[Anonymous]

Hi everyone,

It’s probably not new stories, clients keep promising providing the information and miss the deadline, promise again, miss again…What I’ve done so far is sending the reminder with the list of outstanding items. However, I find it not really helpful. I don’t want to make client overwhelm with bunches of emails but at the same time hate putting the engagement on hold, come back several weeks after and start again. Is there any effective way to deal with procrastinating clients? Any thoughts are appreciated. Thank you!

[evesocal]

People who do things at the last minute will always do that and in my experience – and I have a lot – you're not gonna change them. Clients who procrastinate drive me nuts because I like doing things early. But I have some clients who, no matter how many times I ask them for things or send them lists of open items, it doesn't matter. I'll get it when they're good and ready and not before.

All you can do is get as much done as possible, get your earlier clients done, keep records of your requests, and be ready at the last minute when the procrastinators get their acts together.

Sometimes a new person – a bookkeeper, controller, whatever – will come on board with the “late” clients and then things stop being late. This is a pleasure.

I feel your pain but have not found any solution, other than to have as much of the engagement done and in place so when you finally get the missing information you can finish as quickly as possible.

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[Anonymous]

The deadline for extended corporate returns is less than 2 weeks away (Sept 15, but Sept 16 this year due to the 15th falling on the weekend), and we have several corporate clients who have not yet brought us the start of the information for their return. Thankfully it's people who have relatively simple returns, but still, it's kinda time!! People that have told us for 6 months that they'd get it next week, but who still haven't given us a single number. So, I feel your pain, and know that some people procrastinate to no end.

But also that, like evesocal said, those people will probably always procrastinate. I don't have as many years' experience with these people, but my boss has clients that he's had for 20-30 years, and they always bring their returns in within the last few days of the extension period.

However, occasionally these clients do change. 🙂 We had one who usually brings his stuff in about Sept 10 drop it off yesterday – that's improvement, right? Even if just a small bit of it? 😉 Mostly, you just have to deal with it.

[Anonymous]

Thank you guys!

@evesocal: I completely agree with your last sentence. That's what I have tried doing so far too. I also set up a timeline for the engagement, agree with the client on that upfront. Later on, they still broke it…

[Author]

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