Who it is for / Accountants and bookkeepers
An AI receptionist for accountants and bookkeepers.
In January the phone never stops, and you are with a client. While You Work answers the calls you miss in your practice’s name, finds out what the caller needs, whether they are a client, and any deadline, and sends you the details a minute later. It never gives tax advice.
Hear a sample call free, no card needed, and you keep your own number. Ready to put it on your own line? Start a free 7-day trial, no card.
The first 50 UK businesses get Pro for £49 a month plus VAT for their first 12 months, then £69. Plans start at £39. Your line switches on as soon as you finish the set-up form, with a 7-day free trial first and a 14-day money-back guarantee once you pay.
On every call
What your receptionist asks
- What they need help with
- Whether they are a new or an existing client
- Any deadline they mention
- The best number to ring back, read back to check it
- Your fees, only if you have set them and they ask
Urgent jobs
Deadlines go to the top
- A deadline this week
- An existing client with a problem
- A caller who says it cannot wait
The receptionist never gives financial, tax or legal advice.
An example week
A week of calls to an accountancy practice
A small practice loses calls to meetings, not to being out. The receptionist takes the caller's situation and deadline so the partner rings back knowing what it is about.
- Monday: a sole trader who has just registered for VAT and needs help with the first return. Deadline noted.
- Tuesday, 10am: a limited company director asking about switching accountants at year end. Year-end date taken.
- Wednesday: a client chasing a self-assessment figure. Message taken, marked as an existing client.
- Thursday, 4.30pm: a landlord with three properties asking about tax on rental income. Enquiry noted.
- Friday: a caller from a payroll software company. Recognised as a sales call and politely ended.
The maths
What a missed call costs accountants
Say you miss 2 calls a week and two in five of those callers would have booked a new client over a year worth about £1,200.
2 calls × 40% × £1,200 = £960 a week. × 52 weeks ÷ 12 = £4,160 a month of work going to someone else. An example: put your own numbers into the missed-call calculator.
A new client enquiry is worth a year of fees, often more. Callers ring the next practice on the list when the first goes to voicemail.
Timing
When an accountant's phone rings
January, the weeks around VAT quarter ends, and the run-up to company year ends. The busiest fortnight of the year is the one when every call is a new client you cannot pick up.
What callers hear
An example call, word for word
The receptionist asks one thing at a time, checks the number back and never makes up a price. The details reach you by email a minute after the call, and by text straight away when it is urgent, on Pro and Business.
Emailed to you a minute later
Darren (new), 07700 900469. Self-employed, needs his tax return done before the end of January.
Receptionist: Hi, you’re through to Clarke & Co Accountants. Thanks for calling, I’m the automated assistant. Helen can’t get to the phone right now, but I can take your details so she can get back to you. Calls are recorded so nothing gets missed. What’s your name?
Caller: Hi, it’s Darren. I’m self-employed and I need my tax return doing before the end of January.
Receptionist: Thanks, Darren. Are you already a client of Clarke & Co?
Caller: No, I’m looking for an accountant.
Receptionist: And what’s the best number for Helen to ring you on?
Caller: 07700 900 469.
Receptionist: So that’s 07700 900 469. Is that right?
Caller: Yes, that’s right.
Receptionist: Thanks, Darren. Helen will ring you back to talk it through, and I’m sending you a text now to confirm.
Set up
Three steps, and you keep your number
Tell us about your business
A short form made for accountants:
- Your business name and first name
- Opening hours and where you are
- What your business does, in plain words
- Your prices, only if you want callers told
- Your booking or cancellation policy
- Whether customers ever need you urgently
- Anything else callers should know
- Services: bookkeeping, VAT, self-assessment, company accounts, payroll
- Whether you offer a free initial meeting
- Clients you specialise in, such as contractors or landlords
Switch on divert
One code on your mobile sends calls you do not answer within 20 seconds to your While You Work line. Turn it off whenever you like.
Get the details in a minute
Every caller is greeted in your business name. You get the details a minute later, and the caller gets a text saying you will ring back.
Questions
Questions from accountants
Will it give tax advice?
No. It takes the details and passes them to you, and tells callers you will ring back. It never gives financial, tax or legal advice.
Can it book appointments into my diary?
Yes, on the Business plan. It offers the caller your real free times, books the appointment and texts them a confirmation, with your deposit link if you take deposits. On Pro it can text the caller your booking link instead, and on Starter it takes the details and tells the caller you will ring back.
How much does it cost?
Starter is £39, Pro £69 and Business £129 a month + VAT, for 50, 150 or 400 calls a month. The first 50 UK businesses get Pro for £49 a month + VAT for their first 12 months. There is no contract, and if you cancel within 14 days of your line going live you get a full refund.
Will it filter sales calls?
Yes. Software vendors, lead-generation firms and recruiters are recognised as sales calls and politely ended without taking your time.
Does it ask about deadlines?
Yes. It asks what the caller needs and whether there is a date attached, such as a VAT return or a year end, and puts the date in the message.
More detail: how the AI receptionist works, the call answering service behind it, what a virtual receptionist does, what a missed call costs, UK call answering prices and how we compare.
Fill the gaps in your diary without picking up the phone
Free for 7 days, no card. Pupils and clients who ring while you are busy get a proper answer, a text to say you will ring back, and on Pro your booking link. Plans from £39 a month plus VAT after that; Pro is £69, or £49 plus VAT for 12 months for the first 50 UK businesses.
Also set up for photographers, caterers, hair and beauty salons, cleaners and cleaning companies, beauty therapists and nail technicians, barbers, and for every other kind of business.