--- title: "Client intake services for accounting & bookkeeping firms" description: "Client intake for accounting & bookkeeping firms: scripted intake for law firms, clinics and home-service companies with CRM entry. Talk to our team." url: https://assistbpo.com/industries/accounting-firms/client-intake/ updated: 2026-09-20 publisher: AssistBPO (SS Support Network LLC) language: en-US --- # Client intake services for accounting & bookkeeping firms AssistBPO's client intake services for accounting and bookkeeping firms make the path from first inquiry to signed engagement letter the same every time, whoever answered the phone. The specialist never quotes fees the partner has not set and never gives advice. [Get a staffing plan](https://assistbpo.com/get-a-staffing-plan/) [Hear our demo receptionist](https://assistbpo.com/demo-line/) This page [Accounting & bookkeeping firms](https://assistbpo.com/industries/accounting-firms/) [Client intake services for small business](https://assistbpo.com/services/client-intake/) Updated September 2026 ## How does client intake work for accounting? AssistBPO gives you a named intake specialist who takes new inquiries by phone, web form and referral, collects what the partner needs before a fee can be quoted, such as entity type, states, return types, bookkeeping status, payroll, prior preparer and deadline pressure, books the intake call, sends the engagement letter and organizer for e-signature once the partner approves the scope and fee, sets up the portal and confirms the client can log in. For UK firms the specialist collects the ID and verification documents the MLRO needs for client due diligence; for Australian firms the details the registered agent requires. Referral sources are logged and thanked the same day. Partial intakes are followed up on a cadence with lawful consent until the client signs or opts out. The result is a partner who walks into every intake call with the facts already gathered. Plain definition ## What is a client intake service? A client intake service is a staffed desk that handles the first contact with a prospective client: answering the call or web inquiry, asking a scripted set of questions, checking the matter against acceptance criteria, capturing the details in the CRM or case system and booking the next step. AssistBPO staffs it with a dedicated intake specialist. ## What tasks does client intake cover for accounting and bookkeeping firms? - Take new inquiries by phone, web form and referral - Collect entity, states, return types, bookkeeping and payroll status - Book the intake call with the right partner - Send engagement letter and organizer for e-signature after approval - Set up the portal account and confirm the client can log in - Collect AML verification documents for UK firms' MLRO review - Log and thank referral sources the same day - Follow up partial intakes on a set cadence with consent ## The KPI that matters here Intake completion rate: inquiries that reach a signed engagement letter and live portal within 10 business days of first contact. ## What rules does client intake follow for accounting? 1. **No tax advice or signing.** Under IRS Circular 230 and PTIN rules, only your preparers and licensed professionals give tax advice, sign returns or represent clients. In the UK that work sits with the firm's chartered or certified accountants; in Australia only a registered tax or BAS agent under the TPB Code provides tax agent services. Assistants collect, chase, schedule and organize. 2. **IRC Section 7216 and client confidentiality.** Section 7216 and Treasury Regulation 301.7216 restrict how tax return information is used and disclosed, and the AICPA Code of Professional Conduct rule 1.700 requires client confidentiality. The firm confirms its disclosure and consent position before an assistant sees return data, and the assistant works only inside the firm's systems under NDA. 3. **FTC Safeguards Rule and your WISP.** Tax preparers are financial institutions under GLBA, and the FTC Safeguards Rule (16 CFR Part 314) plus IRS Publication 4557 require a written information security plan. Assistants operate under your WISP: MFA, managed devices, least-privilege portal access and no local copies, including for files handled from the second office in Pakistan. 4. **AML client due diligence and privacy abroad.** UK firms run client due diligence under the Money Laundering Regulations 2017, supervised by HMRC or their professional body; assistants collect ID and verification documents into the firm's system while the MLRO makes every decision. Canadian firms apply PIPEDA and Australian firms the Privacy Act, including APP 8 for cross-border handling. ## Accounting software we work in - [QuickBooks Online](https://assistbpo.com/software/quickbooks-online/) - [Xero](https://assistbpo.com/software/xero/) - [Microsoft 365](https://assistbpo.com/software/microsoft-365/) - [Calendly](https://assistbpo.com/software/calendly/) - [RingCentral](https://assistbpo.com/software/ringcentral/) Also in use - Karbon - TaxDome - Canopy [See all 80 tools we work in](https://assistbpo.com/software/) ## More for accounting and bookkeeping firms Other services for accounting - [Virtual assistant](https://assistbpo.com/industries/accounting-firms/virtual-assistant/) - [Virtual receptionist](https://assistbpo.com/industries/accounting-firms/virtual-receptionist/) - [Appointment scheduling](https://assistbpo.com/industries/accounting-firms/appointment-scheduling/) - [Customer support](https://assistbpo.com/industries/accounting-firms/customer-support-outsourcing/) - [Email management](https://assistbpo.com/industries/accounting-firms/email-management/) - [Calendar management](https://assistbpo.com/industries/accounting-firms/calendar-management/) - [The accounting pod](https://assistbpo.com/industries/accounting-firms/) Client intake in other industries - [Financial advisors & wealth firms](https://assistbpo.com/industries/financial-advisors/client-intake/) - [Mortgage brokers & lenders](https://assistbpo.com/industries/mortgage/client-intake/) - [Insurance agencies](https://assistbpo.com/industries/insurance/client-intake/) - [Coaches, consultants & creators](https://assistbpo.com/industries/coaches-consultants/client-intake/) - [The full client intake page](https://assistbpo.com/services/client-intake/) ## Frequently asked questions ### Can the intake specialist quote fees? Only the fees you publish or approve, such as a minimum for an individual return or a starting price for monthly bookkeeping, and only in the words you set. Anything beyond that is booked as an intake call for the partner, who sets the scope and fee. The specialist then sends the engagement letter with that fee. No estimates are made up, and no discounts are offered without your rule. ### How do you handle onboarding for bookkeeping clients? With a separate checklist: entity, software in use, bank and card accounts, payroll provider, sales tax registrations, prior bookkeeper, months behind and the catch-up scope. Once the engagement letter is signed, the specialist collects read-only access requests and statements through the portal and hands the file to LedgerBPO, which does the bookkeeping, under the same team lead. The client gets one welcome and one point of contact. ### What does the client receive during intake? A same-day acknowledgment, a booked intake call, the engagement letter and organizer for e-signature once scope is approved, a portal invitation with plain instructions, a confirmation that login worked and a short welcome that names their preparer and the first document deadline. UK clients also receive the identity verification request for the firm's due diligence. Every step is logged against the client record so anyone in the firm can see where intake stands. Next step ## Your desk, staffed. Wherever you are. Tell us what is overloaded. A named person replies within 1 business day with a staffing plan, and we propose your assistant within 72 hours. [Get a staffing plan](https://assistbpo.com/get-a-staffing-plan/) [Book a 20-minute call](https://assistbpo.com/book-a-call/) Or call [+1-657-777-0006](tel:+16577770006) during US, UK or Australian business hours, or [hear our demo receptionist](https://assistbpo.com/demo-line/). - A named assistant proposed within 72 hours - Employed, screened and managed staff, never freelancers - Your hours, your tools, your data --- Source: https://assistbpo.com/industries/accounting-firms/client-intake/ · Contact: https://assistbpo.com/contact/ · Full site map for agents: https://assistbpo.com/llms.txt