24/7 VIRTUAL RECEPTIONISTS

Answering service for accountants

Smith.ai's accounting answering service handles calls 24/7, books appointments, and provides call recordings & analytics — so you can focus on bookkeeping.

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An accountant analyzes data on a computer.

Incoming calls are unpredictable.

Calls come in, but you're not always available to answer them. We capture leads, book appointments, collect payment, and log details instantly in your systems.

Update balance sheets and ledgers while we handle the calls.

Your time is best spent managing financial information. Hand off "the rest" to our receptionists. We capture leads, set appointments, and follow-up to win business.

We provide 360-degree coverage to manage both your inbound and outbound customer engagement.

Powerful call intelligence gives your business the lead

Make better business decisions with real-time call data, visualized in every Smith.ai client dashboard. Every call summary is enriched with metadata including actions completed, caller disposition, priority, relevance, call recording and transcription, and more. See the big picture with historical tables and charts to predict business growth, costs, and ROI with superior accuracy.

Outreach calls and campaigns speed-up sales and support

Smith.ai receptionists make calls on your behalf, improving your speed-to-lead and unburdening staff who need to reach out to clients. We'll call-back online leads who complete web forms, contact donors for donation renewals, chase down payments on unpaid invoices, and more. We'll even send follow-up emails and texts after every call to ensure a connection is made. Learn more.

82%

of consumers expect an immediate response to a sales inquiry

50%

of lead generation budgets are wasted on leads who are never contacted

79%

of marketing leads never convert into sales

67%

of customers who receive excellent service spend up to 14% more

Capture and book appointments with 24/7 Live Chat.

Performing audits is time-consuming. Our 24/7 live agents respond instantly to chats and texts, so new online leads are converted while you stay focused on important work.

Get the most out of Smith.ai

Outreach Campaigns

Where we reach, engage & qualify leads to build your book of business.

More about Outreach Campaigns

Web Chat

The best channel for sales, service & support by utilizing bots, humans, or both.

More about Web Chat

Smith.ai is trusted by 3,000+ businesses

5.0 stars

4.9 stars

5.0 stars

4.7 stars

“Smith.ai is a fantastic service which allows me to focus on my clients without the distraction of unwanted spam and sales calls.”

Greg Meyer

New Wave Financial Services

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TALK TO OUR TEAM of experts

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Improve customer experiences with 24/7 engagement. We offer features and pricing for organizations of all sizes.

North America-based agents
Best-in-class AI technology
Live-staffed website chat
Bilingual services
Sales development & outreach
Rich call intelligence

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END-TO-END INTEGRATIONS

We play well with your software

Calls, chats & appointments are automatically logged in your systems. Real-time syncing with over 7,000 integrations.

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end-to-end integrations

We play well with your legal software

All activities — from calls and chats to appointments and payments — logged in your firm's preferred software.

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Frequently asked questions

The best accounting and bookkeeping answering services do much more than pick up phone calls and take messages for accountants and bookkeepers. At Smith.ai, we provide virtual receptionists capable of a wide range of services from calling handling, to scheduling, to lead intake, to website chat, and more. Whether you need a virtual receptionist for full-time call handling, overflow support only, after-hours, or triage, here are the answers to the most common questions we receive from accountants, bookkeepers, and financial business owners.

Accountants and bookkeepers are often busy working on reviewing balance sheets and ledger and can’t be expected to answer every call that comes in, but offering quality customer support through a reliable accounting and bookkeeping answering service has been shown to improve operations in a variety of ways. Here are a few of the benefits accounting and bookkeeping businesses experience with us:‍

Expand availability

With a phone answering service that’s available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, your clients will always have a real person to talk to, whether your accounting business is busy, closed, or on holiday. Your clients’ questions always receive a thoughtful response.

Increase leads captured

Missed calls mean missed opportunities. Don’t miss out on leads just because you’re not always able to pick up the phone. Answering services provide nighttime, weekend, and after-hours availability so your bookkeeping company will never miss another call.

Boost work productivity

Through outsourcing call handling to an answering service, you’ll be able to spend time where you need it most and focus on more important work to build your accounting business.

Enhance client satisfaction and business reputation

At Smith.ai, we know great customer service and how to deliver it for a range of business types and industries. Our virtual receptionists are trained in customer service and hospitality, so let us put best practices to work for you and deliver an exceptional and professional response that represents your company well every time.

Save money and time

No need to allocate limited time and money towards hiring an in-house receptionist when you can get all of the services you need and then some with an answering service for a fraction of the price. On average, customers who use Smith.ai save upwards of $30,000/year.

Stay up-to-date with leads and clients

Phone answering services can provide your accounting and bookkeeping business with detailed call summaries after each call and even provide your clients with chat and text messaging so you can stay in contact with your most valued clients.

An accounting and bookkeeping answering service can provide your business with much needed relief, whether your financial team is on a budget, overwhelmed by overflow calls, or simply looking to enrich your company’s customer service. With Smith.ai’s answering service, your accounting business can receive even more benefits to help your company accomplish its goals, whatever they may be.

Smith.ai’s answering service can provide accounting and bookkeeping businesses with…

24/7 availability

After-hours & overflow answering

Bilingual answering

Outbound call-backs

Spam blocking

Appointment scheduling

Sales development

Payment collection

CRM Integration

Lead development

And much more...‍

With nearly limitless features, Smith.ai’s answering service is guaranteed to grow your business’s productivity, revenue, and outreach. Smith.ai has offered quality service to accounting and bookkeeping companies for years and our clients trust Smith.ai to provide their business with premium support. Read our 5-star reviews to learn why accountants and bookkeepers prefer Smith.ai.

The expenses of a receptionist is one of the most important factors to consider when deciding on whether to hire an answering service or a traditional, in-house receptionist. Let’s look at the average price for an in-house receptionist.

The average salary nation-wide for an in-house receptionist is about $37,000 and they often come with pricey, additional fees, such as:

Medical, dental, and vision insurance, costing about $11,000/year
Life and disability insurance, costing about $2,000/year
401K’s, retirement and pension plans, costing about $2,000/year
Paid sick leave, holidays, and vacations, costing about $5,500/year
Commuting reimbursement, costing about $5,000/year
Child care subsidy and parental leave, costing about $3,000/year
Health and wellness programs, costing about $1,000/year
Bonus pay, costing about $2,000/year
Company retreats, team bonding events, and employee outings, costing about $4,000/year
Free lunch, snacks, and drinks, costing about $3,500/year

Total Cost, Including Salary: $77,000/year

If your accounting and bookkeeping business is located in a highly populated area, that cost may be even higher. In-house receptionists can add to that price when they inevitably come in late, call in sick, request time off, take personal leaves of absence, go on vacation, and so on. Contrarily, Smith.ai’s virtual receptionists can accomplish the same tasks as an in-house receptionist and then some, barring coffee runs and supply restocks, of course, and are much less expensive, as your company doesn’t have to pay for any time off, benefits, or salaries.

Smith.ai’s answering service costs as little as $292.50/month, with no hidden fees. Ever. By hiring an answering service instead of an in-house receptionist, your business could save over $33,000/year on salary alone, and possibly up to $40,000/year in benefits beyond salary payments. Not only will your business save money, but your business will also be able to optimize productivity and revenue like never before. Unlike in-house receptionists, virtual receptionists can answer calls outside of normal operating hours, which is far more important than you might recognize, as 27% of leads call after hours. Smith.ai’s agents can answer live chats and texts. SMS answering can be overlooked, but over 46% of customers prefer communicating with businesses through text.

Virtual receptionists can even provide sales assistance by making outbound calls to convert more leads, which has been proven to be helpful. It’s critical for businesses to respond promptly, as over 67% of clients base their decision to hire a business on the initial responsiveness to their call or email. Long waiting periods encourage leads to take their business elsewhere and you may not have the chance to explain why you’re the right accounting and bookkeeping business to hire. With Smith.ai’s accounting and bookkeeping answering service, your business can receive all the benefits of an in-house worker without the unnecessary cost. Read our article to learn more about the differences between an in-house vs. a virtual receptionist.

Keeping an accounting and bookkeeping business up and running can get hectic, from managing projects and tasks to overseeing company development and growth. Companies like these constantly face issues that impact their ability to succeed. The most common scenarios that accounting and bookkeeping businesses use virtual receptionist services for are:

I can’t afford to hire staff, but still need “front desk” support

“Front desk” support is an invaluable way to provide accounting and bookkeeping businesses with regular administrative assistance that can help operations run a lot more smoothly. When accountants and bookkeepers have a limited budget, however, they may not be able to afford pricey in-house receptionists, especially when they already have to pay for office rent and supplies, marketing, and advertising.

I need time to focus without constant interruptions from calls

Calls come in whether your accounting and bookkeeping company is available to answer them or not. When accountants have to answer phone calls in addition to their regular duties, they may struggle with falling behind on more important tasks and losing focus. On average, it takes about 23 minutes to get back to a task after being interrupted by a phone call.

My business is growing and my team can’t handle it all

Businesses grow and it can be difficult to keep up. With calls that need to be answered, appointments that need to be scheduled, and invoices that need to be sent, it’s easy for accounting teams to feel overwhelmed.

I can’t offer around-the-clock availability to answer calls

When the work day ends, employees want to go home and enjoy their free time away from clients, but calls don’t stop coming in and leads can often be missed, as over 27% of leads call outside of normal business hours. Accountants and bookkeepers may not be able to offer after-hours availability, but may still want to provide accessible customer service.

If your accounting and bookkeeping company is experiencing one or any of these scenarios, an answering service can help by allowing you to outsource these tasks directly to a professional agent. An answering service will take on some of the more time-consuming responsibilities, addressing and alleviating the tedious issues your business faces. Smith.ai’s virtual receptionists can accomplish the same, whether your accounting team needs assistance handling phone calls, blocking spam, or qualifying leads. By eliminating the need to allocate time to screening calls and answering clients’ questions, your bookkeeping business can get back to focusing on more important work without neglecting your client relationships.

Accounting and bookkeeping businesses, like any business, often find themselves in compromising situations that require outsourced support to resolve. Some of the most common problems are:

I can’t keep up with incoming calls and messages from clients

With a limited staff and an endless list of assignments, accounting and bookkeeping companies often struggle to answer phones and respond to messages from clients in addition to their regular duties. Running a business and providing quality customer service at the same time can prove to be difficult and lead to poor performance in both.

I’m spending my whole day on administrative tasks and can’t get productive, real work done

With the expenses of in-house receptionists being as high as it is, accountants are frequently left to delegate daily tasks themselves. Despite spending a huge portion of their day performing administrative duties, accounting teams often struggle to balance their important projects with their regular office tasks.

I’m missing calls from new business leads and it's costing me money

Responding to each call can feel impossible for accounting and bookkeeping companies when they have more urgent assignments to address. Businesses can easily fall behind on responding to new inquiries so potential leads can be frequently missed. Leads don't wait for call-backs. They call the next accounting and bookkeeping business in the search results. If businesses fail to pick up, they not only lose a lead, they lose ROI, money on marketing campaigns and ad spend, as well as conversion rates from ads.

I can’t reply fast enough to leads to beat my competition to new clients

With the crowded marketplace for accounting and bookkeeping businesses being what it is, it can be a major obstacle for bookkeeping businesses to distinguish themselves and stand out amongst other similar businesses. Demonstrating quality customer service through quick and thoughtful responses can place businesses above their competitors, but many accountants and bookkeepers often lack the time to do so.

I’m struggling to find and keep new clients

One of the most important, yet challenging, aspects of growing a successful business is obtaining and keeping new clients. With so much time and effort being spent towards existing clients, accountants and bookkeepers may not have the opportunity to seek out and nurture new clients. Accounting and bookkeeping teams who spread their workload too thin may not be able to deliver quality customer service. Slow response times may irritate customers and hurt client loyalty and retention, as well.

I can’t seem to keep track of my clients’ data

Storing detailed phone records and call summaries can be overwhelming for businesses who disperse client data across a multitude of software platforms. Knowing how, when, and why clients call is significant for any business hoping to successfully navigate client relationships, but unfortunately, is not always easy to accomplish.

If your accounting and bookkeeping company is facing any of these challenges, a virtual receptionist service may be useful. One of the many great things about Smith.ai is that our services fit your business needs, not the other way around. Our virtual receptionists can allocate time where you need it most and address the specific issues your business face, whether you need extra support qualifying and intaking new clients or sending invoices and collecting payments. Sign up risk-free with our 30-day money-back guarantee and see how Smith.ai’s virtual receptionists can alleviate the problems your accounting and bookkeeping business faces.

Determining which services are important to your accounting and bookkeeping business is a good place to start. To figure out which services would be best for your business, ask yourself what problems or opportunities you face that a virtual receptionist service can address:

Does your accounting and bookkeeping business need a little extra help obtaining new clients?
Does your accounting and bookkeeping business fall behind in answering website and text messages?
Does your accounting and bookkeeping business struggle with blocking spam calls?

Whatever it may be, Smith.ai’s virtual receptionists can adjust their service to better suit your company's needs.

After that, think about what services would best fit your business’s activity level:

Does your business receive hundreds of calls a day or just a few?
Do you receive more online messages than calls?
Would your business benefit from 24/7 phone answering or would you prefer a particular time frame, such as 9-to-5, for answering calls?

Whether you get twenty calls a month or 2,000, Smith.ai can customize your virtual receptionist service to fit your business activity so you only pay for what you need.

All you have to do next is sign up. Getting started with Smith.ai’s virtual receptionist service is simple and fast. No annual contracts, no setup fees, and no need to supply scripts.

Follow three simple steps:

Customize your instructions – Just answer a few, quick questions about your firm and the preferences you have and we’ll get you started. We’ll use your answers to customize the way our virtual receptionists answer your calls and your clients’ questions.
Send your calls to us – We work with every phone system and can set up customized rules for when we answer your calls. Or we can answer every call, 24/7!
Try risk-free with our 30-day money-back guarantee – Fully experience our call answering, scheduling, payments, and other phone services completely risk free for 30 days. If we're not the right fit for you, get your money back up to $1000 within the first 30 days.

Whether your business is looking for a full-time virtual receptionist or an overflow or occasional phone answering service, Smith.ai can offer customized assistance to your team with quality customer service, lead screening, and sales development. When you sign up with Smith.ai, you won’t just be gaining a virtual receptionist service, you’ll be gaining a professional, reliable, and friendly team who are guaranteed to transform your business by capturing leads and delighting current clients.

‍Learn how to get started with Smith.ai’s virtual receptionist service.

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24/7 VIRTUAL RECEPTIONISTS

Answering service for accountants

Incoming calls are unpredictable.

Update balance sheets and ledgers while we handle the calls.

Powerful call intelligence gives your business the lead

Outreach calls and campaigns speed-up sales and support

Capture and book appointments with 24/7 Live Chat.

Get the most out of Smith.ai

Outreach Campaigns

Web Chat

Smith.ai is trusted by 3,000+ businesses

Greg Meyer

TALK TO OUR TEAM of experts

Book a consultation

END-TO-END INTEGRATIONS

We play well with your software

end-to-end integrations

We play well with your legal software

Frequently asked questions

What are the benefits of an accounting and bookkeeping answering service?

How much money will I save by hiring an answering service for my accounting and bookkeeping business compared to an in-house receptionist?

What common scenarios do accounting and bookkeeping businesses use virtual receptionist services for?

What are the common problems that indicate my accounting and bookkeeping company needs a virtual receptionist service?

What do I need to prepare to get started with an accounting and bookkeeping virtual receptionist service?

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