7 Steps to Build the A-Team for Your Next Tax Season

Your firm is only as strong as your weakest staff link. Now that your team can finally catch a break from the thick of the tax season, you should use this time to reflect the good and the bad from the past few months and take notes for a better season next year.

In case you need a little help to get started, here are 7 things you can do to get your firm and staff into great shape.

1. Treat yourself and your staff. Your firm has just made it through another tax season, during a pandemic, likely with majority of your staff and clients all working together remotely! That’s a lot to celebrate and pat yourselves on the back for.

Don’t be humble and do something nice to celebrate. It could be a team lunch, a digital gift card for delivery services to everyone’s inbox so you can have a virtual happy hour. Whatever the format is, the end goal is to make everyone feel appreciated.

2. Conduct a review with each team member. Gathering and giving honest, constructive feedback is a great way for you and your staff to become more productive together.

Take this as a chance to provide constructive feedback to enhance employee performance and boost morale. Also, ask for feedback from your employees on how the firm can improve and do better as a whole.

3. Evaluate your current staffing structure in comparison to your revenue and growth goals. Determine if any changes need to be made. Did you have enough staff to support all the client work? Too many staff for the goals you’re trying to accomplish? Were your staff well-trained and onboarded that they were productive and efficient?

4. Write down the answers to the questions above. And make a plan for next year’s ideal staffing structure. Whether it’s keeping everything as is, adding seasonal workers, outsourcing work, or positioning your firm as a referral hub, it’s better to think through it now while your memories are still fresh.

5. Make any necessary updates to job descriptions based on your analysis and communicate the changes to those involved.

6. Update your onboarding process to reflect any changes in your firm and start using it when new staff—permanent or temporary—join your firm.

7. Map out in detail any training or continuing education that you and your team need to accomplish before the next tax season.