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Accounting, tax & bookkeeping

Tax season calls answered without hiring a seasonal receptionist.

From January to April the phone doesn't stop, and every call is a client who needs a document list, a deadline answer or an appointment. Ody answers on the first ring, texts the checklist, books the meeting and lets your staff finish the return in front of them.

From $19/user/mo · AI receptionist on every plan · Voicemail transcripts included

Tuesday · 11:35 AM · answered in 1 ringOdy answering
Incoming call · Halvorsen CPA Group
Main line · +1 (512) 555-0188
  1. Hi, I'm a new client and I need to get my taxes done. What do I need to bring, and can I get in before the deadline?

  2. We can get you in. Are you filing as an individual, and do you have any self-employment or rental income?

  3. Individual, and I drive for a delivery app on the side.

  4. Then you'll want the individual-plus-Schedule-C checklist. I've texted it to you and booked a 45-minute intake with Erik on Monday at 2pm. You can upload documents through the portal link in the text.

Caller
New client · individual + Schedule C
Sent
Document checklist · portal link
Booked
Intake · Erik · Mon 2:00 PM

The week

The calls that go unanswered today

Each one is a client, a claim or a job that went to whoever picked up.

  1. TUE 11:35A new client three weeks before the deadline

    Signs with the firm that answered. Yours went to voicemail during a client meeting.

  2. MON 08:45"Did you get my W-2?"

    A twenty-second answer that becomes a callback nobody has time for in March.

  3. THU 16:10A business client with a payroll question

    Monthly clients expect a person, not a voicemail greeting.

  4. FRI 19:00Someone who just got an IRS letter

    Panicked callers call the next firm on the list.

Setups by size

How accounting firms run Ody, at every size

Pick the shape of your business. Every feature below links to its own page; every setup is one you can build in an afternoon.

The phone stops interrupting the return

Answer every call in March without answering every call.

The firm number rings the app on your desk; when you're deep in a return, the receptionist takes the call, texts the document checklist and books the appointment. Voicemails that do land arrive as transcripts you read between clients.

  1. Business voicemailVoicemail transcripts you read between returns

    Every number gets voicemail with a custom greeting and a transcript in the inbox on every plan. "Did you get my W-2?" is a five-second read. Or route the line to the receptionist and skip voicemail.

  2. AI receptionistThe receptionist during client meetings and after hours

    Inside your hours the line rings your phone and the receptionist picks up if you don't. Outside them it answers first ring, texts checklists and books intakes for the week.

  3. Business textingDocument checklists and portal links by text

    Send the right checklist for the client's situation and the secure-portal link from the firm number, replies in the client's thread. One-time 10DLC registration at onboarding.

  4. Phone numbersA firm number separate from your cell

    One local number is included with your seat. Clients and the IRS get the firm number; your cell stays yours.

AI receptionist

The calls an accounting firm gets, all season long.

You describe services, fee ranges, document checklists, deadlines and the questions you never answer on the phone. The receptionist handles the routine and routes the rest.

New clients

"Can you do my taxes?"

Asks the qualifying questions you specify, texts the matching document checklist and books the intake with the right preparer.

Business texting
Documents

"What do I need to bring? Did you get it?"

Sends the checklist and the portal link; for "did you receive it", takes a message for the preparer rather than guessing.

How the receptionist works
Deadlines

"When is the extension due?"

Answers the general deadline questions you've written in and never gives advice about the caller's specific return.

How the receptionist works
Existing clients

Bookkeeping and payroll questions

Routes to the right team by menu during hours, and takes a detailed message with the client's details after.

Shared inbox
Notices

"I got a letter from the IRS"

Calms the caller with your standard guidance, asks them to upload the letter to the portal, and creates a priority task for the CPA.

How the receptionist works
After hours

Evenings and weekends in March

Answers first ring, texts checklists, books intakes for the week, texts back anyone who hung up.

How the receptionist works

The record

Every client conversation documented and searchable.

On Growth and above, each recorded call is transcribed with speaker labels and summarized into the client, the question, what they were told and the next step. Voicemail transcripts are on every plan, and in March that alone saves an hour a day.

  • Recording, transcript and AI summary on every answered call on an enabled line
  • Search by client, form name or phrase
  • Summaries posted to Slack or pushed to your practice software through Make
  • Voicemail transcripts on every plan
Call summaryGenerated by Ody
Caller
New client · +1 (512) 555-0431
Reason
Individual return with delivery-app side income; needs filing before the deadline.
Told
Individual + Schedule C checklist and portal link sent by text.
Next action
45-minute intake booked with Erik, Mon 2:00 PM.

Your stack

Works alongside your practice software

Native integrations are listed as such. Tax and practice-management platforms have no native connection yet, so Ody reaches them through Make, webhooks or the REST API.

  • Karbon, Canopy, TaxDome, QuickBooks

    Push call summaries and intake details into the client record via Make or the REST API webhooks

    Make, webhooks or APIAPI docs
  • CSV import

    import your client list so callers show up by name

    NativeIntegration
  • Stripe

    invoice and payment status on the client thread

    NativeIntegration
  • Asana, ClickUp, Monday

    callbacks and missing-document follow-ups as tasks

    NativeIntegration
  • Make

    connect the rest of your stack

    NativeIntegration

Browse all 43 integrations, or connect anything else through Make and the REST API.

Rollout

Live in an afternoon, not a quarter

No hardware, no consultant, no call-flow diagram. Four steps and the line is answered.

  1. 01

    Port or add numbers

    Bring the firm's number over before January. Porting is free and the old line keeps working until cutover.

  2. 02

    Describe the firm

    Services, fee ranges, document checklists by situation, deadlines, what you never answer on the phone.

  3. 03

    Set the routing

    A menu by service, ring orders per team, and what the receptionist does during meetings and after hours.

  4. 04

    Tune it in February

    Read a week of transcripts, tighten the checklists, then let it book more of the intake calendar.

FAQ

Accounting & tax firms: common questions

No. It answers the general questions you write in (deadlines, what to bring, your process), texts checklists and books appointments. Anything about a specific return becomes a message for the preparer.

More industries

Also in professional services, and nearby

Firms where the first call decides who gets hired.

Comparing options? Ody vs Ruby · Ody vs Grasshopper · Ody vs Google Voice

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Never miss another customer.

Port your number, train your agent in minutes, and put your line on autopilot. Or keep the AI off entirely. Your call.