The hidden cost of the heroic service model

Clients don’t hire professionals just for technical accuracy. They hire us for confidence, clarity, responsiveness, and trust. But here’s the problem: exceptional service can quietly turn into unmanaged risk if boundaries, scope, and standards slip.

The challenge isn’t choosing between great service and professional responsibility. It’s learning how to deliver both simultaneously. Admittedly, this can be very difficult at times, especially with the focus and additional bandwidth required during filing deadlines.

Most tax professionals fall into what Charles Hummel described as “the tyranny of the urgent”, spending the majority of time on pressing, short-term tasks while critical initiatives like improving processes, developing staff, and expanding advisory services remain perpetually postponed. According to a recent Thomson Reuters Institute survey of 150 tax firm decision-makers, this reactive approach is preventing firms from capitalizing on significant growth opportunities, with 85% reporting an average 13% growth in advisory services last year.

To dig deeper, visit the original article on the Thomson Reuters blog.