Over the past month, many of our clients and referral sources have asked if we have re-opened our office.
The short answer is that is yes, we are open for business and available to meet with our clients. The longer answer to the question addresses many other issues including our greatest resource - our people.
When the pandemic quarantine began in mid-March, Zinner & Co. quickly pivoted to continue to address our client needs, frankly, at the busiest time of the year for our tax practice. We sent our staff home and connected everyone through secured methods to our office servers. We even found a way to keep our tax season interns on staff while many other firms discontinued all internship programs at time.
This created the ultimate stress test on our technology systems and resources. The result was an absolute confirmation we made excellent investments in assuring we could continue in our role as an essential business. Most importantly, it allowed us to continue to act as the most trusted advisor to our business clients during this unprecedented time.
We completed the 2020 tax season while simultaneously assisting our clients in navigating the Paycheck Protection Program loan application process. In many cases, round the clock efforts took place from our employees’ home offices, their dining room tables or their guest bedrooms. For most clients, they may not have even been aware that we were not all working from our Beachwood office, but satisfied with our ability to meet their needs!
As the pandemic has continued, we organized a team of staff members from all aspects of our practice to identify the safety protocols needed to allow us to return to our Beachwood office. This team meticulously followed guidelines issued by the CDC and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s task force to develop and implement our Return to Work Safety Program. Our office now boasts mask protocols, gallons of hand sanitizer, and well-check procedures to make people comfortable with the ultimate return to work.
At this time, although we have not formally re-opened our office, we have begun to transition a limited number of staff members to return to the office on an “as needed basis,” including our amazing administrative staff, which continued to come into the office on a staggered basis throughout the pandemic. We also continue to utilize technology in meeting with clients using Zoom and other technology platforms for remote meetings, including our own weekly staff meetings. Finally, we continue to evaluate other technology options to increase electronic delivery of our products and services.
We are grateful for everyone’s willingness to be flexible, especially that of our staff and our clients.
So back to the short answer – We Are Open for Business – and look forward to working with our current and future clients with a focus on security, engagement, communication and nimbleness that technology affords all of us!