Building a CX Management Program from Scratch: A 3-Year Journey at an Accounting Firm

When Sandra (Director of Business Development and Growth) took on the client experience (CX) responsibility at her 160-person accounting firm three years ago, she faced a common challenge: transforming a traditional, service-focused firm into a client-centric organization while proving ROI. Below, she shares her step-by-step journey, including strategies, challenges, and lessons learned.?

Month One: Assessment and Foundation?

The first month was critical for Sandra in setting up the proper foundation. She dove headfirst into understanding her current state by conducting a comprehensive audit of her existing client touchpoints. This meant sitting down with partners and managers to understand their client relationships—the good, the bad, and the ugly. She spent countless hours analyzing what little client feedback she had (primarily unstructured and buried in emails), reviewing her firm’s client retention rates, and digging into why clients had left in the past. Her goal: collect as much client feedback that had been received as possible.??

The biggest challenge? Her partners were initially skeptical, to put it mildly. "We don't need more processes," they said. "We're too busy as it is." “Just increase our NPS,” they insisted. However, when she presented data showing that poor client experience costs the firm $650,000 annually in regrettably churned clients, suddenly everyone was listening. Nothing gets attention quite like showing potential lost revenue.?

PRO TIP #1: Resist the urge to create a CX strategy at first. An accounting firm’s most potent CX strategy should be developed with foundational data. Focus first on collecting data.??        

PRO TIP #2: Try to measure the cost of poor experience if possible. At the very least, try to quantify the number of clients who’ve left and determine the annual revenue that would have been captured if they hadn’t.???        

First Six Months: Building the Infrastructure?

With Sandra’s baseline data in hand, she knew she needed to build a solid foundation for her firm’s fledgling CX program. The first significant investment was in technology. She deployed a dedicated CX feedback platform (Client Savvy’s Client Feedback Tool or CFT) that could collect feedback systematically and integrated it with her practice management software. Sandra chose this feedback platform because it was perfect for her use case and was more affordable. This allowed her to automatically capture client sentiment at key touchpoints rather than relying on sporadic feedback. She had a few decisions that worried her when setting this up:?

• Will the investment in client feedback technology have an ROI??

• Could she increase the quantity and quality of client feedback???

• Could she get relationship owners to use the feedback platform???

• Can I integrate feedback into our current processes??

• Can feedback be more about our business outcomes than just a “check the box” general satisfaction tool??

On the process side, she completely overhauled how the firm onboarded client relationships. She created standardized onboarding procedures that welcomed and informed every new client, including new client info packets and a “What we’re changing about the firm experience” booklet sent to all existing clients. This was the most significant quick win in the first six months.? She established clear service delivery milestones so clients always knew what to expect, and she put in place escalation paths for when client feedback indicated that things weren't going as planned. One of her best moves was implementing quarterly business reviews for key accounts – this alone dramatically improved client satisfaction.?

Training was crucial during this period. She ran interactive sessions with all client-facing staff, teaching them what to do (empathy training, asking for feedback, resolution strategies, focusing on experience rather than service standards) and why it mattered. She created a communication style guide that helped everyone speak the same language with clients, and she started a monthly CX newsletter to keep the cultural momentum going internally. By month six, she was seeing real results – her response time to client inquiries dropped by 45%, and positive feedback increased by 22%.?

PRO TIP #3: The Client Feedback Tool is a less expensive alternative to the giant, costly feedback platforms. It was designed specifically for the professional services industry and provides a different perspective on experience data. We highly recommend it.?        

PRO TIP #4:? Take charge of client sentiment gathering. Establish clear goals about what client feedback gathering will accomplish for everyone in the firm.?Take time to understand what your firm challenges and goals are. Use experts to help you design the categories and questions so that the answers you receive help alleviate the right challenges and help accomplish your goals.?        

PRO TIP #5: Design branded onboarding materials that highlight the experience new clients will have when they hire your firm. Focus less on your services (they’re table stakes) and more on the experience they will have with your people.??        

PRO TIP #6: Develop five simple, one-hour training modules on CX for your relationship owners. Begin with the big five learning objectives:??
- Why CX, why now? What’s in it for me?  
- Empathy training for accountants 
- How to ask for feedback 
- Resolution strategies 
- Focusing on experience standards rather than service standards         

First Year: Embedding CX into Firm Culture?

The first year was all about making CX part of the firm’s DNA, not just another initiative. Sandra started by getting serious about communications and metrics, developing a well-designed CX Charter to help everyone understand the CX initiative and what was in it for them, and making NPS (Net Promoter Score) the key performance indicator. This wasn't just another number – she made recommendations that tied client satisfaction scores (CSAT) directly to partner compensation, which really got everyone's attention. Her monthly CX dashboards became required reading for leadership team meetings.?

She also got serious about closing the feedback loop with clients, which was initially a struggle for most partners. To show clients that the firm was acting on their feedback, she implemented a "You Said, We Did" communication program. One of the ways that she did that was by ensuring that every piece of feedback was responded to, whether the feedback was good or challenging. Secondly, she would meet with the client often and as a part of those meetings she would go over the feedback with leadership and explain what they have done to either standardize the things they do well or operationalize change where things needed to be different.??

She formed a client advisory board (CAB) that met quarterly, giving her invaluable insights into what clients really wanted from the firm. The quarterly surveys she started running helped her spot trends and issues before they became problems.?

Internally, she created a network of 10 CX champions throughout the firm – people who got it and could help spread the gospel of the impact great client experience created. She developed detailed playbooks for different service lines, ensuring consistency in how the firm delivered value to clients. By the end of the first year, Sandra could report that client retention had improved by 8%, saving the firm $380,000 in revenue that they would have previously lost. Year one ROI on CX was 290%.??

PRO TIP #7: This one is critical. It would help to create a CX Charter that guides everyone in understanding what you are doing regarding client success/experience management and how that will affect their role. Focus on making it feel like a super simple user’s manual anyone can follow. Highlight what is in it for them and why it’s essential.??        

PRO TIP #8: Don’t overstep on metrics at first. Start small and evolve when you have the right resources and attention. Most firms overstretch on CX metrics immediately and diminish their precious political equity in year one. Don’t make this mistake!??        

PRO TIP #9: Begin to resolve feedback challenges and close feedback loops immediately. Co-design a plan with your clients on how to make their experiences better.?        

PRO TIP #10: Client Advisory Boards are often created but rarely optimal. Restructure your CAB to pinpoint where you can improve their experiences. Practice 80% listening and 20% talking. The guiding questions to your quarterly CAB are crucial.???        

PRO TIP #11: Create a CX Champions cohort or CX Ambassador team. Find the five or ten most charismatic up-and-coming champions in the firm and get their input on how to disperse the spirit of more client-centric strategies and tactics into the firm’s DNA.?        

Second Year: Optimization and Growth?

In year two, things got really interesting. Sandra moved beyond the basics and started using advanced analytics to predict client churn before it happened. She developed client health scores that helped the firm’s leadership identify at-risk relationships early so she could finally put real numbers behind the impact of her CX initiatives.?

Based on everything she'd learned, she launched several new service innovations. She created a client self-service portal for routine requests and developed new service packages that directly addressed pain points discovered through the firm’s feedback program. She also invested in her team, hiring two dedicated client success managers and creating the firm’s first CX certification program that became a source of pride for the staff. The results spoke for themselves – cross-selling increased by 25%, adding $830,000 in additional revenue. Sandra could confidently say that she had made a difference. She was responsible for converting more people into net retention drivers while most client relationship owners boosted their confidence in selling more of the firm. Year two ROI in CX was 425%.??

PRO TIP #12: With closed-loop client feedback practices stabilized, move into predictive analytics. Many accounting firms use Microsoft Dynamics. Use the platform to help establish health predictions for client relationships. Use this data to build early warning signals to alert you of the signs of probable regrettable churn and get proactive.? If you’re using the Client Feedback Tool, you can leverage their "Projects and Clients At Risk” function, which is excellent at achieving predictive outcomes without overspending on needless technologies.??        

PRO TIP #13: A good rule of thumb for expanding the CX team is to plan to make the CX function as a profit center rather than a cost center. Justifying headcount for CX in Accounting firms is difficult. Illustrate how each new contributing role will support primary relationship owners in increasing client satisfaction, which will, in turn, increase retention revenue and additional service per client in the cross-sell/upsell.? I know this is easier said than done, but there are pragmatic ways to achieve this.??        

Third Year: Scaling and Integration?

By year three, CX was no longer just a program – it was how Sandra’s firm did business. She made CX metrics a central part of the firm’s strategic planning and even started using CX data in M&A due diligence. Her client experience council became a powerful force for change within the firm, with real decision-making authority. It accomplished this through pragmatic and disciplined growth—not overly ambitious or hollow promises.??

Sandra got sophisticated with insights personalization, using AI-driven insights to tailor her firm’s client interactions. One of the nine newly created client experience standards was “Provide more valuable insights clients will not get from other firms.”? She developed industry-specific service approaches, showing clients her firm understood their businesses. She even started publishing client success stories and creating thought leadership content based on many of the newly generated client insights, which was an unexpected hit across the firm’s several hundred clients and on LinkedIn.?

In year three, the measured results were tremendous: her client retention rate hit 95% for the first time (up from 74% in the previous two years), referrals were up 40%, and the average client lifetime value (CLV) increased nearly 30%. All told, her CX initiatives had a positive revenue impact of $2.2M. Year three ROI on CX was 610%.??

PRO TIP #14: Create your firm’s client experience standards. As you’d like for all relationship owners to act on these standards, make them pragmatically achievable and memorable. We recommend creating these in year one and refining them over time. Robust CX standards help everyone understand the guardrails within which firm expectations of CX can be achieved.?        

PRO TIP 15#: Think of CX as economics. Think supply and demand to keep it simple. If you want an adequate return on your CX investment, you need to supply something valuable in return. Make your CX standards the supply side of your firm’s CX objectives. Every professional relationship’s success is predicated on the exchange of value. Make sure what you’re supplying is valuable beyond table stakes your clients can easily get elsewhere.??        

Lessons Learned?

Sandra learned the biggest lesson: Data is everything. Your CX strategy needs to be based on solid evidence, not assumptions. Building consensus in partner-led firms is an art and a science—early buy-in is crucial; show your partners and leaders the financial impact, and they'll support your initiatives. Make everything as simple as possible, both for clients and staff. Measure relentlessly, communicate your wins often, and never stop training and communicating with your teams.??

Final Thoughts?

Building a successful CX program in an accounting firm requires patience, persistence, design thinking, and a clear vision. The key is to balance the technical aspects of service delivery with the emotional elements of client relationships. Start small, prove value quickly, and scale what works. Remember, CX isn't a project – it's a fundamental way of doing business.?

Most importantly, don't try to do only some things at a time. Focus on high-impact, low-effort initiatives first, build credibility through quick wins, and gradually expand your program. The ROI will come if you stay committed to the process and keep your focus on creating genuine value for your clients.?

?

Sandra is a client of CX Pilots, a leading CX strategy and execution support advisory for professional services firms in the Research Triangle Park region of North Carolina. She was guided step-by-step through a two-year CX transformation program.? The ultimate ROI on her firm’s CX management program was approximately 700%. Since the inception of her CX program, the firm’s growth trend improved from 6 percent/year to 16 percent/year. The firm’s leadership attributes most of this increase to Sandra’s efforts. In year three, Sandra was promoted from Director of Business Development and Growth to Chief Growth Officer.??