Tilenni Stiles & Associates is a Perth-based firm whose clients this year recognised their excellent client service and rewarded them at the 2021 Client Choice Awards with the Best Financial Planning Firm (<$30m revenue) Award.

NAB is the Principal Partner of the Awards. This Award is presented in partnership with Accountancy Insurance.

We caught up with Wendy Pinion-Jones, Accounting and Taxation Manager at Tilenni Stiles & Associates, to gain some insights into the firm’s approach to client service and how this has contributed to their success.

What do you identify as being a key factor in your firm’s success?

We have the trust of our client’s who know that we have a strong ethical and values base which we use to work with them to achieve their personal and financial goals through their evolving life journey. Our ability to react to significant change quickly, whilst maintaining a calming reassurance, gives our clients the support they need to ride even the toughest of storms.

How did you respond to the challenges faced over the last year?

By calling all our clients to see how they were going and to offer our professional support and advice whether it be to talk about the performance of their Investments and Super or their Insurances, and if appropriate, how to access Government assistance through JobKeeper/JobSeeker, or Payroll Tax relief, or help with rent negotiations. Our teams are very flexible and work cohesively and decisively to keep up to speed and to take the complexity out of quick-changing legislation to make it understandable and accessible to all. Constant communication with one another, with our professional partners, and with our clients is what we do anyway to develop those personal relationships, but over the last year we have given support and information freely to the wider community through social media posts, to inform and educate anyone finding the navigation of the Covid legislation confusing. We were all in this together for sure.

What do you prioritize in your client service?

Always acting in the clients best interests no matter what. Each client is individual and their wants and needs specific to them, at that point in time, and by developing relationships and encouraging discussion we are able to understand what those needs are and create a plan of action to meet their priorities, not ours.

How has FirmChecker helped you achieve this success?

By responding to and using the ongoing client feedback through FirmChecker to help us to improve our services and support. Our client relationships are strengthened by open, honest conversation and this is just another way for them to raise positive feedback with us so that we can grow and give better service back to them. It’s a win win situation.

If this sounds like your firm, we encourage you to enter the Awards and start collecting client feedback. They are open to all types and sizes of accounting firm or any firms in the legal, built & natural environment consulting and intellectual property professions.

Entries for the 2022 Client Choice Awards are now open and close soon!