Terry Matz - Writing

Headquarters associate discovers a new world

(for H&R Block Corporate Communications)

(Second in a series of articles on associates who play dual roles: Working at World Headquarters AND serving as tax professionals.)

June 20, 2006 -- As Senior Program Director, Elizabeth Stangohr tackles tough complex assignments daily, but as a first-year tax professional in the Raintree, Mo., office last tax season, she admits, “I was out of my comfort zone.”

Elizabeth took the challenge to work in the tax office in addition to her “day” job because, “there’s no way to know what’s going on in the field without working in the tax office. And it’s not just taking the training. It’s so different when you’re sitting face-to-face with a client.”

Getting Connected

Her fellow tax professionals were very supportive. “The first few clients scared me because I thought I had to know everything. I was relieved to find a great team in the office eager to help me. We were a team at the district level too. When we met our goals, we would send clients to a nearby office if they didn’t want to wait.”

She experienced first hand the connection between a tax professional and clients. “When you sit down with a client who hasn’t had a good year and you can help them get the best benefits possible, they feel they have someone in their corner. When you get them so comfortable they even give you a hug when they leave, it’s such a good feeling.”

Now she speaks with pride about “our office” and the experiences she had there. “My respect level for tax professionals has skyrocketed. Tax professionals are our competitive advantage.”

Going with the flow

The key perspectives that Elizabeth brings back to WHQ from her tax professional experience are “flow” and “balance”. Elizabeth’s background is in Information Technology so she knew TPS from a technical perspective. “But working with clients I learned about the flow from the moment the client walks in the door. Now when I’m discussing a project in a meeting, I picture the interaction with the client. I go through the TPS screens in my mind and imagine where the project will fit in the flow.”

According to Elizabeth, the information funneled to tax professionals has to be a balance of key points, rather than a bombardment. “There are so many things we have to learn – how to read a client, how to use TPS, and new information on fifty new products. Now when I meet with a product owner at WHQ who wants to share everything about their product with the field, I tell them to focus on the one or two most important points that you want a tax professional to leave with.”

Looking ahead

Elizabeth recommends that everyone at WHQ should take the time to work as a tax professional. “There are benefits for the company and yourself. It will change your perspective. When I sit in a meeting, everyone turns to me and asks, ‘You’re a tax pro -- what do you think?’ And my credibility with the field has gone up. They open up more when they find out I’m a tax professional.” She concludes with this challenge for her co-workers, “If I can do this, why can’t you?”

Is Elizabeth going back next tax season? “Absolutely! At their request – they asked me to come back.”

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