For accountants and CPAs ยท AI & automation
Automation that survives tax season.
The work that breaks in tax season is the chasing: missing documents, unsigned forms, unanswered calls. That is exactly the work automation does well.
Or text (508) 546-9942
Slide it
You vs. Joe Blow CPA.
Left is what a missed call does to you today. Right is Joe Blow CPA and their voicemail. Drag the line, then hit the button.
Crickets on the left. That is the problem.
They called the next name.
"Hi, you have reached Joe Blow CPA. Please leave a message after the beep."
Illustration. Joe is made up. Your competitor is not.
The accounting firm version
Why it matters.
Picture the middle of March. A client uploaded some of their documents, forgot the rest, and has not signed the authorization to file. Someone on staff has a sticky note to follow up. Multiply that across the client list. An automated reminder sequence that knows what is still outstanding, and stops the moment it arrives, gives back the hours your team would spend sending the same email.
Trust shapes every message. Clients are warned constantly about tax scams, so your automated texts and emails need to look like you, come from a sender they recognize, and never ask for sensitive data in the message itself. Every request points to your secure portal. Nothing asks anyone to reply with a Social Security number or bank details.
What I would build
For an accounting firm.
Inside a minute, a reply saying the firm got the call, with a link to book or to the portal. Your front desk cannot answer every call during the crunch, but nobody should hear silence.
Reminders tied to what is still outstanding, sent on a schedule you set, stopping the moment the item arrives. Nobody gets nagged about something they already sent.
Monthly bookkeeping and advisory retainers get failed-payment recovery, so a declined card is handled automatically and politely instead of with an awkward call from a partner.
Sent after the return is filed and the client is happy, routed by how the engagement went. Plus failure alerts on every automation, so nothing breaks silently in April.
The mistake I see
Building the automation in January
Firms decide to fix their follow-up once tax season starts and they feel the pain. Then they build and test it in the middle of the crunch, and it goes live half-finished. The time to build is summer and fall, tested with real data before it touches a client. By January it should already be running quietly.
What you get
AI & automation.
Follow-up, reminders, review requests, intake, reporting. The parts everybody means to do and drops when it gets busy.
- Missed-call text back, inside a minute
- Appointment reminders and confirmations
- Quote follow-up that stops the moment they reply
- Review requests sent after every job, with unhappy customers flagged to you first
- Failed-payment recovery for anything recurring
- Failure alerts, so a broken automation announces itself
How it goes
For an accounting firm, step by step.
→ Keep scrolling. It moves sideways.
Find the leaks
Usually inquiries after hours and quotes nobody chased twice.
Build one at a time
Tested with real data before it touches a customer.
Add the safety net
Every automation gets a failure notification. Silent failure is the real risk.
Hand over the map
What runs, what triggers it, what breaks if it stops.
Step five is you.
The free Receipt shows what your accounting firm should fix first. About half a minute, no card.
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Questions
What accountants and CPAs ask.
Will this work with our tax software and portal?
It depends on what you use and whether it allows connections. Often the automation lives alongside your tax software rather than inside it, handling reminders, booking and follow-up while the portal handles the files. I map what connects before building anything, so there are no surprises.
Will clients think automated reminders are a scam?
Not if they are built right. Consistent sender name, your branding, messages that never ask for sensitive information, and a link to the portal they already use. I also suggest telling clients up front how you will contact them, so they know what a real request from your firm looks like.
What should we automate first?
Missed-call text back and outstanding-document reminders. Those hit the busiest months hardest and pay back fastest. Engagement letter reminders and payment recovery come next. Review requests can wait until the systems that protect the client experience are in place and working.
What comes after
Pairs well with.
Everything else
Other services for accountants and CPAs.
Where I work
Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Start here
See what your customers see.
The Receipt looks your accounting firm up the way a customer would and itemizes what is costing you calls. It is free. Or skip it and book fifteen minutes with me.
Or text (508) 546-9942