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The client is a CPA firm serving individuals and small businesses.
Its work involves gathering financial documents, preparing tax returns, and answering client questions about filings and ongoing accounting needs.
The firm had a business phone system with a main reception number and individual extensions for its accountants, tax preparers, and administrative staff.
As tax season approached, however, call volume was expected to increase dramatically—from approximately 40 calls per day to more than 160.
That fourfold increase placed growing pressure on the reception team to answer calls, identify clients' needs, and connect them with the appropriate accountant.
The firm wanted a more efficient way to distribute incoming calls while giving accountants the flexibility to manage business calls even when they were working remotely or away from their desks.
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4. Your firm could be the next iPlum success story
The challenge: managing the surge in calls without putting too much pressure on the reception
The firm's existing phone setup relied heavily on the reception team to manage incoming calls.
Receptionists answered the main number, determined which employee should handle each inquiry, transferred calls, and took messages when employees were unavailable.
That process was manageable during normal periods, but tax season magnified three key challenges.
Routine calls required too much coordination
Clients frequently called with questions about tax returns, outstanding documents, billing, and other accounting matters.
Before connecting a caller, the receptionist often had to determine the purpose of the call and identify the appropriate accountant.
If the accountant was unavailable, reception then had to take a message or coordinate a callback. As call volume increased, these routine steps consumed more administrative time and created additional work for the front office.
Accountants needed phone access beyond their desks
Accountants weren't always sitting at their desks. They could be in meetings, working remotely, or elsewhere when a client called.
The management wanted them to be able to receive and return business calls from their existing smartphones while continuing to use firm-managed business numbers.
This would allow accountants to stay accessible without sharing or using their personal phone numbers for client communications.
Voicemail created another layer of administrative work
Unanswered calls often resulted in voicemail messages that had to be reviewed and routed to the appropriate employee. Administrators would listen to the message, determine who was responsible, and pass along the client's information.
While clients waited for a response, some would call again, creating additional incoming calls for requests that were already being handled.
The firm needed a business phone solution that could route calls more efficiently, reduce the burden on reception, and give employees direct access to client communications wherever they were working.
The solution: improving call routing and giving accountants mobile business lines
The firm adopted iPlum to give accountants direct access to business communications on their existing smartphones and web browsers, significantly reducing reception involvement in routine inquiries.
Because iPlum is a cloud-based business phone solution, accountants can manage client communications from their computers while preparing tax returns, or via the mobile app when working remotely or away from the office.
iPlum enabled the firm to:
Give accountants business numbers on their existing smartphones
The firm assigned iPlum business numbers to accountants so they could receive and return client calls through the mobile app without exposing personal phone numbers.
Accountants reviewing client files remotely could call clients directly about incomplete documents or missing entries.
Similarly, employees working away from their desks could accept incoming calls immediately rather than waiting for reception to relay messages.
Clients also received a designated, firm-managed business number for subsequent questions regarding their filings.
Route callers through a phone tree with extensions
The firm configured an Auto-Attendant (IVR) phone tree with dedicated options for tax preparation, document inquiries, and billing, as well as direct extensions for individual staff members.
Callers could select the appropriate destination immediately, and clients contacting their specific accountant could enter their extension directly.
This automated routing eliminated the need for receptionists to manually identify and transfer every incoming inquiry. In addition, unanswered calls were routed directly to the specific accountant's dedicated voicemail box.
Read voicemail before returning client calls
With voicemail transcription, accountants could read incoming messages between meetings or while reviewing client files.
They could quickly identify the client's question, pull up the relevant file, and make informed callbacks. The improvement was instant. With iPlum, an accountant can now verify a document's status before placing a call.
Meanwhile, administrators only needed to review transcribed messages intended for the main desk, instead of listening to audio recordings meant for individual staff.
Set business hours for employee lines
Mobile phone access did not mean accountants had to remain reachable around the clock.
The firm implemented business-hours settings so calls received outside designated working hours are automatically routed to voicemail. This allowed staff to use their personal smartphones for client communications while maintaining strict work-life boundaries.
Manage employee lines from the firm's account
The administrator managed all staff lines, extensions, and security permissions through iPlum’s online account console.
Centralized account management ensured the firm maintained complete ownership of all client-facing business numbers and call records. When team assignments or roles shifted, the management could easily adjust user permissions and routing rules in real time.
The results: more answered calls and less voicemail administration
During the peak tax season, the firm successfully managed more than 160 daily calls—a 4x increase over off-peak volume—while reducing administrative overhead and speeding up client response times.
It reported the following key improvements:
- 94% answer rate achieved (up from 65%): Accountants answered client calls directly on their smartphones or computers, removing desk dependency. Automated phone tree routing also dramatically reduced front-desk bottlenecks.
- 75-minute daily reduction in voicemail administration: The administrator spent just 15 minutes per day reviewing voicemails, down from 90 minutes. Direct extensions ensured voicemails reached the right accountant, while transcription made reviewing messages instantaneous.
- Direct accountability for callbacks: Accountants reviewed transcribed messages, checked client files, and returned calls directly from their assigned business line without coordinating with the receptionist.
- Year-round communication continuity: Following filing deadlines, the firm seamlessly maintained the same setup to handle client questions regarding extensions, estimated tax payments, and ongoing accounting services.
Your firm could be the next iPlum success story
When call volumes surge, relying on manual reception transfers and location-dependent phone setups creates bottlenecks that frustrate clients and overload staff.
With iPlum, your firm can assign business numbers to employees' existing smartphones, automate call routing through extensions, and streamline callback workflows with transcribed voicemail, managed from a centralized account console.
Sign up for iPlum today to give clients direct access to their accountant and streamline your business communications.
