TaxAssist Accountants offers expert guidance during the COVID-19 pandemic

The UK’s largest network of small business specialist accountants ensures its franchisees continue to lead the way

Realising accountants would play an intrinsic part in helping to explain the many support measures rolled out by the government, the TaxAssist support centre has ensured every franchisee has the resources they need to effectively communicate with and assist their clients.

Daren Moore, group commercial director at TaxAssist Accountants, explains: “Very early on, we recognised we needed to set up a dedicated TaxAssist COVID-19 Action Group. “It produces a daily news update to each franchisee, highlighting the latest announcements and examining the finer detail of the government’s help measures.

“Feedback received from the network has been fantastic so far, with many praising our pro-active approach and our depth and quality of resources, which has allowed them to offer an enhanced service to their clients, who are desperately looking to them for clarity and guidance. We have also written a letter on behalf of our network, urging the Chancellor of the Exchequer to reconsider some of the measures he has put in place to support certain sectors, and attended a virtual meeting with the Small Business Commissioner at the Department of Business and Industry, where we represented the views of our network.”

TaxAssist Accountants has developed a Coronavirus Hub on its website, containing all of the latest information about what support has been made available. This has been designed to be a comprehensive guide, covering summarised advice by client type, such as businesses, employers, directors, self-employed and landlords. Analysis reveals visitors to the website more than doubled compared to this time last year, as clients eagerly check on the latest developments. 
   
“Our franchisees have reported that they have been inundated with queries and have been incredibly busy helping and reassuring their clients. In turn, the Support Centre Technical Helpdesk Staff (all now working from home), have recorded a record number of calls from franchisees accessing our team of specialists,” said Daren. “All of our accountants have access to the very latest in accounting and office software, which has paid dividends in being able to remain open for business, offering telephone or video consultations for all existing or new clients, and the ability to provide live data and reporting for clients in need of urgent cashflow projections.

“We have helped franchisees produce videos to enable them to engage with their clients and we have produced videos about the support and grants available, as well as running a series of webinars for both franchisees and clients, covering the latest position and practical guidance.”

A major strength of the TaxAssist model is the ability to support its franchisees with a centralised mailing system and social media campaigns. This means every client can be contacted quickly and professionally with the very latest developments relevant to them, a big boon for a busy network of accountants, with more than 400,000 emails sent on their behalf to date and regular posts and client guides shared on social media.

Lloyd Evans, who owns TaxAssist Accountants practices in Kingswinford, Wolverhampton and Halesowen, said: “The constant messages we receive from clients is one of thanks for the regular updates they receive, which they greatly value. These communications bring us ever closer to our clients and supports the huge volume of telephone calls we are all making at this time.”