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AI Voice Agent

Handling tax season call volume
with a 24/7 AI voice agent

During tax season, this leading U.S. full-service advisory firm was fielding over 1,500 calls a day, more than any reception team could
handle. AltaML built an AI voice agent that answers calls around the clock, provides real-time status updates, and books appointments
directly, cutting receptionist call volume by 90%.

office
CLIENT

A full-service financial firm with 20+ U.S. locations
Icon - Chatbot
PROJECT
24/7 AI receptionist agent for inbound call handling, lead capture, and appointment booking, fully integrated with the client's CRM
AI Workflow Integration
WHAT WE DID

AI agent development, voice integration, and bidirectional
CRM integration
operational efficiency
IMPACT

90% reduction in call volume during peak tax season, with leads and appointments captured automatically around the clock

THE CHALLENGE

Tax season creates a predictable crunch that most CPA firms manage the same way: with more staff, longer hold times, and clients left waiting for answers.

Our client, a leading full-service financial firm with over 20 offices across the U.S., was no exception. During peak season, inbound call volume exceeded 1,500 calls per day. Receptionists were spending the bulk of their time fielding status inquiries — calls that followed a predictable pattern but required a live person to answer.

Calls that couldn't be handled in time became lost leads. Clients waiting on return status had no way to get an update without calling in and waiting on hold.

The firm needed a way to handle that volume without scaling headcount every spring, and without making clients feel like they were getting a worse experience in the process.

THE SOLUTION

AltaML built a 24/7 AI receptionist agent integrated directly with the client's CRM.

The agent is purpose-built to handle the full range of inbound interactions a reception team manages. It draws on an AI knowledge base to answer questions about the firm's services and processes. It pulls return status directly from the CRM so existing clients get a real-time update in the same call, without being routed to a queue. Prospective clients can be captured as leads on the spot, with their information and intent written back to the CRM automatically — no lead lost to an unanswered call, no manual data entry afterward.

 

Clients who want to meet with a tax professional can book an appointment through the same conversation. The agent can also help callers find their nearest office by ZIP code and handle basic tax calculations, so common questions get answered without needing a callback.

Because every interaction updates the CRM in real time, the reception team and tax professionals always have a current picture. A client calling back gets continuity. The team picks up where the agent left off. The result is a client experience that feels responsive regardless of when someone calls, and a reception team that can focus on work that actually needs a person.

trending-down (white) 90% reduction in receptionist call volume

The vast majority of inbound calls are now handled end-to-end by the agent, without escalation to staff. Receptionists spend their time on work that actually requires a person.

  
phone-incoming-white No lead lost to an unanswered call Prospective clients calling after hours or during peak times are captured automatically. Their information goes straight into the CRM, so no inquiry falls through the cracks.  
database-white A CRM record for every conversation

Every interaction — status check, lead intake, appointment booking — updates in the CRM in real time. The team picks up with full context, and clients don't have to repeat themselves.

  

WHY IT MATTERS

Tax season is a fixed window. You can't control when clients call, how many will call at once, or how long the questions will take. What you can control is how your practice responds to that volume, and whether the infrastructure you build for it has to be rebuilt every year.

The bigger value is a client touchpoint that runs year-round and builds context with every interaction. The infrastructure doesn't need to be rebuilt every spring, and tax professionals spend their time on the work that actually requires their judgment.

Accounting Return Pipeline Example

THIS IS WHAT AI LOOKS LIKE WHEN THE OFFICE IS CLOSED
AND THE PHONE RINGS.

See more of how we build for finance and accounting, or reach out to our team — we'd love to hear about what you're trying to solve.
See how we build for Finance
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