5 Ways to Run a Better Accounting Firm with Virtual Receptionists

Running an accounting firm requires an active combination of creativity and meticulous attention to detail. However, incoming calls can serve as a distraction when developing sound plans to provide clients with sound advice, based on their needs. The virtual receptionists at Smith.ai handle calls, acting as your first line of customer service so you can best focus on important tasks at hand.

If you neglect taking calls, this means losing out on new prospects but answering calls at inconvenient times hinders productivity. We alleviate this burden and significantly improve your workflow by acting as a gatekeeper for incoming callers.

In the sections below, we demonstrate five ways Smith.ai virtual receptionists save time for your accounting firm by acting as your first stop for customer service.

1. Provide information about your services

While some accounting firms will handle the entire breadth of accounting services, it’s more common your business focuses on specialty areas. If you primarily serve sole proprietors, tech companies, or one of any number of industries, we can relay this information to prospective clients. We can answer commonly asked questions – and even help build and FAQ – to address common questions.

2. Divulge information about payment structure

Some callers will be familiar with the services offered by an accounting firm while others will be new to the values found in your services. By referencing either a baseline for fees or solid pricing structure used by your company, we can give clients an idea of what to expect in terms of costs. For example, if your firm primarily handles a la carte services for tax preparation, generates P&L statements, or offers complete bookkeeping services, we can follow your guidelines to quote price.

3. Conduct intakes for new clients

If a potential client’s needs are inline with an area where your accounting firm specializes, we can handle the initial intake. The information we collect can be sent via email or better yet, with access to your  CRM system, we can plug in the data. By collecting information in a manner you specify, this allows you to have everything need in front of you prior to meeting with a new client.

4. Schedule appointments

At some point with either new prospects or existing clients, times will come when face-to-face meetings will be necessary to discuss certain matters. We integrate with a large variety of applications, meaning we can schedule appointments, minding your availability. Especially during high volume times, we can further assist by making calls for appointment reminders.

5. Make outbound calls on your behalf

Some clients are notorious for missing emails containing pertinent information. With these people, it’s generally easiest to connect with a simple phone call. However, being tasked with making several calls can be time consuming, especially when one or two people are particularly chatty. We can perform outbound calls on your behalf to relay or obtain information by simply calling us or sending an email to contact these people for you.

A Smith.ai Customer Testimonial

We provided several examples above how the virtual receptionists at Smith.ai can provide smoother day-to-day operations for your accounting firm. This is what one of our customers had to say:

“My experience thus far has been that Smith AI has offered superior service to that of Ruby at less cost. I was very leery of changing services. After all, Ruby is viewed as the best. Well, I really must say that I couldn't be more pleased. The call summaries are coherent and offer just the right amount of detail. The names of callers are more often spelled correctly than before. The screening and filtering of junk calls seems better. They have gone out of their way to get to know my office and handle calls accordingly. The receptionists sound very professional. Just wow - seems to good to be true! And FYI no one asked me to review or post anything. I'm that impressed.”

Patricia Stanley

Learn More About Smith.ai

If you’d like to learn more about how Smith.ai’s virtual receptionists can help your accounting business, sign up for a free consultation with our team or get started risk-free with our 14-day money-back guarantee.