As we near the end of the year, I want to update you on the most recent improvements we’ve made to the QuickBooks ProAdvisor® customer success experience. I’ve shared over the last few months that we’ve been on a journey to transform ProAdvisor support in four key areas:

1. Connecting you with experts based in the United States.
2. Building experts’ knowledge, especially across payroll and payments.
3. Recognizing who you are when you call us to minimize wait times.
4. Resolving your issues faster by connecting you to the right experts faster.

Here are our latest updates:

1. Connecting you with experts based in the United States

Today, all experts serving Gold, Platinum, and Elite ProAdvisors during our support business hours (Monday – Friday, 6am – 6pm PT, and Saturday, 6am – 3pm PT) are now based in the United States. All support experts serving Silver ProAdvisors during business hours will be based in the United States by early 2022.

We’ve also already hired and trained several hundred new experts with a strong background in accounting and tax in preparation for the upcoming busy season. This was a huge priority for us this fall, as we brought these experts on board earlier than ever before to ensure they are well prepared to help you.

2. Building experts’ knowledge, especially across payroll and payments

ProAdvisor support experts are now organized into two teams, with each team focused on building an expertise in QuickBooks® Desktop or QuickBooks Online. This allows our experts to become more specialized, undergo more in-depth training and expand their knowledge to better serve you, understand the intricacies of your workflows, and solve your issues faster. We also are now requiring all experts supporting ProAdvisors to become QuickBooks ProAdvisor certified.

An in-depth, 6-month training program for payroll and payments is also now in place to expand experts’ knowledge in these two areas you told us were in most need of change. In fact, since September, we’ve assembled a dedicated Accountant Payroll team to handle your payroll-specific issues.

3. Recognizing who you are when you call us to minimize wait times

We’ve completed the improvements that help us know who you are and when you first contact us. This means that we can more quickly identify who you are, your ProAdvisor designation, and understand what platform or product you may be calling about so you get connected to the right expert from the start.

We’ve also completed the upgrade of our technology routing platform that speeds up our ability to connect and route you to the expert you need to solve your issue.

4. Resolving your issues faster by connecting you to the right experts faster

We’ve expanded the skills and expertise required of expert leads whose role it is to help front-line agents resolve issues faster. We’ve also required that all expert leads be QuickBooks ProAdvisor-certified. And finally, we’ve implemented new processes and communication technologies that make it easier and faster for front-line experts to get the additional help they need from their expert leads to solve the most complex problems.

Additionally, we’ve put into place processes that prioritize issues related to corrections, amendments and tax notices, so you are connected to a knowledgeable expert trained to answer your questions and resolve these problems quickly.

Our continued commitment

While we have nearly completed the first wave of ProAdvisor customer success improvements, we are not done. We continue to invest in strategies and processes that further build upon the positive changes we’ve made over the last several months. This includes expanding upon the training requirements experts receive to ensure they are knowledgeable and able to help you solve your most complex issues. It also includes further investment in technologies that help you connect with us faster and get you to the expert you need to help solve your issue.

Along that note, some of you may have had difficulty connecting or had your call dropped with our support experts through phone or chat on Dec. 7, 2021. This was the result of an outage by the third-party vendor that connects our support agents with you. I apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused you. I also want to assure you that this brief outage does not represent our continued commitment to making marked improvements to your ProAdvisor support experience. I, and the entire accountant team at QuickBooks, know that your time is valuable. Our goal is to support you rather than slow you down.

If you have any feedback on ProAdvisor support, please let us know. Your feedback will help shape the future of support.

Ted Callahan

Intuit QuickBooks Accountant Business Leader

If the live chat was any indication, the conversation left listeners feeling inspired, motivated, and ready to take the next step in their entrepreneurial journey. (Psst! This free illustrated playbook can help.) If you missed it, or just forgot to take notes, here are a few key takeaways from Mr. Worldwide.

“No’s” fuel your fire

There’s one word every entrepreneur has heard far too many times: No. And Pitbull is no exception. Before he went on to sell over 25 million studio albums and 100 million singles, Pitbull was told ‘no.’ “They told me I’d never work,” he said. “They told me I shouldn’t be rapping with DJs and DJs shouldn’t have rappers on their records… Timber, they told me it was never going to work.”

Of course, Timber peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 for three consecutive weeks and became the sixth best-selling song in 2014. “Clearly they didn’t know what they were talking about,” he said. “But I knew.”

“You’re going to run into a lot of no’s… and what you’ve got to do is allow them to be fuel to your fire,” he said. After all, he continued, Oprah was told she wasn’t made for television. Walt Disney was told he didn’t have an imagination. A young Michael Jordan was told he wasn’t good at basketball. And Pitbull was told his music wouldn’t work.

But they forged ahead. They took those no’s and used them as gasoline to propel their dreams. And according to Pitbull, that’s the key. “You have to be willing to learn and willing to fight,” he said. “Willing to say, ‘I’m going to push through this.”

And when your single reaches the top of the charts, or your business takes off despite the naysayers, “don’t say, ‘I told you so,’” he said. “Send them free [products], buy them tickets for the show.”

Mistakes are must-takes

“You have to make mistakes,” said Pitbull. “You have to fall, you have to slip, you have to fail.” He believes you have to do these things in order to learn and grow as a business. In fact, that’s one of Pitbull’s favorite sayings: “Failure is the mother of success.”

“So they’re not mistakes,” he continued, “they’re must-takes.” In other words, they’re the big ideas, the challenges, and the risks you must take—even if you fail. After all, “you don’t make mistakes,” he said, “mistakes make you.” They make you a stronger, scrappier, and smarter business.

And that’s where small businesses really have an advantage over big businesses; they’re more agile. They can adapt quickly to changes. They can take those risks and pivot as needed. They can bounce back from slips and falls and come out stronger on the other side. As Pitbull says, “you don’t go through it, you grow through it.”

But, for small business owners, that’s what keeps things interesting. Running a business is a roller coaster, “and I’ve never seen a roller coaster with a straight line,” Pitbull said. Those twists and turns are what people line up for.

Money doesn’t make you

“Don’t get in [to business] for the money,” Pitbull said. “Get in it because you love it.” Remember, “You make the money, the money doesn’t make you… if you’re only in it for the money, the money is going to start making you.” And your business is going to suffer because of it.

The key to long-lasting business success is simple (in theory): Love. “If it’s something you’re passionate about, it’s something you love, and it’s something you believe in, then that will have longevity,” he said. “That will stand the test of time.”

After all, when you believe in your business, and you’re passionate about your business, investors, partners, and customers will take note. “When it comes to business… it has to be self-first,” said Pitbull. “Love yourself first, help yourself first, believe in yourself first. That’s how you create something around you.”

There’s no “I” in team

That being said, you can’t do it all by yourself. “There’s no I in team,” Pitbull said. This isn’t a new concept by any means, but he takes it one step further. “If you run into anybody who tells you, ‘But there’s an ME,’ run the other way. That’s not somebody you want to do business with.”

So how can small business owners build a strong team of supporters?

Small business advisor Mariette Martinez says small business owners need to plan for success if they want to be successful–but you don’t have to do it alone. In fact, you shouldn’t. If words like “budgeting” and “business plan” give you anxiety, turn to your team of trusted partners. “Bring in those accountants, bring in those advisors that will walk you through it and be willing to invest in your business.”

Jamahl and Natalie Grace, owners of Grace+Love Candle Co. say it’s important to surround yourself with people who believe in you and your vision. “We get a lot of no’s,” they said. “But we have an amazing circle of friends who have supported us.” And, at the end of the day, “if you believe in your vision, somebody else will too, and you create a ripple effect.”

Remember, running a business is a journey–a journey full of twists and turns, ups and downs. But, “if you partner with the right people,” said Pitbull, “it’s a great journey.”

You’ve been saying these words wrong

Pitbull believes that things happen for a reason. If you spill your cup of coffee in the morning, are you going to allow that to ruin your day? He suggests that maybe that cup spilled for a reason. “Maybe you weren’t supposed to be in traffic, or not supposed to be at a stop sign,” he said. Rather than getting angry or frustrated about the disruption to your day, “keep moving and pour yourself a new cup.”

“Now take that analogy and apply it to your business,” he said. Are you going to allow setbacks and challenges to ruin your day or make you angry? Or are you going to enjoy the journey? After all, “you never know where your journey will take you,” he said. “Enjoy the ride! Have fun, keep learning. That’s what keeps it exciting and spicy.”

“So for everybody out there in business,” he said as his parting words, “get ready for it. It’s an amazing journey. But you’re going to hear a lot of no’s, won’ts, can’ts, don’ts, crazy, stupid, impossible!” But, according to Pitbull, we’ve been looking at these words the wrong way. “No is a new opportunity. The word can’t is can. The word don’t is do. The word won’t is won. The word crazy… well it’s just crazy–that’s why we invest in ourselves.”

Watch the full video now or get the answers to the most common questions during the roundtable.

This content is for information purposes only and should not be considered legal, accounting, or tax advice, or a substitute for obtaining such advice specific to your business. Additional information and exceptions may apply. Applicable laws may vary by state or locality. No assurance is given that the information is comprehensive in its coverage or that it is suitable in dealing with a customer’s particular situation. Intuit Inc. does not have any responsibility for updating or revising any information presented herein. Accordingly, the information provided should not be relied upon as a substitute for independent research. Intuit Inc. does not warrant that the material contained herein will continue to be accurate nor that it is completely free of errors when published. Readers should verify statements before relying on them.

Up next: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/r/starting-a-business/how-to-start-a-business-playbook/

Recommended:

https://quickbooks.intuit.com/r/trends/grow-your-business-first-year/

https://quickbooks.intuit.com/r/business-profile/i-run-this-jamahl-natalie-grace/

https://quickbooks.intuit.com/r/business-profile/i-run-this-mariette-martinez/

https://quickbooks.intuit.com/r/trends/ask-the-expert-jame-jackson-latinx-small-business-owners/