Accountant CRM that follows up on every lead
Get engagement letters signed and new clients onboarded
Accountant CRM for an accounting firm holds quotes, follow-up and missed-call text back. Accountants use it for the jobs that already fill the week. Lawyers, lenders and financial planners refer clients who need an accountant they trust. Keep those relationships warm. The CRM is free to start. Text-back comes with Ascended, $449 a month.
Puffly is a free CRM for tracking prospects from the first discovery call to an active client, so good leads do not stall in your inbox during a busy season.
Where accounting firm leads come from
Attorneys, bankers and advisors
Lawyers, lenders and financial planners refer clients who need an accountant they trust. Keep those relationships warm.
Client referrals
A business owner who feels taken care of introduces you to a friend running a similar company. Thank them after each introduction.
Google search and your website
Owners search for a small business accountant or bookkeeping help when something breaks. Your contact form is often the first touch.
Chambers, networking and LinkedIn
Local chambers and business groups put you in front of owners who are ready to hand off their books.
What slow follow up costs an accounting firm
A prospect who reaches out with a messy set of books wants relief soon and will talk to more than one firm. Engagement letters that sit unsigned for weeks delay work you have already scoped. Leads that show up during busy season and get ignored rarely return in the spring.
Accountant CRM features: quotes, follow-up and missed-call text back
Puffly's pipeline is yours to name. Here is one way an accounting firm could lay it out.
- InquirySomeone asked about bookkeeping, tax help or a change of accountant.
- Discovery callYou are scheduled or have spoken to learn about their business and needs.
- Engagement letter sentYou sent your scope and fees and are waiting for a signature.
- Onboarding documentsThey signed and now need to send prior returns, access and other paperwork.
- Active clientWork is underway and recurring deadlines like quarterly estimates are on your calendar.
Follow up moments worth a reminder
An engagement letter went out last week and has not been signed
"Hi, just checking that the engagement letter reached you. Happy to answer any questions about scope or timing so we can get started."
A prospect called in the fall wanting a bookkeeping cleanup before year end
"Hi, following up on our call about cleaning up your books. If we start this month, we can be ready before year end. Do you have time for a quick call?"
A client signed but has not sent the documents you asked for
"Hi, a friendly reminder that we still need your prior year return and bank statements to begin. Send whatever you have and we will take it from there."
Puff, your AI teammate, drafts these messages and lines up who to call next. You approve or edit each draft, even from a phone notification, and you get 10 seconds to cancel before it sends.
The shape of the year
January through April is heads-down time, and extension deadlines keep some work going into the fall. Summer and early fall are the best times to onboard new clients, and year-end planning conversations start in the fall.
Missed calls and after-hours calls
Accountant work misses calls because the person who would answer is already with a customer. Lawyers, lenders and financial planners refer clients who need an accountant they. The next caller rarely leaves a voicemail they trust. They phone another accounting firm and book whoever picks up.
Missed-call text back covers that gap. The call still rings your phone first. If you do not pick up, the caller gets one text in your words, with your business name and a reply STOP line, and the missed call is saved as a lead. Consent and quiet hours still apply. If no text goes out, the call says why. It comes with the Ascended plan at $449 a month.
January through April is heads-down time, and extension deadlines keep some work going into. That is when an unanswered phone costs the most jobs. An AI receptionist can pick up, take the details and book a time when you allow it. Each call ends as Booked, Message, Transferred or Failed. Text back is the written reply. Many accountants use both.
Accountant lead follow-up, step by step
Accountant lead follow-up is a short sequence, not a pile of reminders. Work the deal in this order, and write the date on it before you leave.
- InquiryCapture it the day it arrives. Someone asked about bookkeeping, tax help or a change of accountant. A accountant lead that stays in a private text is the one that goes cold by Thursday.
- Discovery callSend the number with the day you will check back. You are scheduled or have spoken to learn about their business and needs. Put that check on the accountant deal so it does not depend on memory.
- Engagement letter sentWhen they say yes, book the date and write what you promised. You sent your scope and fees and are waiting for a signature. The customer should see the same facts you do.
- Onboarding documentsDo the work, then say what happens next in one message. They signed and now need to send prior returns, access and other paperwork. A short update prevents the call that asks if you forgot them.
- Active clientAfter the job, ask for the review or the next visit while it is fresh. Work is underway and recurring deadlines like quarterly estimates are on your calendar. Then close the loop on the record.
If a accounting firm step sits still, Puff can draft the next message and send it to your phone to approve or edit. Nothing Puff drafts goes out until you say so. The list itself is free to start.
Jobs, seasons and objections for an accounting firm
Treat each source as its own next step. A accountant week usually mixes Attorneys, bankers and advisors, Client referrals, Google search and your website, Chambers, networking and LinkedIn. Write the source on the deal when you create it, along with the customer's words, so Monday's list shows a new ask apart from a repeat customer. Lawyers, lenders and financial planners refer clients who need an accountant they trust. Keep those relationships warm. A business owner who feels taken care of introduces you to a friend running a similar company. Thank. The point of the list is that those two do not get the same follow-up.
The deals that stall sound ordinary. An engagement letter went out last week and has not been signed A useful reply names the job: "Hi, just checking that the engagement letter reached you. Happy to answer any questions about scope or timing. A prospect called in the fall wanting a bookkeeping cleanup before year end "Hi, following up on our call about cleaning up your books. If we start this month. Save those as tasks on the record. A busy afternoon should not be what erases them.
Accountant CRM FAQ
Can I store client tax returns or bank details in Puffly?
No. Do not store Social Security numbers, account numbers, returns or other sensitive financial details in Puffly. Keep those in your secure practice software and use Puffly for inquiries, proposals and follow up.
How do I track referral partners like attorneys?
Add each attorney or banker as a company and link the clients they send to it. That shows who is worth a lunch or a thank you note.
Can Puffly send an engagement letter?
Puffly has quotes, which you can use to outline the work and fees you propose. Keep your formal engagement letter and e-signature in whatever tool you already use.
Puffly for related trades
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