COVID Client Meeting Protocol

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#1
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I'm curious how everyone here is currently handling client meetings and plans to handle them moving forward.

I have postponed (indefinitely) all client lunch meetings and instead do everything over the phone and email. I did this because, to be honest, I'm a little nervous about my liability exposure. e.g. I schedule a lunch meeting for a client, we meet, eat lunch and catch up. He or she catches COVID, regardless of during that outing or some other in the days surrounding it, and, worst case scenario, passes away. The finger is pointed at me.

Of course, that is absolutely worst case scenario, and perhaps a little paranoid, but it still gives me pause.

I don't know if I see any change in my above protocol of mine for remainder of 2020. My state is one of those "out of control" states blasted in the media, and we're likely to see a mask mandate in my city pretty soon now that my governor has stopped threatening my mayor with lawsuits over mask mandates (comforting I know).

I am comfortable going out to the grocery store and even getting takeout for myself, but client meetings are a different story because I feel responsible for what happens thereafter. Clients may not realize this, so I am trying to balance looking like a wuss with what I believe to be a genuine business risk.

What do you think? What are you and your employees doing? Are you in an urban area? Suburban? Rural?
 

#2
ATSMAN  
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I only have a face to face meeting if the client absolutely demands that. I try to steer away from it but some people just don't change and I would hate to lose a good client over this.

As usual we sit at least 6 feet apart, both MUST wear masks and there is plenty of hand sanitizer to go around. Client must use their own pen to sign or I have giveaways.

After meeting, chair, table, door knobs are scrubbed.
 

#3
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Thank you ATSMAN for replying. I work out of a home office, but if I had a commercial office, I would definitely be as flexible as you for clients that insisted.

Are you taking clients to lunch? Plan to?
 

#4
ATSMAN  
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ManVsTax wrote:Thank you ATSMAN for replying. I work out of a home office, but if I had a commercial office, I would definitely be as flexible as you for clients that insisted.

Are you taking clients to lunch? Plan to?


This tax season after Covid restriction was imposed I have NOT taken any client or prospect out to lunch or breakfast. Typically a lunch/breakfast meeting is arranged for business referrals, so I may do those later in the year. One of the popular destinations in my town is a small diner that makes wicked good eggs benedict. But with Covid restrictions there is a line at 6am!
 

#5
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I am still indicating I am not doing face-to-face meetings, but have a few clients I will meet. In fact, I am meeting one for drinks and food, tomorrow, to discuss his expansion and becoming more involved in a controllership capacity.

Overall, I am still handling as I did back in late March and April. It is reinforcing to clients that it works and promotes my preferred way of doing business (especially since I am not always in town).
 

#6
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As of right now, I've not had face-to-face meetings with exceptions for my best clients. Moving forward, who knows? I will certainly be encouraging clients to be more virtual. I think we'll have a better idea in the coming month as school reopenings continue to fail so who knows... maybe as a country we will start to take this seriously. Wishful thinking, perhaps.

Business risk from COVID spread is something that we all face in these times, but my guess is there will be some sort of liability relief for this (whether it is blanket immunity, or for those businesses who follow reasonable practices) at some point. To me, the bigger risk would be the reputational risk of being a superspreader office.

I go to the grocery store out of necessity, but I have not been to or eaten from any restaurant with an "eat in" option (whether I eat there or dine out) since restaurants reopened. It's the customers I don't trust, especially if there's a bar in the restaurant...
 

#7
TaxDude  
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I am also telling clients there will be no face-to-face meetings, not even lunches, for the rest of this year. Have not had any push-back or grunts yet. They understand, since I tell them it's for my protection (and staff) as much as theirs.

We haven't decided what to do about next tax season yet. We'll make that decision in December before the year-end mailers go out. Currently, we are thinking it's going to be a 100% virtual/remote season. If anything, this situation proved to clients that remote service works. I'll be purchasing a camera for my monitor soon and will be offering Zoom meetings, if requested, soon.
 

#8
CrowCPA  
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I am letting the client decide what is comfortable for them. On average about one person per week wants to come in for a meeting. Most are wearing masks now but I don't demand that. Some others will hand stuff to me in the driveway. Most of my clients are people I have known for a decade or longer. Trying to do breakfast or lunch around here is impossible now. Most of the restaurants have only a few outdoor tables and some are not open at all.

I work from a home office in a very rural location with low rates of Covid. I think I will get a bottle of hand sanitizer to have on my desk for those who want to use it.
 

#9
ATSMAN  
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Most are wearing masks now but I don't demand that. Some others will hand stuff to me in the driveway.

Wearing masks for all people involved in a face to face meeting is MANDATORY in my office. Now and then I will have a client come without a mask, I have a box of masks in my office. I am not playing Russian Roulette with these careless people.
 

#10
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Thanks everyone for responding. It's good to get perspective on what others are doing and this forum is invaluable in that regard, and many others.

As I hinted in my OP, I'm sure this answer will be heavily dependent on where you are, and may even be influenced by general outlook towards masks in your area.

I'd expect very different responses for rural Montana vs NYC.

I am in a relatively dense urban area, although nothing like NYC.

Thanks again.
 


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