Client intake, consultations and follow-up for accounting firms, organized in one place.
Alcreo gives your firm a professional website and a CRM for the work around the return: inquiries, consultations, engagement letters, document requests and seasonal reminders. Your tax and accounting software stays where it is.
The technical work is in your software. The follow-up usually lives in someone's inbox.
Most firms aren't short on clients. They're short on time between January and April, and a surprising share of it goes to routine communication:
Inquiries that arrive at the worst time
New business owners often reach out in February and March, when nobody has time to call back. A prompt reply keeps them interested until someone can.
Asking for the same documents again
W-2s, 1099s and K-1s come in slowly, and staff write the same reminder dozens of times a season.
Engagement letters waiting on a signature
The letter went out after a good consultation. Without a nudge, it can sit unsigned for weeks.
A quiet pipeline for the rest of the year
Advisory and bookkeeping work is easiest to sell outside tax season, which is when follow-up tends to drop off.
Invoices clients pay when they remember
Fees go out by email or mail, and collecting means more emails or an awkward call.
A thin review profile
Satisfied clients rarely think to leave a review, so prospects comparing firms online see very little about yours.
Practical tools for the front office of an accounting firm
These are the pieces most firms use first. We set them up during onboarding and show your team how to adjust them as the season changes.
A website that explains what you do
Pages for individual tax, business tax, bookkeeping, payroll and advisory, each with a short intake form.
Consultations without phone tag
Prospects pick a time and answer a few screening questions first. Calendars sync with Google, Outlook and iCloud.
A prompt reply to every inquiry
Inquiries get a text and email confirming you received them and explaining how to book, and your team gets an alert.
A simple view of new business
See which prospects are waiting on a consultation, which have an engagement letter out and who needs a call, without a spreadsheet.
Document requests that follow up on their own
Send a checklist with a secure upload link. Reminders go out on the schedule you choose and stop once the files arrive.
Engagement letters by e-signature
Send proposals and engagement letters from the system. When the client signs, they move forward and the next step starts.
Invoices with a pay link
Send invoices clients can pay by card or ACH, and bill monthly clients automatically.
Seasonal reminders planned in advance
Organizer, estimated tax, extension and year-end messages can be scheduled months ahead.
Review requests after the work is done
Once a return is filed or a project wraps, clients get a short request with a direct link to your Google profile.
A business owner finds you on a Sunday night in February
They searched for a CPA, liked your site and filled out the consultation form. Here's what the next two weeks could look like.
Prospects who decide to wait move to a list that checks in before the next filing season.
This is an illustration of how the system can work, not a specific customer's results.
- SunForm submittedThe form captures entity type and services needed. They get a link to book.
- MonConsult bookedThey choose Wednesday at 10:00, and a pre-call questionnaire goes out.
- WedRescheduledThey move the call with the reschedule link.
- FriEngagement letter sentAfter the call, your team sends the engagement letter. A reminder is scheduled if it isn't signed in three days.
- Day 9Signed and invoicedThey sign online and pay the onboarding invoice. The document checklist and upload link go out.
- Day 16Documents inAfter one reminder, the last file arrives and reminders stop.
Set up around the services your firm sells
Every firm's mix is different. These are common starting points, and you can adjust forms and messages to match your engagements.
Individual tax
High volume and deadline-driven.
- Returning-client organizer reminders
- Document checklists by return type
- Extension and estimated tax reminders
- Review requests after filing
Business tax and bookkeeping
Recurring relationships with monthly touchpoints.
- Missing-statement reminders at month end
- Recurring invoices by card or ACH
- Quarterly check-in scheduling
- Payroll and sales tax deadline nudges
Advisory and planning
Higher-value work that starts with a conversation.
- Year-end planning outreach
- Consultations with pre-call questions
- Engagement follow-up
- Referral requests from long-time clients
Keep your tax and practice software. Add the client-facing layer.
Your tax preparation, accounting and practice management software should stay where the technical work happens. Alcreo doesn't replace any of them, and it isn't a client portal for returns.
What those tools usually don't handle well is the communication around the work: inquiries, consultations, engagement letters, document follow-up and reviews.
Alcreo connects with QuickBooks for invoicing and payments, and with many other tools through Zapier. During setup we import your client list so reminders and seasonal messages work from the first week.
Is Alcreo a good fit for your firm?
It's built for small and mid-size firms that want a cleaner front office without changing how the technical work gets done.
A good fit if
- You want new inquiries answered promptly during tax season
- Your staff spends real time chasing documents and signatures
- You'd like a better website without hiring a separate agency
- You offer bookkeeping, payroll or advisory work you'd like to grow
Probably not the right tool if
- You're looking for tax preparation or general ledger software
- You need a full client portal for returns and workpapers
- Your practice management system already handles intake and reminders the way you want
Keep sensitive files out of texts and inboxes
Clients trust you with financial information. The setup uses texting and email for logistics, and upload links for documents.
Logistics by text, documents by upload
Reminders go out by text and email, but documents come in through an upload link rather than attachments or text messages.
Consent on every form
Forms include clear, unchecked texting consent with links to your privacy policy and terms. STOP replies are honored automatically.
Registered business texting
We help you register your number for A2P 10DLC, which mobile carriers require for business texting from local numbers.
Policies that stay current
Growth includes an auto-updating privacy policy, terms and cookie consent for your website. On Launch it's a $20/month add-on.
This is general information, not legal advice. Talk to your own advisor about the rules that apply to your business and your state.
What your firm website could look like
A clean, credible site that explains your services and makes the consultation the obvious next step.
Separate service pages help you show up for searches like "small business CPA in [your city]" and "bookkeeping services near me." Team bios, credentials and real reviews give prospects reasons to choose you before the first call.
What happens after you sign up
You don't have to learn the software on your own. Here's what the first week looks like.
One onboarding call
We learn how your firm works today, which tools you're keeping and what to fix first.
Your website and phone number
We build your website or connect your current one. Keep your number by forwarding or porting it, or get a new local number.
Your contacts and starter setup
We import your contacts, load the standard pipeline and turn on the starter automations that fit. You can rename stages and edit messages any time.
Live in under a week, with support after
Most accounts are running in under a week, though texting registration depends on the carriers. After launch, support helps when you want to change something.
Plans for accounting firms
Both plans are month-to-month, set up for you, and your first 30 days are free.
Launch
$497 setup · first 30 days free
- ✓5–6 page firm website with consultation booking
- ✓CRM, new-client pipeline and follow-up
- ✓Business texting, email and online booking
- ✓Document reminders, invoices and review requests
- ✓Unlimited AI agents (fair use)
- ✓Up to 5 users
- ✓Compliance add-on: +$20/month
Growth
$997 setup · first 30 days free
- ✓Up to 35-page SEO website with service and city pages
- ✓Seasonal campaign and engagement follow-up buildout
- ✓Everything in Launch
- ✓3 website edits every month
- ✓Unlimited users and priority support
- ✓Compliance included
Phone, texting, email and AI usage is billed separately based on what you use. If you cancel in the first 30 days, there's no monthly charge, but the setup fee isn't refunded. Moving from Launch to Growth costs the $500 difference in setup fees. Google ad spend is paid directly to Google. Google decides Local Services Ads eligibility for each business type and area.
AI for the routine work, with your team in charge
In an accounting firm, AI is most useful for the repetitive writing: document reminders, engagement follow-ups and replies to the same questions every March. It shouldn't be answering tax questions, and we set it up so it doesn't.
You decide what AI handles. Anything that needs judgment, or a personal touch, stays with your team.
Describe a workflow in plain English
Type something like "when an engagement letter is sent, text on day 2, email on day 5 and give me a call task on day 7" and the AI builder drafts the automation. You review it, adjust the timing or wording, and turn it on.
An assistant for routine questions
AI agents can answer common questions, collect details and book appointments by chat or text, in many languages. You decide what they say and when a person takes over.
Help drafting messages
Draft reminders and replies faster, then edit them to sound like your business.
Help when you want to change something
We show you the AI tools during onboarding, and support can help you adjust an automation later instead of starting over.
Questions from firm owners
Don't see yours? Book a 15-minute call and ask us directly.
Will this replace QuickBooks or my tax software?+
No. Your tax, accounting and practice software stay where the technical work happens. Alcreo handles the client-facing work around it.
Can clients upload documents instead of emailing them?+
Yes. Clients get a checklist with an upload link. Reminders continue until the files arrive, then stop on their own.
How does it help during tax season?+
Inquiries get an immediate reply, and document and engagement reminders run without your staff writing them.
Can I send engagement letters for signature?+
Yes. Send engagement letters for e-signature, and the client moves forward when they sign.
Does it work with QuickBooks?+
Alcreo connects with QuickBooks for invoicing and payments. Your bookkeeping work stays in your accounting software.
How long does setup take?+
Most businesses are up and running in under a week, starting with one onboarding call. Texting registration is approved by the mobile carriers, and their timing varies.
Can I keep my phone number and my current website?+
Yes. We can forward or port your number, or set up a new local one. If you like your current website, we can connect it to your account at the same plan price.
What does it cost, and what's billed separately?+
Launch is $297 a month plus a $497 setup fee. Growth is $597 a month plus a $997 setup fee. Both are month-to-month with the first 30 days free. Phone, texting, email and AI usage is billed separately based on use.
What happens if I cancel?+
Cancel in the first 30 days and there's no monthly charge, though the setup fee isn't refunded. After that there's no long-term contract. Closed accounts are paused for 30 days, and we'll send your contacts and website code on request. Your domain stays yours.
Other professional services businesses we set up
Related: CRM & pipeline · Scheduling · Automations · Business texting · Compliance · Alcreo Payments
A calmer front office for your firm, starting this season.
Book a free 15-minute demo and we'll start building your website live on the call.