How do you organize client contact information?

Hi,

We have issues with keeping client contact information up to date and accurate.

The problem is we have multiple places that we store each clients information, and sometimes it doesn't get updated at each place. And it really pains me that we sometimes have sent tax documents to the wrong/old addresses.

E.g. we have each clients info in

1. Lacerte
2. QuickBooks
3. Stamps.com
4. TaxDome
5. 8x8 VOIP (phone contact list)

How do you organize it all? is there a better way than updating all of these locations?

Please help!

This problem has plagued and frustrated me for 20+ years. I have no solution other than creating a workflow for a change to make sure every database is updated.

Do you have a single database where you have a master list that you use as your main contact list that is always 100% accurate? From there, maybe look at something like Zapier or Integromat (which I guess is now make.com) to sync the other databases? Probably won't work for Lacerte but it may for the others.

I believe the issue is policy and practice in your office rather than any software or database. I have a policy that all client contact data MUST be updated on the client tax file in the software first. Then we extract the necessary data to do our online campaigns and e-mails etc.

So in a typical situation a call/email/personal visit will come from client that they have moved or changed their address or phone #.
1) The receiver in the office will write the new information on an index card.
2) The client tax file info in the software is updated at the earliest opportunity. We store that index card until the next tax season.
3) We track all bounced e-mails and contact client by phone to update if necessary. I would say each tax season I have about a dozen or so clients who fail to inform us about an address change.

As previously mentioned, Zapier might alleviate some of this pain point. It allows communication between different platforms and could handle synchronization of client contact details.

Okay, thanks for the responses.

I will definitely look at Zapier.

I notice that some of the softwares allow the use of csv files to update in bulk, that could help straighten everything out, but if isn't exactly convenient to use repeatedly.

Oh man, don't remind me of this subject.

Like SMT we have a checklist/workflow.

I can't count how many times one type of electronic payment was made with an old account, for example.

After so many failures and a staff that doesn't seem to want to help create a process despite my requests, I mostly have to handle it myself. I have failed to guide the office to a solution that doesn't involve me so much.

This subject: so frustrating.

We have an excel Master Contact worksheet for each client. But it’s really just policy- designating something as the Master Contact and checking against it before you mail.

Quickbooks QBO trumps Outlook and TaxDome.

I want Zapier to work properly to update all contacts across those three platforms but it just does not work.

Cornerstone, we use Zapier all the time for this. It will take care of this need. You need a trigger. So the trigger could be each time you update a customer in QBO, it updates in tax dome (action) and outlook (action).