From July onwards, the phones in most accounting practices get busier. Clients want to book appointments, check what to bring, ask whether their return has been lodged, and chase their refund. Meanwhile the team is trying to do the work those clients are paying for, and every call breaks someone's concentration. Tax-time phone calls are part of the job, but they don't have to run your day.
You can't stop clients calling, and you wouldn't want to. But you can change how calls are handled so that fewer of them interrupt focused work, and the ones that do are worth it.
Why tax-time phone calls cost more than the call
A two-minute call rarely takes two minutes. Someone stops what they're doing, answers, finds the client's file, deals with the question, writes a note, and then has to find their place again in the return or set of accounts they were working on. In detailed work, getting back into it can take longer than the call itself.
Over a busy day, a few of those interruptions per person adds up. That's the real cost of tax-time calls: not the calls, but what they break up.
Step 1: Work out what people are calling about
Before you change anything, spend a week noting why people call. Most practices find the same handful of reasons come up again and again, for example:
- booking or changing an appointment
- what documents to bring or send
- whether their return has been lodged
- when they'll get their refund
- fees and how to pay
- a question for their accountant about their own situation
- new client enquiries
Once you know the mix, you can decide which calls need an accountant, which need an admin person, and which can be answered from information you've already prepared.
Step 2: Answer the common questions before they're asked
A lot of tax-time calls can be headed off with clear information sent out in advance:
- A "getting ready for tax time" email to clients in June or July, listing what to bring, how to book and how long things usually take.
- A clear booking process, so clients aren't ringing to find a time.
- Realistic timeframes. If returns usually take a set number of weeks after you have everything you need, say so up front.
- A reminder about lodgement dates. Individuals who lodge their own return generally need to do so by 31 October, while clients of a registered tax agent may have later dates under the agent's lodgement program. Tell clients what applies to them.
Every question answered in an email is a call that doesn't interrupt anyone.
Step 3: Capture clear messages
When a call can't be answered on the spot, the quality of the message decides how long the call back takes. "Sarah called, please call back" means a second round of phone tag. A good message means the right person can deal with it in one go.
Make sure every message records:
- The caller's full name, and their business name if they're a business client.
- The best number to call back on, and when suits them.
- Whether they're an existing client or a new enquiry.
- What it's about, in enough detail to pull up the right file first.
- How urgent it is, and any deadline they mention.
A shared standard for messages, used by everyone who answers the phone, makes a noticeable difference in a busy season.
Step 4: Set call-back windows
Instead of answering every call as it comes in, many practices set aside specific times for returning calls, such as late morning and mid-afternoon. Outside those windows, the team works without phone interruptions, and messages are taken.
For this to work:
- Tell callers when to expect a call back. "Your accountant returns calls between 11 and 12 and between 3 and 4" sets a clear expectation.
- Stick to it. If call backs slip, clients start ringing again, and you're back where you started.
- Keep an exception for genuinely urgent matters, such as a tight deadline or a time-critical issue, and agree in advance what counts.
Step 5: Route calls to the right person
Not every call needs to go to an accountant. Decide who handles what:
- Admin or reception: bookings, documents, fees, payment and general questions.
- The client's own accountant: questions about their return or their situation.
- A partner or senior accountant: new client enquiries, complaints or anything sensitive.
Make the routing easy for callers. If they can say what they need, or ask for someone by name, they get to the right person without being passed around. A greeting that asks the right question helps; see how to write a receptionist greeting.
Step 6: Keep advice for the accountant
Whoever answers the phone shouldn't give tax or financial advice. Clients ask quick questions ("can I claim this?") that sound simple but depend on their circumstances. The safe answer is to take the question down and have their accountant call back. That protects the client, and it protects the practice.
Where an AI receptionist fits
An AI receptionist can take a lot of tax-time pressure off a practice. In Call Assistant, you brief your receptionist on what it can tell callers, such as your office hours, what to bring to an appointment or your booking process. It won't give tax or financial advice; anything else goes to your team.
You add your team with their departments, such as Tax, Bookkeeping or Accounts, and callers reach the right person by name or by what they need. Each transfer is a warm transfer: your phone rings once and you hear privately who's calling and why, then you choose whether to take the call. If you're in the middle of something, decline it and the caller goes back to the receptionist to leave a message. Outside your business hours, nobody's phone rings and your receptionist takes a proper message.
Every call is written up with a summary and transcript, so the call back can start where the conversation left off. Our guide for accountants and bookkeepers has more on how it works for a practice. And because it can't see your practice software, it won't tell clients whether their return has been lodged: it takes the details and passes the question to someone who can check.
Quick answers
How can accountants cut tax-time phone interruptions?
Answer the common questions in advance with a "getting ready for tax time" email, set call-back windows, and route each kind of call to the right person.
What should a phone message include?
The caller's full name and business, the best number and time to call back, whether they're an existing client, what it's about, and how urgent it is.
Should reception answer tax questions?
No. Whoever answers the phone should take the question down and have the client's accountant call back. That protects the client and the practice.
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After the rush
When the busy season eases, look back at what worked. Which calls could have been avoided with better information up front? Did the call-back windows hold? Were messages clear enough?