Pronto Tax Class New Year’s Resolutions for 2012
2011 was quite a year in more ways than one. For us here at Pronto Income Tax of California, Inc., it was a particularly exciting year because we released our first online tax courses at ProntoTaxClass.com and at RenewCTEC.com. While the response from Pronto Tax Class Students has been flattering, we know that there are still ways that we can–and must–improve our online and in-person tax courses.
Keep reading to find out three ways that Pronto Tax Class plans to get better in 2012.
1. Give Students a More Complete “Package” Option
Many students have enjoyed our online tax course and want more of our education tax training materials. The problem in 2011 was…we didn’t have any other education materials to give! All we currently have for tax training, as of January 1, 2102, are: 1) our 60 hour become a tax preparer course here at ProntoTaxClass.com, 2) our 20 hour CTEC continuing education course at RenewCTEC.com, and 3) our internal Pronto Income Tax of California, Inc. training program for our tax preparers who work at Pronto.
In 2012, we’d like to offer students, especially new tax preparers, a more complete “package” option that includes “everything you need to start doing taxes for pay,” including your online tax course, access to tax software, and extensive marketing advice for how to acquire your first 100 clients. Having been in this business for so long, we have more to give than just the course itself.
In 2012, we will be active in creating these add on products that turn our “learn tax, earn cash” motto into reality for more new tax preparers.
2. Get Organized with Incoming Calls and Emails
This year of 2011 was total chaos at many moments in the process of turning ProntoTaxClass.com into a reality. All the emails from students or prospective students, all the phone calls to our dedicated Pronto Tax Class Student Helpline…we didn’t do as good of a job of tracking these interactions as we could have (in a perfect world), which is unfortunate not only for our ability to sell more courses but also because by tracking these emails and calls better, we can listen to our customers better and find out what people truly want in an online tax course.
Not what we THINK people want, but what people actually tell us they want. Rest assured, we’ve been listening. But beginning in 2012, we have to find a way to not only listen, but record these needs in an organized manner–and follow up appropriately.
3. Create More Jobs for More Pronto Tax Class Students
Selling an educational product in this horrendous job market is tough because (if you have any shred of integrity and compassion) you need to be careful about not promising employment in return for someone buying your course. You never want to mislead students into thinking that if they take your online tax course, they are guaranteed a job doing taxes. Because they are most certainly not guaranteed anything of the sort. The income tax preparation business is far too competitive for anyone and everyone who takes a 60 hour basic tax course to immediately get a job at a successful tax preparation firm.
Still, when we first released Pronto Tax Class, we had hoped to hire 3-5 new tax preparers to help us expand into a new Pronto Income Tax office location. That was the plan. Well, that plan fell by the wayside as we encountered, as a company, a variety of unexpected expenses that did not allow us to open a new office this year. Now it looks like we will only be able to hire 1-2 Pronto Tax Class Students for this tax season.
In 2012, we are hopeful that we will be able to more directly link our course to employment and/or self-employment for our students, whether as an employee of Pronto, a partner of Pronto, at other tax companies, or whatever the case may be. In 2012, we plan to concoct and execute more and better ideas to make sure our Pronto Tax Class students are turning tax learning into tax earning the way God intended it.
So, that’s what’s on the agenda for 2012. Should be another busy year 🙂
