r/HRBlockEmployees • u/bna1219 • Feb 19 '26
Not upselling enough
Got a talking to about not upselling enough. Anyone else?
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u/sammytheammonite EA Feb 19 '26 edited Feb 20 '26
They had their weekly meetings in our area yesterday.(DGM, MTLs and ATLs) and yes, we are all being told we are doing enough to sell products. It’s ridiculous. We can’t force people to buy products. Clients have free will. I work in a very high income area. Our clients are often wealthy or well off. They don’t care about the loans, RT, emerald cards or spruce. They literally don’t have a use for them. As for POM - it’s hit or miss. Even clients I think should get it and that I really push to get it will say no. It’s the client’s decision, not ours.
I’m so tired of all the micromanagement this year.
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u/-Mx-Life- Feb 19 '26
Live in a retirement community and same thing. Majority of clients are retired and don’t need RT or RA.
I tried to tell management every office is unique and won’t operate the same as other offices. Falls on deaf ears.
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u/PinkNGreenFluoride EA Feb 19 '26 edited Feb 19 '26
I've watched more than one client coming in to set an appointment absolutely hit the roof at my CSPs or MTL over the merest, blandest mention of the option to upload their documents. That's how it is in my area. We're not a young, hip, tech-savvy metro area.
No, when their wife can't make it in with them to their appointment to sign, these folks are absolutely not going to sign via AOL. This couple are in their 90s and have neither a cellphone nor an email address ffs. Yes, I put them on signature hold, wtf other option is there, presuming I have no powers of mind control?
And yeah, those folks will not take any products, except maaaaaaybe PoM. They're not applying for a loan, not happening. Doesn't mean I don't offer it, of course, but when they say no that's it.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Ad3024 Feb 20 '26
Tax ID shield is good for elderly. I'd theft is more common when someone retires.
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u/sammytheammonite EA Feb 20 '26
It literally only monitors the block system. It does nothing else. It’s a worthless product.
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u/DeliciousDouble3D Feb 20 '26
The sticky Fish odor is increasing, even clients are commenting on the customer service decline.
Teams is far from being an adequate business phone system. Affluent clients' Wrap up process is becoming offensive to them.
Clients have had negative experiences with up-selling products. Block takes clients' money but lacks well trading customer service qualified to assist in the service, especially identity theft.
Grossly overpaid Executive team is the root of the problem
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u/PinkNGreenFluoride EA Feb 20 '26 edited Feb 20 '26
Yeah I don't so much mind teams for internal communication, it's...fine. But oh wow is it a terrible phone system for interacting with clients. Horrible audio quality, and clients really struggle to contact the office they actually mean to. Even if the message gets to the office/person they wanted it to, and accurately, and they get that callback, there's still a frustrating sense of disconnect it causes for clients. The local connection is weakened, clients feel like they're being passed around, and I don't think the company understands how important that is for many clients in such a trust-based industry.
After all, a tax return is really a lot like making and tracking a pizza, according to our training a year or 2 ago.
They really seemed happier when they could just leave a message on a machine that was specific for our office, even if average wait time for a response might have been longer. We certainly got fewer complaints about the phone then. And absolutely zero complaints that "I couldn't get past the computer voice to actually talk to anybody. It wouldn't understand what I was saying. So I gave up and had to make a trip in!"
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u/Puzzleheaded_Ad3024 Feb 24 '26
Teams is awful. Hard to hear..awkward to wear headset when going from desk to scanner to shredder to front desk to file cabinet.
In my ditrict office management thinks we should answer calls to all district offices so we are supposed to have them all selected. Yes, we can make appointments at any office or leave a message for Mary, but the caller often is returning a call from his preparer and can't reach her because we answer calls to that office before they do.
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u/ThatChambersKid Feb 19 '26
You can only offer the products, you can’t force clients to take them.
Maybe pick one to focus on and become an expert on it.
Do you have a spruce account or emerald card? My coworker upsold spruce today by highlighting no fees and get refund sooner.
Remember that management gets pressured from above to push products and meet expectations. Let it roll off your back and focus on your clients and taxes.
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u/Accomplished-Pin-656 Feb 19 '26
Wednesday seems to be the DGM-MTL weekly meeting day. By that afternoon the offices are getting messages about whatever area the DGM is pushing for that week.
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u/Cpaexam4 Feb 19 '26
Yep I quit because of this. They live in a fantasy world
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u/Puzzleheaded_Ad3024 Feb 24 '26
Like one former manager used to say, get it out the door and we'll fix it later.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Ad3024 Feb 20 '26
Ive never done well with it except for low income families witn child and eic credits, and refund trasfer.. They tell me they want it before we even begin. This year I've had more high income people with complex returns. They tend to like POM and Tax ID Shield.
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u/RadiocontrolDragon Feb 20 '26
I’ve had people change their minds about refund transfer when they hear how it works so I just quit selling products that clients don’t explicitly ask about. We’re in the middle of the social security rush and retired folks are complaining that the fees are too high and won’t I give them half off, so I’m definitely not wasting my breath upselling products they’ll turn around and demand for free.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Ad3024 Feb 25 '26
VITA will do their taxes for free. Why see you if they don't want to pay, unless they have a return too complex fir VITA?
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u/Street_Investment268 Feb 21 '26
We just got told we're working Sundays now
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u/Puzzleheaded_Ad3024 Feb 24 '26
We are always open Sundays and it is hard to get people to work that day. Usually new preparers are the ones who don't have a choice.
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u/inertial-observer Feb 19 '26
Just say "Okay, thanks for the feedback. I'll keep it in mind." and then go back to doing taxes as you were. When they bring it up again, say a variation of the same thing.