CCH Listening Tour Lets Customers Share What's on Their Minds

RIVERWOODS, Ill., June 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- CPA firms nationwide are getting a first-hand opportunity to let those who can make a difference know what they need. CCH President and CEO Mike Sabbatis joined by other company executives, have launched a new listening tour with tax and accounting professionals as another way for customers to tell CCH what their firms need to succeed.

The first in-person session of the CCH Listening Tour will be held Tuesday, June 26 at the offices of the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants (MACPA) in Towson, Md. CCH, a Wolters Kluwer business is a leading global provider of tax, accounting and audit information, software and services (CCHGroup.com).

"To understand fully the impact of industry trends and the challenges and opportunities professionals face, you have to talk directly to those people who are on the front lines of firms – day in and day out," Sabbatis said. "For me, a great way to understand what our customers need is to simply sit down and discuss one-on-one what's important to them."

The Maryland session will include at least 20 participants from tax and accounting firms, CCH CEO Sabbatis, and other CCH executives, including: Sam High, CCH Vice President and General Manager of Accounting; Teresa Mackintosh, CCH Executive Vice President and General Manager of Tax; and Christian Wolfe, CCH Vice President of Business Intelligence and Strategy.

The four-hour forum will be facilitated by MACPA CEO and well-known industry speaker Tom Hood CPA, CITP, CGMA. The session will focus on such topics as the biggest issues facing small firms; developing a shared meaning and context around changes in the CPA profession; technology advancements; and how CCH solutions and services can better help firms.

Firms of all sizes are invited to the session.

"While the trends that impact firms may be the same overall, how a firm manages to a trend, overcomes it, and even capitalizes on it will be different," said Sabbatis. "It's important to hear from small to large firms about the special needs within their firms."

Additional sessions are being planned for later this year in Chicago and California. 

The Listening Tour forum complements CCH's other customer insight initiatives, which includes customer advisory boards, customer innovation labs, contextual design initiatives, surveys, the CCH Connections User Conference and more. 

About Listening Session Leaders

Mike Sabbatis, CCH President and CEO – One of Accounting Today's Top 100 Most Influential People, Sabbatis has more than 30 years of experience in the software, technology and information industries, successfully leading activities in strategic planning, business development, marketing, consulting and sales.

Sam High, CCH Vice President and General Manager of Accounting, Audit and Workflow – High leads efforts to advance software development and integration of the company's accounting, audit and specialty products, bringing Best in Process solutions to market that meet the ever-evolving needs of professionals.

Teresa Mackintosh, CCH Executive Vice President and General Manager of Tax – Consistently recognized as one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting and a Top 40 Under 40 leader in the profession, Mackintosh leads CCH's largest business serving tax professionals with innovative and customer-focused solutions.

Christian Wolfe, CCH Vice President of Business Intelligence & Strategy – Wolfe oversees CCH's cultivation of deeper market intelligence and customer insight to further guide company investment and development efforts. In addition to his extensive background in high-tech telecommunications, media and technology, Wolfe's international business experience spans from Europe, China, Brazil and India.

Tom Hood, CPA, CITP, CGMA – A nationally recognized author, speaker, and consultant, Tom serves as CEO of the Maryland Association of CPAs. He is well known for his role in helping CPAs "shape their future" through his work at the MACPA Business Learning Institute, a center for the development of leadership and strategic thinking skills for CPAs. He also has been named as one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in the CPA profession by Accounting Today.

For More Information

The upcoming CCH Listening Session in Maryland is the first of other planned Listening Tour events around the country where firms will have the opportunity to offer feedback and ideas to CCH executives and industry thought leaders. Future forum dates and locations are still being finalized. For more information, please contact [email protected].  

About CCH, a Wolters Kluwer business

CCH, a Wolters Kluwer business (CCHGroup.com) is a leading global provider of tax, accounting and audit information, software and services. It has served tax, accounting and business professionals since 1913. Among its market-leading solutions are The ProSystem fx® Suite, CorpSystem®, CCH® IntelliConnect®, Accounting Research Manager® and the U.S. Master Tax Guide®. CCH is based in Riverwoods, Ill. Follow us now on Twitter @CCHMediaHelp. Wolters Kluwer (www.wolterskluwer.com) is a market-leading global information services company. Wolters Kluwer is headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands. Its shares are quoted on Euronext Amsterdam (WKL) and are included in the AEX and Euronext 100 indices.

SOURCE CCH, a Wolters Kluwer business