Client Service and Operations Coordinator

The short version

You are the first person a client sees when they walk in and the first voice they hear when they call. You are also the person who keeps tax season from turning into chaos. If you are good with people and relentless about follow-through, this is a seat worth having.

About us

Swanson Agency has been serving Montana families and businesses since 1933. We are now in our fourth generation of family ownership, with offices in Whitefish, Kalispell, and Pendroy and about 1,200 clients. Our people are farmers and ranchers, contractors and tradespeople, and small business owners across the Flathead Valley and the Hi-Line.

We do tax preparation, accounting, advisory work, and insurance. We are a small team that leans on good systems and modern tools, and we expect everyone here to think, not just process.

Clear Thinking. Straight Talk. Montana Roots. Future Focused.

The role

Two things matter most in this job.

First, you are the front of the firm. Clients walk in with a shoebox of receipts and a question. They call in wanting to know where their return is, what they still need to send us, what a notice from the IRS means, or how much they owe. You handle those conversations with confidence and warmth, you answer what you can answer, and you know exactly when to route something to one of our Enrolled Agents instead of guessing. Our clients are direct, practical people who have been coming here for decades, in some cases generations. They should hang up feeling taken care of.

Second, you run tax season. From January through April this office moves fast. You know where every return stands, what is waiting on a client, what is waiting on a preparer, and what is about to bump a deadline. You chase missing documents. You keep work flowing to the right person. You keep the finish line moving: acknowledgments attached, signature pages collected, returns confirmed filed, copies delivered electronically or out the door in the mail. When somebody asks about the status of any return in the building, you know or you can find out in under a minute.

The rest of the year, the work is steadier:

• Email and workflow. You own the firm inbox in Missive. Everything gets read, routed to the right person, answered, or closed out.

• Client records. You keep the file room in order, know what we are required to retain and for how long, and scan documents into Canopy with correct naming so anybody can find them later.

• Billing and invoicing. You send overdue invoice reminders, take payments over the phone, and keep engagements and invoices accurate in Canopy.

• Accounting support. Client documents arrive by email all day. You get them to the right place, assigned to the right staff member, and upload bank statements and records into our bookkeeping platform.

• Whatever comes up. Some of the most useful work here does not fit on a list. We want somebody who will take on a new problem and own it.

You will train alongside our current coordinator before taking the seat on your own, so you will not be figuring this out from scratch.

What we are looking for

Required:

• You are good with people in person and on the phone. Comfortable, clear, and unrattled, including with somebody who is stressed about money or a letter from the IRS.

• Genuinely detail-oriented. Small errors bother you.

• You can hold a dozen open items in the air during the busiest weeks and still close every one of them out.

• Sound judgment about what you can answer yourself and what needs to go to a credentialed preparer.

• You pick up new software quickly and are not intimidated by learning several different systems.

• Discreet. You will see confidential financial information constantly.

• Reliable in-office attendance, and real availability January through April.

Preferred, not required:

• Experience in a tax office, CPA firm, law office, insurance agency, or similar professional services setting.

• Enough tax literacy to speak the language: W-2s, 1099s, K-1s, extensions, estimated payments.

• Bookkeeping familiarity, especially QuickBooks Online, accounts payable, or accounts receivable.

We will train the right person on our systems and on the tax side. We cannot train somebody to care about getting it right, and we cannot train somebody to be good with people.

Pay and schedule

• $22 to $28 per hour, depending on experience.

• Full-time, Monday through Friday, in our Whitefish office at 411 Spokane Avenue.

• January through April is our busy stretch. Overtime is available then but rarely necessary. The rest of the year runs at a steady, predictable pace.

Benefits

After one year of service:

• 401(k) with company match

• Discretionary profit sharing

• Dental and vision reimbursement plan

How to apply

Send a resume and a short note about why this role fits you. Tell us about a time you dealt with a frustrated customer or client and turned it around. No formal cover letter required.

Swanson Agency is an equal opportunity employer.

Benefits:

• 401(k)

• Retirement plan

Application Question(s):

• Which of these have you used: QuickBooks Online, Microsoft 365, a CRM or practice management system, a multi-line phone system?

• On a scale of one to ten, how comfortable are you learning brand new software? (Ten is "hand me the login and I'll figure it out.")

• Are you able to work in our Whitefish office Monday through Friday year round, including our busier January through April stretch?

Location:

• Whitefish, MT 59937 (Preferred)

Ability to Commute:

• Whitefish, MT 59937 (Required)

Work Location: In person