Off Season Office Hours

[jeff501]

Just read the thread on burnout, I suffer from it too. Don't really want to be here this time of year. Currently, I keep my office open Mondays, Wednesday and Thursdays 9-12, 1-4:30, Friday 9-12, 1-4. Don't have a lot to do some days, have a few monthly bookkeeping clients, and payroll clients who come in on Friday mornings.

Realistically, I could be closed Wednesday and probably Friday afternoons but each time I take an afternoon off I come back and have several messages. Nothing important most of the time though, and I even try to notify my bookkeeping clients I will be gone that day. Plus this time of year I have no staff as there's not that much to do and I can't see having someone sit there all day watching TV.

90% of my business is done in tax season, I prefer it that way as most bookkeeping work in my area is from very small businesses and is more busy work than anything else. Plus I have to admit I like the slow time during the summer and fall months. For those who keep office hours in the off season, how do you work things? As always, appreciate your insight.

[ChEAr$]

OFFICE time

Well Jeff, my office hours this time of year are Mon, Tue, Thurs, 10 - 1. OFF on Wednesday,
whether or not my car is here or not; I'm not.

Instead of a message taking telephone, I have an answering machine only, telling of these
hours, and to please call back.

And yes, I do bookkeeping, too but clients do their own payrolls with chart's or software
I've set up for them.

[BOB W]

I only go to my office by appointment or when I need to scan info. Otherwise I use "call forwading" to my home telephone or my cell when I'm not home.

I also use "Go to my PC" so I can get most work done at home.

[BHoffman]

Employees

Right now, I work alone from home. Having the home office is good and bad, as is working solo.

I'm curious about opening an office and hiring an employee during tax season. How do you guys work that out? Just find someone who is willing to work part time Jan - May? I figure I'd only need someone for about 15 hours per week.

Rather not take on the expense of an office and I like working in my jammies and being home with my dogs. (If only they could do filing, alas). What about having an employee work here at my home? I think there is a sufficient work space for that.

Mostly, it's finding the seasonal part-time worker and how much to pay?

[RitaB]

I want to go home

Just read the thread on burnout, I suffer from it too... For those who keep office hours in the off season, how do you work things? As always, appreciate your insight.

I have a separate office in town, and I am usually open Mon - Fri, 8:00 - 4:00. I do take a day off here and there, or skip out early, but it seems like I have to plan like a madman to take a day off, and I ALWAYS have messages when I get back. Like, what do you mean, not being in the office when I need you? It seems that I have a lot of clients that require a lot of hand-holding. I am really tired of it.

I have thought about hiring help, but I don't know if it's worth the effort to find and train someone who's good. I'm a real type A personality and not sure if there is anyone out there I would trust. Also, we can do the job quicker than we can teach someone else to do it, you know?

OK, I am beginning to understand why I'm burned out...

[geekgirldany]

Sounds like me. I don't trust anyone to do the job. I can do it faster and know there are no errors (or hope so). I tell people now that my office hours are from 2pm to 6pm. Alot of the time I will not come in until later. Of course my answering machine gets full with hang ups. So the memory is full and no one can leave a message.

I had one customer call and say to me "oh so you are working today. Your actually in the office". Like I am never there. I thought about telling him just because I don't return your phone calls that day doesn't mean I am not working.

[taxmandan]

Be careful of employees in home,

In Orygun, it is illegal to have employees work in a home based business location, so check with your town/state about that. As for hiring part-time, you might be better served to hire a receiptionist/file clerk from a temp agency and let them handle the phone calls and non-tax work of the office. Much easier than finding a qualified tax person for such a short work period. I've used the temp agency with good success, don't have to bother with workers comp insurance, payroll, etc. just pay them a fee and they handle the actual employee stuff. I interview their applicants and choose who I want in my office(not home based).

Daniel

Right now, I work alone from home. Having the home office is good and bad, as is working solo.

I'm curious about opening an office and hiring an employee during tax season. How do you guys work that out? Just find someone who is willing to work part time Jan - May? I figure I'd only need someone for about 15 hours per week.

Rather not take on the expense of an office and I like working in my jammies and being home with my dogs. (If only they could do filing, alas). What about having an employee work here at my home? I think there is a sufficient work space for that.

Mostly, it's finding the seasonal part-time worker and how much to pay?

[Jiggers]

After season hours

I am also suffering from a very busy tax burnout! But, I have too much to do, too many extensions, too many IRS notices, too much new stuff from old clients!

After April 15 I have quarterly sales tax reports and bookkeeping and quarterly payroll reports to catch up on.

Then Corporate Franchise Tax Returns are due May 15.

Then I have a large client with a FYE 3/31 that wants his 1120 ASAP.

Then I had a client that finally got his tax stuff for 2006 here and that took a week to do!

Plus just the normal stuff.

My after tax season office hours are:
Mon - Thursday 8:00 AM - 11:30, 12:30 - 5:00 PM
Closed Friday

But I am at the office real early in the morning before 8, but I won't see clients or answer the phone.

[BHoffman]

Daniel - good idea!

If I were to hire an employee to work from my home, it would probably be my niece or Mom.

Great idea about the temp agency. I hadn't thought about that!

[LawrenceGR]

May 1

After about May 1st I have no office hours, in the event one of my needs me they leave a message and I call them back. I only do 1040's so I am usally finished by May 1st. I let clients know that when they come in for taxes. This has worked well for me but everyone has a different situation.

[Lion]

Home Office

This is my first year on my own. Home office. Hired part-time help. A woman I knew from my last job who had a day job but wanted to work some evenings/Saturdays. Still have her in one night a week to help me with extensions. Took a lot of time training, but expect it to pay off next season. I'm fussy about the output, so ended up having her do data entry, first draft of returns. Then, I take over to input the tricky stuff, proofread what she did, call the client with questions (actually, she's good with that but sometimes it's too late at night for her to call), assemble, etc. She does some pick-ups and deliveries for me, shopping at Staples, filing, etc. I do new client interviews and try to get all clients to come to my office to discuss return, next year, etc. However, I hope to turn over some of the simpler, less expensive returns to her to do start to finish, letting the clients know this will keep their price down and that I'm in the room for supervision, blah, blah. Using a spare bedroom and have two work areas, one with my old laptop.

[Kong]

Jeff

I am in my office from 10:00 am thru 3:00 pm Monday-Friday.
Saturday & Sunday only with prepaid appoinment ($40.00). If client does not show after 30 minutes they have lost their money. I stress to all clients to call prior to making trip to office because exceptions do occur and I might need to leave. I ignore their you are never in office remarks (Make Appointment). When I turn my cell phone on my office calls are directly routed to it. So really my clients can reach me 24/7, if I am in U.S. My cell phone does not yet pick up in Mexico. If for any reason I do leave Office without realizing I had appointment I will return and give client 20% discount on fee. This makes them very happy and I still get to make 80% of fee. This system has worked just great for me. I am in Tucson, Arizona.

[veritas]

Please define

"Off Season'? When does that happen?

[BHoffman]

Let's face it: Off season happens when we decide we've had enough and need some time for ourselves to recover.

[Lion]

Hour

I posted off-season hours on my website as M & W 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. & Sat 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. or something like that. But, it's a home office in a sparsely populated town, so no one's going to just drive by. I have most clients trained that it's by appointment only. I still have lots of extensions and a big bookkeeping client, so I try to work Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays (before allergy shot, chiropractor, errands, and other appointments on Fridays), and weekends (except for church and Sunday lunch with family). On Tuesday and Thursday afternoons I'm at a client's site re his bookkeeping in another town, so I try to get my other clients to NOT call on Tuesdays and Thursdays and to NOT expect a call back until the next day. I seem to be responding to the telephone and e-mail when in the office and not getting any actual return preparation done until the evenings. My natural procrastination and current burn-out contribute to that. And, the clients are getting cranky. I'm racing against time, because I have a family reunion that will take me to another state for over a week in August. And, my assistant has had medical problems with her kids keeping her away for weeks at a time. I really, really want to finish tax season, but here I am on this board!