Why tax season call volume breaks small firms
A firm with two or three preparers cannot staff the phone for a few months and then let the extra help go. So calls go to voicemail, voicemails pile up, and new clients book elsewhere. Every returning call also pulls a preparer out of focus work. The fix is not answering faster. It is answering without a person for the routine calls and sending the rest to the right person with context.
How Dheed works as an AI answering service for accounting firms
The AI receptionist add-on answers on your Dheed number with your firm name. It knows your services, for example individual returns, business returns, bookkeeping and payroll, plus your hours, office address and what to bring. It can offer real appointment times from your calendar or take a request for you to approve. You can forward your existing office line to the Dheed number when you want calls answered.
What it does not do: give tax advice, look up refund status, or discuss a client's numbers. When a caller asks "is my return done", it can take a message for your team, and you get a text summary after the call. Every call is saved on the client record with the transcript and recording.
The add-on is available on Pro and Business for $250 a month with 500 minutes. Our team builds it around your firm and tests calls with you before it goes live. In take message mode, it collects details instead of booking, which some firms prefer for the first season.
CPA firm client intake that does not live in a notebook
New clients reach you by phone, your website form, Google Ads lead forms or a Google Sheet. Each one becomes a lead with source, service and consent. A good intake record for a firm holds:
- name, phone and email
- service needed in plain words, such as "1040 with a rental" or "monthly bookkeeping"
- how they found you
- appointment time and assigned preparer
Keep tax documents, Social Security numbers and bank details in your tax software and your secure client portal, not in Dheed. When you pick the accounting industry type, Dheed uses words such as clients and engagements, with stages that fit an intake process.
The New lead follow-up recipe creates a task for the preparer after one day, and texts the lead two days later if they are still New. That keeps prospects from slipping during the weeks when nobody has time to call back.
Tax preparer appointment scheduling and reminders
Set appointment types with their own lengths, for example a 15 minute drop off, a 60 minute in person interview and a 30 minute review call. Dheed sends an email confirmation and a 24 hour reminder for each. With business texting on, clients also get a text the day before. A reply of C confirms, and a reply of R creates a call back task. Learn more about appointment reminders.
Engagement quotes and accounting firm invoicing
A Dheed estimate can be your engagement quote, with up to three options such as a basic return, return plus a planning meeting, or return plus quarterly bookkeeping. The client signs on a phone. When the work is done, send an invoice with a pay link. Clients pay by card into your own Stripe account, and the Overdue invoice reminders recipe emails at 3, 7 and 14 days past due, stopping when paid. Details and fees are on the payments page.
A tax season checklist
- Write the five questions callers ask most, and the answers, before January.
- Set appointment types, preparer hours and time off for the season.
- Decide which calls can be booked and which should only take a message.
- Turn on Instant lead reply, New lead follow-up and Overdue invoice reminders.
- Use the Missed opportunity check-back recipe so prospects marked Lost hear from you again 90 days later.
Dheed is an all-in-one business platform for firms that book, quote and bill. See plans and pricing, or start free.
Frequently asked questions
Can an AI answer calls for a tax office during busy season?
Yes, with the AI Receptionist add-on on Pro or Business. It answers with your firm name, answers common questions about hours, services and what to bring, and books appointments into your real calendar. It does not give tax advice, and every call is saved with a summary you can read later.
What does an AI answering service for accounting firms cost?
In Dheed, the AI Receptionist is $250 a month with 500 minutes, plus a one time setup fee of $299 on Pro or $149 on Business. Extra minutes are $50 per 50. The plan itself is $79 a month for Pro or $149 for Business, month to month.
Should I store client tax documents in Dheed?
No. Keep returns, financial statements, Social Security numbers and bank details in your tax software and secure client portal. Use Dheed for the contact, the service they want, appointments, invoices and follow up.
Can clients pay my firm's invoice online?
Yes. Invoices go out by email with a pay link, and clients pay by card into your own Stripe account. Card payments carry Stripe's fee plus a Dheed fee of 1% on Free and Starter, 0.5% on Pro and 0.25% on Business. You can also record checks and bank transfers by hand.