Clients (up or down)

[BP.]

I have a home office and have the garage set up with a folding table for them to sign, pay and pick up. It's open air with door open, quick and can maintain distance. I'd rather do this than have to mail back their original docs. I also have a slot in garage where they can drop off their info.

I have a large mail slot in my front door. I might try the garage idea. Garage is a mess, but client can drive right up to it and not have a hilly walkway and steps. New garage door is steel, but I could add a large mail slot in basement door so clients have no walkway/steps. Currently, I put a stool with paperwork on my front porch, and hubby did shovel the walkway and salt the porch. I'll look into changes in the warmer weather to better be prepared for the fall and next tax season. Thank you, Kathy, for sharing the garage idea.

Great innovations! I upgraded to a package delivery box outside my office door for drop offs, and I repurposed my old smaller drop box to a pick up box.

Drop offs anytime; pick ups by appointment in the unlocked pick up box. And salt!

[BOB W]

From many of the posters in this thread it sounds like they work from home. I sold my office Dec of '19 and now work exclusively from home. I have a wraparound deck that leads to a second front door that I use exclusively for my new office. I'm a one-man show that stared in 1975. I have a drop box at my front door for those that want to use it. I am seeing clients at my desk. I use all safety measures including a plexiglass screen at my large glass wraparound desk. My clients wear masks as well as myself. I clean it before and after each interview. I wipe down chairs, door knobs and touchable parts of the door.

I don't like drop-offs, mail-ins, faxes, or emails, they take too much additional time to prepare with simple question. Picture text me your drivers license, is your bank account with XXXX ending with XXXX. But it is what it is and I gave all my client the choice of all the above. I would of like to do Zoom interviews but I couldn't get it going in enough time for this season. In Zoom I would not do a face to face, except at connection, but would share my screen with the client. I would still need the require mail-in, fax or drop-off. But at least I can get real time responses to my questions and client is reviewing their tax return so we go.

Just sharing some thoughts with the board.....
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[Lion]

I save up all my questions and ask at once via email or telephone. I use telephone for the questions where I know I need back and forth. I prefer email responses most of the time to have a savable trail. eSign delivers a review copy to clients if they need it on their screen or in front of them as we discuss.

Kathy: I have an elderly client signing/picking up Sunday. He'd dropped off through my mail slot in my front door. I used your idea and gave him a choice of picking up in the same place or in my garage. He can drive up to the garage and not have a hilly walkway and steps. He chose the garage. I'll set up the card table and a folding chair and have his folder there plus a clipboard with his signature pages to sign and leave on the table. Thank you very much for sharing that idea that can help me and any of us working from home, especially with winter weather.