REWARD
The skills to set you apart
Mae Kennedy, consultant – employment taxes, PSTAX , discusses her experiences regarding payroll and tax professionals’ use of soft skills, alongside technical skills
I t’s taken for granted that payroll and tax professionals will have a good technical background and an understanding of any relevant legislation. We’re constantly updating our knowledge through continuous professional development and training, so it’s a given that we should have the skills to provide our clients and employees alike with a reliable service. We’re lucky to have systems and software which are able to produce pay slips and tax returns in minutes, but without the required expertise, we would have no idea whether these were correct or complete, or how to even input the information in the first place. Having worked with payroll professionals for many years, at PSTAX we understand that soft skills are just as important as everything technical. “We understand that soft skills are just as important as everything technical”
First point of contact Often payroll professionals are the first to receive a phone call from an employee who has been paid less than they expected. That employee may be upset or angry, and their worry may be expressed to the person who has sent them their payslip. It’s important to take the time to listen and, even though it can be tempting to jump straight in and fix what you ‘think’ may be the problem, pause and consider what the right action to take could be. It’s OK to set the individual’s expectations and say to your customer or client that you’ll consider their problem further before you respond. You can demonstrate active listening by repeating your client’s queries or concerns back to them at the end of a call, before setting out the actions you plan to take and the timescale for doing so. One of the best courses I’ve ever attended through my career in tax focussed on the importance of communicating with your clients in plain English. Although it’s essential in written communication that our spelling and grammar are correct, how we communicate advice to our clients goes
much further than this. When we respond to our clients at PSTAX, we know what they want us to tell them is what to do next or how to solve their problem. Our job is to understand and translate the tax laws and set out what this really means. It would be little help to anyone to regurgitate the legislation in an email, and what most people want is the information put into practice for them. It’s important to put yourselves in the shoes of your client or customer and think about what they’re really asking you before setting out your response in an easy-to-understand format. Most people just want accurate, practical advice. “It’s OK to set the individual’s expectations and say to your customer or client that you’ll consider their problem further before you respond”
| Professional in Payroll, Pensions and Reward | April 2023 | Issue 89 32
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