7010E Final Project: Redesigning Accountalent’s web CX for new product offerings
Background:
Accountalent is a small, remote CPA firm dedicated to only working with startups, specifically software startups that primarily reside in the Boston, New York, Chicago, Texas, and San Francisco areas.
As referenced on Accountalent’s website, the company has been the go-to tax and accounting solution for 3,000+ startups, including Casper, ClassPass, BollyX, and LL Cool J’s Rock The Bells and adds new clients daily. So how does the firm work?
Accountalent provides unlimited CFO, accounting, bookkeeping, payroll, and tax support and prides itself on fixed-price engagements (currently, only one $1,950 package), no surprises, customer service, and accurate, ethical work.
Since most startups are run by young entrepreneurs leading companies that are not yet profitable (or never will be), Accountalent is the affordable answer. And since these startups’ taxes are relatively easy to do versus more established companies — and the firm is fully remote —there is little overhead and great margins on this product.
Problem:
Once seemingly the only firm dedicated to startups, the market is quickly becoming saturated with competitors like Pilot and MainStreet — both of which are looking to create more holistic package offerings for a one-stop-shop experience for their client base, which overlaps with the Accountalent clientele.
As a result, Accountalent plans to expand its offerings from one basic package to two — “Core” and “Launch” — by white labeling a lucrative and popular R&D Studies product from sister firm eTaxConnect.
The “Core” package is the only package currently offered and will remain the same at $1,950/month.
The “Launch” package will simply be the “Core” + an R&D Study.
By increasing its offerings and becoming a one-stop-shop in its own right, Accountalent will remain competitive in its market and continue its exponential growth.
Solution:
As is with the entire Accountalent brand, the solution — and my task — is to redesign the website to reflect the new package offerings and educate potential customers on what has changed, the reason for the change and details about the new offerings in a way that makes them more excited to be an Accountalent customer and doesn’t confuse them in their search for a company accountant.
My redesign of the Accountalent website CX is focused on integrating/merging eTaxConnect’s R&D Study product offering onto the current website by creating a 1) R&D Studies page that explains what the product is and includes supplementary educational blogs as to what the R&D Credit is, how to determine if you qualify, etc. and 2) launching a Packages page that details the “Core” and “Launch” products side-by-side.
Both tabs will live on the website’s main navigation and be easy to find to all website visitors.
Target User & Journey Map:
Accountalent’s targeted user is pretty consistent across the board: young, college grad/current college student (usually Ivy League), single, no kids, and passionate about their startup business.
Below, I’ve pulled together a general persona that reflects the average Accountalent customer. While not necessarily research-based, this persona is an example of a quality assumption-based piece of work, as Accountalent employees were consulted on the current processes, touchpoints, and pain points, as well as possible solutions, in the creation of this persona and subsequent journey map.
The Accountalent CX Journey Map (pictured above) identifies the issue and solution of redesigning the Accountalent website (and beyond, down the line) in order to achieve the desired goal of a more comprehensive and informative CX for exploring the company’s offerings.
Prototypes:
Below are the two prototypes I outlined in my project proposal: the Packages page and R&D Studies page that will launch on the company’s WordPress-hosted website.
My first prototype is the all-new Packages page that highlights the two new Accountalent packages: “Core” and “Launch.”
As mentioned in my initial project goals, this page 1) allows customers to view and compare Accountalent’s two package offerings; 2) clearly highlights pricing and what is included in each package; 3) while not pictured, when clicked, the “Launch” package will take users to the R&D Studies page (pictured below); and 4) includes a “Schedule an Appointment” button that pops so conversions aren’t lost.
Not pictured: “Packages” will always be part of the main navigation tabs at the top of the page.
This page is clear, concise, and to the point. It gets the job done and doesn’t use dark patterns to confuse customers or trick them into buying something they don’t need/want.
My second prototype is the all-new R&D Studies page that provides a brief yet informative overview of what Accountalent’s R&D Study product is, including why customers should choose Accountalent and pricing for this particular package.
