critical to a positive customer experience. You can’t just rely on technology to catalyze CX efforts that are deprioritized elsewhere. You must foster a CX culture within your firm. Technology should be used to back up your other CX efforts, to make you more efficient, and to make you more focused on the client.

Lesson #4 — Communication, as always, is key

One of the most impactful aspects of a CX program is communication—and this has held true for every company we’ve served. Clients want to feel heard and valued, and the best way to ensure that they feel those things is to communicate with them. Using technology like Suralink’s streamlined platform can make this communication so much easier. 

For example, during an audit, it's important that auditors provide clear communication to clients. To do this, they should continuously and actively be involved in the engagement. They should be logging in frequently and following up on requests as soon as they can. They should be reviewing documentation and responding to comments immediately. If there are follow ups, auditors should communicate them quickly so clients have ample time to provide that additional information before deadlines.

It’s no secret that many firms’ clients find audits painful. But we’ve received a great deal of feedback from client users(clients of firms) who say that using Suralink has turned interacting with their auditor from something they dreaded into an interaction they actually enjoyed. 

CX does and will set you apart. And those firms that evolve and adopt both technology CX and the human will to leverage it will make insurmountable gains in customer experience—and business in general—over those firms that choose not to prioritize either.