3 ways that accountants & bookkeepers can use Aider’s advisory software to foster client relationships

In this article, we share how to use advisory technology to have better conversations (& relationships) with your clients

Small business owners want to build a trusting relationship with their advisor. Like any other relationship, transparent communication is key. This requires that you convey an understanding of your client’s business, understand their needs and are approachable and accessible to talk to.  

Of course, a business owner only has one advisor, but bookkeepers and accountants look after an extensive roster of clients. Advisory technology created for accountants and bookkeepers makes it effortless to establish trusting relationships built on ongoing, transparent communication. Here at Aider, our advisory software is specifically developed to provide advisors with the data and tools they need to manage and foster client relationships. Aider seamlessly connects and pre-analyses your clients data via a powerful Xero integration. Aider’s Advisory Intelligence Platform gives you an aggregate view of your entire practice and insights into your clients' data, tax compliance, cash flow, and business performance. 

‍In this article, we outline three ways that accountants and bookkeepers can use Aider’s intelligent advisory technology to improve relationships with small business clients. 

1. Use advisory technology to efficiently communicate with your clients

Your clients want your individual attention and to feel that you have knowledge of their business. They look to you to quickly provide accurate forecasts that will help them run or grow their businesses. With a big list of clients, technology is a central component to providing all of your clients with white-glove service.

Aider knows that updating your clients with personalised information is essential, which is why Aider’s advisory software has automated messaging developed within the platform. This allows accountants and bookkeepers to customise content, so that they can add a personal touch to all their communication. 

With Aider’s intelligent advisory technology, you can send a client a cash flow forecast for the next 30 days with a few clicks of a button. You can also easily send clients income tax estimates ahead of time, so that they can save adequately for next March. Aiders advisory software allows accountants and bookkeepers to provide proactive advisory.  

Aider’s advisory software saves you valuable time, all the while making it possible for you to communicate at scale and, as a result, improve and foster client relationships. When you develop stronger client relationships, you remind small business owners why they truly need an experienced and friendly financial advisor.

2. Help your clients see (& understand) their business performance

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Clients can more easily understand what's going on in their business when you show them visual representations of their profitability and financial performance. Developing graphs on your own and at scale would take too much time away from your practice. Aider’s clever advisory software draws data directly from your clients’ Xero accounts (with a seamless Xero integration); creating visual presentations for you to send to your clients.  

In Aider’s Advisory Platform you can send profitability insights with graphs and automated comments directly to your clients. You can also copy the graphs and explanations, and put them into an email if you don't want to change how you currently communicate with your clients.

Remember: advisory technology is here to improve your workflow and help you better connect with your clients. By doing this, you can better support your clients' performance throughout the year and increase touch points that ensure they're on the right track. Letting your clients know about their performance in an easily digestible visual format helps you both better engage in performance improvement conversations. More than this, it helps you be a more proactive advisor.  

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3. Implement the ‘management by exception’ approach at your advisory practice

Your clients want to hear from you during your regularly scheduled check-ins and, more importantly, when you can help keep their business out of trouble. ‘Management by exception’ is a strategy that revolves around stepping in only when there's a deviation from the expected outcome; and Aider’s advisory software helps you with this. 

For advisors, this means helping your clients be proactive by actively reaching out when something starts to go wrong, but before it becomes a catastrophe. When they're doing things right, they don't need to hear from you. However, your clients will view your relationship positively when you contact them when issues arise that require their immediate attention. An intelligent advisory software like Aider’s Advisory Platform alerts you when a client's business needs special care so that you know exactly when to get in touch (and can do this proactively, instead of reactively). 

Any significant variations or changes in a client's business triggers the alert system within Aider’s Platform; which notifies advisors to reach out to their client. This will help you engage with the right clients at the right time so that they can take action before it's too late.

Aider’s intelligent advisory technology + your advisory expertise = fostered client relationships

Having the right tools at your fingertips makes it easy to focus on your relationships. When you have more time in your day, automatically-generated performance data and alerts that tell you which clients need your immediate attention, will help you become the trusted advisor your clients need. Building better relationships starts with brilliant communication, and combining your advisory expertise with the power of Aider’s advisory software will help your clients look into a brighter future. 

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