February 18, 2025 l Manila Bulletin
According to Dale Bronner, a well-known speaker and preacher, professionals in public practice—accountants, doctors, lawyers, and even service providers who handle multiple clients—should know not only how to manage those clients but also how to “protect their own peace.”
Dealing with various clients means addressing diverse business concerns. The tasks required for each client can take a toll on our physical health and create significant stress. While having more clients is generally a positive sign, the challenge lies in managing these accounts effectively, providing quality service, and building strong relationships. Furthermore, managing multiple clients while maintaining a healthy stress level—that is, preserving your peace—presents an entirely different set of challenges.
However, several strategies can help minimize stress and improve efficiency. First, at the outset of any project, establish realistic expectations for both parties. For example, clients should commit to submitting necessary documents by specific internal deadlines to ensure compliance with regulatory agencies (for accountants, external auditors, or outsourcing providers like us) such as the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). On the professional side, we should establish flexible deadlines that allow for potential delays due to unforeseen problems.
Second, encourage staff to inform their superiors immediately of any client-related problems. Misunderstandings can arise when owners or executive committees are unaware that their accounting departments or accountants are not submitting required documents on time. It is crucial to keep top management informed. A good practice is for staff to propose solutions for every problem they raise to their superiors.
Third, focus, focus, focus. The importance of focus cannot be overstated. When working with multiple clients, there’s a temptation to shift attention from one to another and a tendency to multitask. For instance, talking to one client on the phone while reviewing another client’s audit report on the computer can lead to missed details and poor decisions. Cultivating focus is a broad topic that warrants a separate discussion.
Fourth, minimizing digital distractions is closely related to focus. While working on a client report or project, avoid checking email, Facebook, or other social media. In his book Things That Matter (which I recommend), Joshua Becker argues that even when using devices for work purposes, inefficient use can be surprisingly costly. He cited a study showing that it takes approximately 23 minutes to refocus after a distraction. For critical projects, consider setting up an automatic reply on your phone indicating that you will return calls or, for urgent matters, requesting the caller to leave a message or call back later, similar to when you are in a meeting.
Fifth, learn to prioritize and delegate. In Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, he discusses President Eisenhower’s productivity matrix and his famous quote: “What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important.” The matrix categorizes tasks as: Important and Urgent (Do), Important but not Urgent (Plan), Unimportant but Urgent (Delegate), and Unimportant and not Urgent (Eliminate). I would add “Delegate” as an option for the last category as well.
Many other strategies can help manage multiple clients without burnout. You may have your own. I am continually working on these strategies and experimenting with new ways to enjoy both my work and my leisure time.
Having multiple clients is a positive sign of business growth. However, it becomes problematic when it compromises your peace and increases your stress level. The challenge lies in knowing how to manage it effectively.
***The views expressed herein are her own and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of her office as well as FINEX. For comments, email wimiranda@inventormiranda.com. Photo is from Pinterest.