Survey identifies accounting woes.

• Position: Business Briefs

The accounting profession is in a crisis, but the root of the problem isn't fallout from the Andersen/Enron scandal, a new survey suggests. The real cause for concern is a crisis of competence that is eroding customer satisfaction with external auditors in corporate America, says an April survey of companies that purchase outside accounting services conducted by NFO WorldGroup, a provider of research-based marketing information and counsel.

Using the NFO TRI*M Index, a relationship and reputation management tool, businesses using outside auditors give the profession an overall performance score of 61 -- equivalent to a D grade. By comparison, general business-to-business services average 80, or B. Top-performing businesses with the strongest relationships fall in the range of 90 to 100 (A).

This low rating is reflected in client evaluation of auditor performance: 55 percent of the respondents ranked overall performance of their auditor as excellent or very good, compared to 70 percent to 75 percent typically seen in professional services.

Similarly, only 55 percent said they definitely or probably would recommend their auditors to business colleagues, versus 75 percent to 80 percent for the professional services category.

"These weak scores should be a clear warning bell that the accounting profession has serious, fundamental client relationship problems that are different from the issues dominating the headlines about Andersen and Enron," explained Shubhra Ramchandani, Stakeholder Management Practice Leader for North America for NFO WorldGroup and leader of the TRI*M study.

"The problem...