How to Give Clients the Best User Experience, According to TMW Financial Solutions

Learn how TaxDome helps remote teams stay organized and provide top-level service to their clients.

Welcome to #TestimonialThursday! This week’s interview is with Tranika Warner, founder of TMW Financial Solutions, LLC, an accounting firm that provides bookkeeping, payroll, and tax preparation services remotely. Working remotely provides many benefits, but can be quite challenging without adequate systems and processes. Read how Tranika and her team stay organized with TaxDome.

Why did you choose TaxDome?

I was trying to find something with a seamless process.

Last year, I was using Dropbox and emailing back and forth with clients. I realized I needed something more secure and that would keep everything organized and in one portal rather than a random mobile site that came with my tax software.

I wanted something I would be able to keep forever. When I came across TaxDome , I loved how it integrated with all the other services I perform as well—not just taxes. I do bookkeeping too. It’s such a seamless, secure client portal for all my clients.

What’s been the feedback from your clients?

It’s been great! When I tell them they can use the portal to get all their documents, they’re so happy.

They love how they can have access at any time and log in whenever they want . They haven’t had any issues uploading documents. So far, it’s been great. They just love it.

And, oh my gosh, it saves me so much time, because they don’t email me asking for those documents. Even this morning, someone asked me for a copy of their tax return and their social security card, and I said, “It’s all in your portal.” It’s just convenient! It saves a lot of time on both sides.

I request, they click, they provide. Simple! — Tranika Warner, on using TaxDome’s e-signatures feature with clients

How has integrating your business process with TaxDome made a difference for your firm?

I love the pipelines feature! My team is far more organized now, for both taxes and bookkeeping. Having that organization is a game-changer. I finally have a system—not just during tax season but all year long with bookkeeping and annual clients. We are so much more organized!

Has it been a big learning curve?

I have five people on my team; it hasn’t been difficult at all. Once I taught them how to go in and use TaxDome—after my onboarding sessions—they caught on really quickly.

Do you all work remotely or in an office?

We all work remotely, so it’s been much easier to divvy up the work and stay organized—especially when I showed the team how to send email directly through TaxDome rather than from their regular email accounts. It’s been very seamless.

What do you like most about TaxDome?

The e-signatures feature and requesting documents. These are the simplest things ever, but they are critical. I request, they click, they provide. Simple!

Most important: I don’t have to chase my clients down for anything. They’ve been super receptive.

Are you billing through TaxDome?

Yes. For invoices, I do use TaxDome’s reminders. That’s a favorite as well—the automatic emails if invoices are unpaid. I don’t have to maintain a calendar to keep track of invoices—it’s all done for me.

I integrated from a different third-party payment system straight into TaxDome, so it’s a lot easier for my clients. They click and pay all in one system—and there’s been a big favorable reaction to it. I also integrated my QuickBooks, so it’s all automatically synced. Huge time saver! It’s really, really easy to categorize payments.

We’re also using the function that allows you to lock documents to bills. This might actually be my favorite. It’s what first drew me to TaxDome when I was watching the demo: I can lock documents to ensure I get paid!

I’ve had only one pushback on locking a document to a bill. “I need a copy of my return,” the client said, and I said, “But I need to get paid first.” And then they paid, and the document was automatically released without me having to do anything. Everyone was happy in the end. I’ve never seen this type of feature in any software before. Apparently, I have a lot of favorites with TaxDome.

Did you have a lot of Accounts Receivable (AR) issues before?

When I used to send invoices, people would go days or even months without paying. I would have to chase them down. I really, really hate having to do that and don’t want to. But I don’t have to anymore. This is not a hobby; it’s my business. Anything I can do to optimize is a huge time-saver as well as a load off my shoulders!

We always consider making improvements to TaxDome and like to let you know about our updates and expected roll-out dates. Are there features that you feel are missing? Or features you wish we would add?

The difference between not using a system during our previous years to using TaxDome now has been so worth the investment. To be honest, almost all the functions I’ve been looking for are here. Improvements to e-signatures are what I’m looking for, but you guys are so on the ball, and I see new add-ons being released all the time. I really like how organized we are. Honestly it’s great.

Anything else you’d like to add?

I love the organizers: Those are amazing. We used to get all that information from people over the phone, and it took us 10 to 15 minutes per client—including potential clients. With the organizers feature, I was able to create my own intake forms directly on TaxDome. Now clients can sign in and get all of that done online, and when I start my return, I have all of it in front of me. That saves us so much time.

Do you know other people in the industry who use TaxDome?

I know two other companies that use TaxDome. Before, they’d been using a standalone mobile app for their tax clients. I told them about TaxDome—no apps crashing or other issues. I said, “Call Laura if you have any questions. Well, anyone there will help get you set up if you need help.” They love it!

Is it a value add for your clients?

Absolutely. I care about my clients, and in order for me to give them the best, I have to go out and find the best. I really value their feedback, so that I can better serve them. It’s not just about helping me and my internal process; I want my clients to feel I provide a better service to them, and we’ve been able to do that.