Boutique tax firm trades chaos for quality client care

‍From failed solution to perfect fit

Shannon knew that hiring a full-time in-office receptionist wasn't financially viable for her business at this time. She first tested another answering service, but quickly became frustrated with their lack of polish. She also incurred unexpected overages. Between both issues, the service became too expensive and unreliable. An online search for alternatives led Shannon to discover positive customer reviews of Smith.ai. After speaking with a knowledgeable Smith.ai salesperson and seeing a product demo, Shannon felt that AI Receptionist would better suit her needs. She wanted to adopt new technology and save money, while also providing her clients with a system they would be comfortable with. From the start, the setup and onboarding experience was already a vast improvement — fast, simple, and stress-free. “I was up and running the same day,” Shannon recalls. “It was like a breath of fresh air.”

The personal touch that gets it right 

Shannon's clients noticed the transformation immediately, with multiple clients remarking, "Who's your new receptionist? They’re really great!" The consistency of AI Receptionist has been particularly valuable for maintaining that “boutique” service quality Shannon prioritizes: "They're getting the same voice every time they call. It's like they're talking to what's perceived as the same person. It helps establish that personal touch, even though I don't have someone in the office." 

The accuracy and call handling capability of AI Receptionist has also been a great help to Shannon's follow-up process, with 100% accurate information-gathering that fully prepares her for every callback. While Shannon appreciates the optional live human agents on call 24/7 for confirmations, escalations, or complex calls, she finds that the AI has consistently handled every call with ease, gathering the pertinent information she needs. "All the data that I've gotten, it's all been correct. The phone numbers have been correct, the names have been correct, the spellings have been correct. It's spot on, and it's dependable," says Shannon. 

Because of AI Receptionist, Shannon has now been given time back to review call summaries and carefully gather solutions for her clients’ needs. Without the pressure to gather answers quickly for calling clients amidst her other work, she is now able to make call-backs well-prepared and ready to better serve her VIP clients. AI Receptionist has eliminated the hectic pace from her business and done wonders for her clients’ peace of mind, as they know they’ll always receive a prompt response whenever they call, along with a callback with the right information. Shannon states, “I would recommend AI Receptionist to anybody who is having issues of just wanting to be able to come in and sit down and work, and can't because they’re too busy doing the admin of answering and returning phone calls. This cuts a lot of that out because Smith.ai is answering and fielding the calls for you. So when you take the time to call clients back again, you've already got your answers.”

AI Receptionist has proven so effective that Shannon was able to win over a potential client she thought she had lost previously while juggling calls on her own. When the person called back weeks later, AI Receptionist provided a professional call experience and captured his information. Shannon could then take time to gather her thoughts and call him back with her full attention. She recalls, “Having AI Receptionist take the call allowed me to slow down a little bit, take a deep breath, and be able to call him back relaxed and give him the attention that he needed and make him feel like he's my only client.” The seamless AI Receptionist experience, combined with Shannon's now-composed callback, impressed the prospect enough to become a client. 

In addition, the financial impact of Smith.ai’s solution has been substantial for Shannon’s business, with Shannon emphasizing both the time savings and cost-effectiveness: "It has saved me so much time and so much money. The amount of time that I've saved just by AI Receptionist answering the phones…has increased my productivity hugely." Smith.ai's per-call pricing model has enabled better budgeting and business management as well. Shannon exclaims, "I like paying per call versus paying per minute. It just gives me the tools that I need to budget my business and manage it the way I need to." 

Sustainable growth 

With AI Receptionist handling calls 24/7, Shannon can now confidently take time away from the phones knowing her clients’ needs are professionally addressed. The ability to maintain her firm's signature personal touch while focusing on client work has been transformational — gone are the days of choosing between quality service and productivity. Shannon’s enthusiasm for AI Receptionist is clear: "I can't recommend it enough. It has just been a lifesaver for my business.