Being audited, being fined, filing incorrectly, committing fraud, being contacted by the IRS or state department about a tax return… these are all things business owners and taxpayers worry about come tax time. These are also the reasons they turn to a tax professional to prepare their taxes for them with the hopes that they will be prepared accurately.
Whether they realize it or not, taxpayers take a lot of risk in choosing a tax service or preparer. Perceived risk is one of the key factors that will prevent a consumer from making a purchase. The purpose of a guarantee is to reduce the risk in the mind of the buyer. At Peoples Tax (our sister company), we offer a Triple Guarantee. This “Triple Guarantee” covers three areas: Accuracy, Year-round Service and Satisfaction. We chose to do a triple guarantee because we wanted to cover all perceived risks a consumer may have so that there were no risks in choosing us. Here are the basics of our Triple Guarantee:
Accuracy
We assume responsibility for penalties and interest charges incurred due to our error (but not any additional tax that would have been due had the return been correct).
Year-round Service
We remain available all year to answer any questions and assist the client in communicating with the IRS or state in the event that a notice is received.
Satisfaction
If the client is not satisfied and chooses not to accept or file the return we prepare, there will be no fee.
The satisfaction guarantee places responsibility, rightly so, on the tax preparer to provide competent, professional and friendly service. It is very rare for a client to decide not to accept the tax return and pay the fee. Being able to tell every prospective client that if they are not satisfied there will be no fee is far more valuable than the loss of a client’s fee on a rare occasion.
Do you offer a guarantee? What does it cover?
For more on policies, procedures, and best practices check out our Tax Practice Management Manuals here.