Communications
We lean into written communication first, and we need our clients to do the same.
Why do you insist on text based communications!?
We know for many it may feel simpler to pick up the phone, call, and speak with us about your question, concern, or the information you need to provide to us. Megan’s even done this in the past, before starting Crayon Advisory.
Believe it or not, our insistence on written communication isn’t to torture you or avoid you. It’s an accomodation.
Megan has an auditory processing disability that makes it challenging to comprehend and process conversations effectively. If someone says, “leave your boots here,” Megan is as likely to hear, “leaf chair boots wait,” or “leaf your meats waif,” or something else equally nonsensical.
As you can imagine, this makes receiving information over voice or video incredibly difficult, and is why we lean so heavily into and on written communication.
We know you have more questions, so let’s dive in, shall we?
How do I, as a Client or Potential New Client, work with this Accommodation?
The easiest way to work with this need is to follow our lead.
If writing your questions or answers or thoughts is difficult for you, you can use a speech to text function on your preferred device. You can also record a message through Loom or a similar service so you can then share the message with us so we can watch, rewatch, and make use of captions and/or a transcript the service creates.
But I'd rather see and hear things myself. Can't you accommodate me?
Maybe. It’s possible, and we’ll do everything we can. Especially when an answer is longer or when we’re delivering a final product, we’ll record a video to go hand and hand with the answer.
For things that aren’t sensitive and are going to you through email, we’ll record a screen capture video and give you a link right there in the email. For tax return and other delivery (or for videos that may contain senstive information), we’ll record something right inside Moxo for you.
We also understand some people may need to speak their questions or information rather than writing it out. In those cases, we encourage you to use a speech to text service, Loom, or something similar so the information is eventually written.
The world of accommodations is a fascinating one. We really do understand everyone has different strengths and needs and work hard to meet you where you’re at. Not all accommodations can always be met at all times. If that means we’re not the firm for you, that’s okay.
What about Meetings!? I want to meet with you.
Sometimes, meetings are amazing and wonderful and fulfilling for all parties. And, when those situations arise, a meeting will be offered and billed for (no, meetings and phone calls are not included in the cost of preparation).
With over 20+ years of experience, Megan’s learned a thing or two about client meetings. And more often than not, meetings aren’t actually productive. They include significant preparation time in advance, the actual meeting time, and then follow-ups, reminders, and decision making that needs to happen outside the meeting instead.
By relying primarily on written communication, that meeting time is spent providing solutions and Megan isn’t reviewing transcripts for a couple of hours sometime after the meeting.
I like phone calls because I like instant responses. Will I have to wait?
Phone calls don’t always actually speed up answers. Often, you end up hearing a bunch of ums and uhhs while information is looked up and reviewed. Or there’s the pull out a pen and paper and take notes an a whole lot of, “can you repeat that for me?”
And, thanks to that auditory processing disorder, even if you get to skip all of that, you’re just as likely to have Megan land in your email box with a series of questions a day or five later.
There are no tax emergencies. If you’re experiencing urgency, there may have been a need for better planning earlier.
Our response times depend on quite a number of factors.
We don’t usually respond on the same day. We try to respond within 3 to 5 business days. Sometimes, we’re much better than that. In fact, we often are. Other times, we’re just not that fast. Even your email or your questions or notes in Moxo go through the Prioritized FIFO system.
This post has been developed as an explanation for why we lean into written communication so heavily. This information is written to be informative and is not tax advice. You should consult with your tax advisor as to how this information applies to your situation. Your specific needs may vary and may cause specific attention to need to be given to your processes. You should speak with your tax professional regarding the applicability of these issues to you and your business (and, yes, that includes Crayon Advisory if you are a current or onboarding client).