What Accountancy Firms Get Wrong About Client Feedback – and How to Fix It
For many accountancy firms, collecting client feedback feels like the right thing to do – a tick-box in the pursuit of better service. But too often, feedback programmes fall flat. The intention is there, but the execution misses the mark.
At this year’s Digital Accountancy Show (2025), we heard the same stories repeated: surveys that lead nowhere, response rates that disappoint and data that’s difficult to interpret or act upon.
The good news? It doesn’t have to be this way. Here’s a look at the most common missteps – and how firms can turn feedback into real, measurable impact.
1. Mistake: Treating Feedback as a One-Off Event
Many firms run annual surveys (if that), hoping to uncover meaningful insight in one go. But real relationship management requires continuity. A one-time snapshot doesn’t reveal the evolving nature of client expectations or catch early signs of disengagement.
Fix: Build a regular cadence. Whether quarterly or biannually, consistent feedback collection allows you to track progress, identify patterns and stay ahead of issues.
2. Mistake: Relying Solely on NPS
Net Promoter Score (NPS) is familiar – and easy to run. But it’s also incomplete. In fact, according to Adams Brown, the average NPS for accounting firms stands at just 41%, notably below the global benchmark for service excellence. On its own, NPS tells you how a client feels about your firm, but not why. It lacks the nuance and context needed to act with confidence.
Fix: Use NPS as a starting point, not the finish line. For a more comprehensive view, consider using a tool like The Relationship Rating (TRR). TRR goes beyond a single score, combining sentiment with strategic follow-up questions that help firms uncover not just how clients feel, but what drives those feelings – and where to act. This gives teams clearer direction and greater confidence in the actions they take.
3. Mistake: Asking Too Much, Then Doing Too Little
Long surveys fatigue clients. Worse, if no action follows, clients may question why they bothered responding at all. Inaction erodes trust faster than poor service.
Fix: Keep it focused. Ask fewer, better questions – the kind that reveal actionable insights. Then close the loop by sharing what you’ve learned and what changes you’ll make.
4. Mistake: Measuring Everything, Prioritising Nothing
Collecting feedback can produce a lot of data – results, comments, trends. But without a clear framework, it’s easy to get lost in analysis paralysis.
Fix: Build a simple framework to interpret and prioritise feedback. Focus on three key outcomes:
- What’s working well (to double down on)
- Where clients are neutral or passive (to improve)
- Where risks are emerging (to address immediately)
But perhaps most importantly – it’s not just about getting the data. It’s about what you do with it. Insight is only powerful when it leads to action. That’s where many firms struggle and where working with a partner like VerityRI can help. We support firms in translating feedback into meaningful next steps, ensuring the data doesn’t just sit in a report, but informs real decisions and drives growth.
This approach turns feedback into a practical roadmap for continuous improvement.
5. Mistake: Not Embedding Feedback Into Daily Practice
Even the best surveys can’t deliver value if feedback lives in a spreadsheet. For feedback to drive change, it needs to be visible – and used.
Fix: Make client sentiment part of your everyday rhythm. Discuss insights in team meetings, feed them into account plans, and use them to shape your firm’s strategic decisions.
At VerityRI, our client platform is designed to support exactly this – giving firms real-time visibility into client feedback, surfacing risks and opportunities, and enabling teams to track actions and outcomes all in one place. It helps embed feedback into the fabric of how you work – making it easier to stay aligned, accountable, and client-focused.
Getting Started (or Restarted)
If your firm has stalled on feedback, it’s never too late to reintroduce it – just do it better this time. Start small:
- Focus on a manageable client segment
- Use 2–3 carefully chosen questions
- Act quickly on what you learn
- Share the outcomes
Firms that treat feedback as an active, strategic process – not a passive metric – are the ones who build stronger, longer-lasting client relationships. And the firms doing it best are the ones using tools like The Relationship Rating (TRR), which make the process simple, scalable and focused on outcomes.
With VerityRI, you not only get a proven question framework through The Relationship Rating (TRR) – benchmarked against industry standards – you also get the client platform, expert consultants, and guidance needed to turn responses into real improvements. Our team helps firms not just collect feedback, but interpret it, act on it and embed it into everyday decision-making. That’s the difference between collecting feedback and actually using it to drive growth.
In a market where technical expertise is often a given, those relationships – and what you do with them – are what truly set you apart.
Conclusion
The firms that stand out in today’s accountancy landscape are those that treat client feedback as more than a survey – they treat it as a strategic asset. Whether you’re looking to strengthen relationships, reduce churn, or unlock new growth, the key lies in turning insight into consistent, measurable action.
At VerityRI, we help firms take that next step. With The Relationship Rating (TRR), real-time platform visibility and the support of expert consultants, we provide everything needed to move from passive listening to proactive, client-led growth.
Want to learn how VerityRI helps firms turn client feedback into action? Get in touch today!
