Virtual receptionist services for accounting & bookkeeping firms

AssistBPO's virtual receptionist services for accounting and bookkeeping firms give you a named receptionist who answers in the firm's name when the front desk is empty and every preparer is heads-down, which in most firms is January to April and again in September and October.

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This page Accounting & bookkeeping firms Virtual receptionist services

How does a virtual receptionist work for accounting?

The receptionist knows which partner or preparer handles which client, looks up the engagement in Karbon, TaxDome or Canopy, transfers warmly when the preparer is free and takes a structured message into the workflow tool when they are not. Process questions such as whether a document was received, how to reset a portal password or when a return will be delivered are answered from the file. Questions about a notice, a refund amount or a deduction are never answered; they are logged for the preparer with the client's preferred callback time. Prospects calling in season are captured with their return type, entity and referral source and booked into the intake slot you set aside. Between calls the receptionist chases e-signatures and clears voicemail. One voice, a trained backup and a team lead who scores calls monthly.

What tasks does a virtual receptionist cover for accounting and bookkeeping firms?

  • Answer in the firm's name during season and off-season hours
  • Route clients to the right partner or preparer from the engagement record
  • Answer portal, document and delivery questions from the file
  • Log notice, refund and deduction questions for the preparer
  • Capture prospect calls with return type, entity and referral source
  • Book client meetings into partner calendars around production
  • Take messages into Karbon, TaxDome or Canopy with callback times
  • Clear voicemail and chase unsigned 8879s between calls

The KPI that matters here

Answer rate from January to the October extension deadline, with average speed to answer alongside it. In season, a call to voicemail is a client who wonders whether you are too busy for them.

What rules does a virtual receptionist 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

Also in use

  • Karbon
  • TaxDome
  • Canopy

See all 80 tools we work in

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Frequently asked questions

Can the receptionist answer questions about a client's return?

Process questions only: whether documents were received, where the return is in the workflow, when delivery is expected, how to sign the 8879, how to log in to the portal. The receptionist looks these up in your workflow tool. Anything about amounts, notices, deductions, estimates or advice is logged for the preparer and never answered, and the script says so plainly. The team lead reviews recordings monthly for any drift across that line.

How do you handle prospects who call during tax season?

With a short intake: name, entity type, return types needed, prior preparer, how they found you and a good callback window. The receptionist books them into the intake slots you reserve each week, or tells them honestly if you are not taking new clients until after the deadline and logs them for a May follow-up. Prospects are entered in your CRM with the referral source so you can see where new clients come from.

Does the receptionist work year-round or only in season?

Your choice. Many firms run a dedicated receptionist year-round because the phone rings about notices, estimates and bookkeeping questions all summer, then add a second person for the January to April peak. Others use the shared front desk off-season and go fully dedicated in January. Plans depend on hours, desks and coverage. Get a staffing plan within 1 business day.

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