Glory in the Sacrifice

Gary Wallace, a Managing Partner of a fantastic firm in Richmond, Virginia, shared the expression “Client service versus client servitude” when describing his firm’s discussion about the ideal client and expectations around how to serve them.

I quickly noted this statement as it resonated with me deeply.

Truthfully, I was guilty of accepting client servitude for most of my career. In my early CPA years, I was a “Big Eight” person, and we took pride in pulling “all-nighters” to get earnings releases done, meet client deadlines, and prove ourselves with charge-hour goals that would chase away most from our careers.

Soon, I found myself starting my own practice, and, quite frankly, I would do anything at any time if it were a paying client with good ethics. It wasn’t very complicated at that point; I needed happy clients, and my version of getting a happy client was to have an almost unreasonable “service” reputation.

There was almost glory in the sacrifices I was making to accommodate these clients.

Part of my definition of being a good CPA was exceptional client service, which meant, at the time, nearly 24/7 access to my clients. This continued as my firm grew and client demands grew along with it.

My family celebrates Christmas. Included in our Christmas traditions is a “daughter-daddy” shopping excursion. These times with my daughter meant everything to me; they were perfect. I’m not so sure my daughter felt the same way.

One client seemed always to know when my daughter and I were together. He was the CEO of a large client, and I always dropped what I was doing to respond. My daughter clearly remembers the many times he called when we were shopping. We can laugh about it now, but I was clearly showing good client servitude rather than setting boundaries to show my daughter the respect our excursions deserved. 

I get it; there is often a fine line. Even now, in my consulting career, I want to be responsive. One of the dimensions of my practice is to be available for firm leaders when urgent matters arise. The non-urgent matters cause the issues of crossing the line of client service into client servitude. When “everything is a big deal” to a client, we find ourselves trapped in a service model that is neither healthy nor sustainable.

So, here we are, coming to the end of what is a traditional “Busy Season” for many in our profession. So many firms are stretched for people. Many firms have adjusted the conventional approach to hours expectations to meet the work-life balance needs of our team. Why not change the approach to client service?

Teach our people the difference between service and servitude. Support your team in that effort by setting good examples and boundaries with clients. We don’t need clients who demand servitude. In the long run, it hurts your people, your firm, and the reputation of our profession. 

Always strive to serve your clients well and be responsive. Demonstrate excellence. Work with clients who respect you and your people. Set boundaries to ensure excellent client service, not client servitude.