By Sagar Shankaran, Founder of CallSphere
Eliminate "Is my return filed yet?" calls with AI voice agents that proactively notify clients at every tax filing milestone from preparation to IRS acceptance.
Key takeaways
During tax season, the single most common phone call a CPA firm receives is not a tax question. It is a status inquiry: "Has my return been filed?" "Did you receive my documents?" "When will my refund arrive?" This question consumes an extraordinary amount of firm resources and client patience.
Data from the 2025 Accounting Today Practice Management Survey shows that the average CPA firm fields 15-25 status inquiry calls per day during peak tax season (March 1 through April 15). Each call takes 3-5 minutes when you account for the receptionist answering, looking up the return status in the practice management system, and relaying the information to the client. At the median, that is 20 calls multiplied by 4 minutes: 80 minutes per day, or 6.7 hours per week, consumed by a single repetitive question.
But the time cost understates the real damage. These calls are disruptive because they are unpredictable. A CPA deep in a complex business return gets interrupted by a front desk transfer: "Mrs. Johnson is on line 2 asking about her return." The CPA checks the status — "Tell her we are waiting on her K-1 from the partnership" — and returns to the business return. That interruption cost 15-20 minutes of productive time when you account for context switching.
The client experience is equally frustrating. Mrs. Johnson does not want to call. She wants to know her return status the same way she knows her Amazon package status — through proactive notifications without having to ask. She calls because the firm has given her no other option.
Many CPA firms have invested in client portals (SmartVault, Canopy, Liscio, TaxDome) that include status tracking features. In theory, clients can log in and see their return status. In practice, portal adoption for status checking is disappointingly low.
flowchart LR
CALLER(["Caller"])
subgraph TEL["Telephony"]
SIP["Twilio SIP and PSTN"]
end
subgraph BRAIN["Business AI Agent"]
STT["Streaming STT<br/>Deepgram or Whisper"]
NLU{"Intent and<br/>Entity Extraction"}
TOOLS["Tool Calls"]
TTS["Streaming TTS<br/>ElevenLabs or Rime"]
end
subgraph DATA["Live Data Plane"]
CRM[("CRM and Notes")]
CAL[("Calendar and<br/>Schedule")]
KB[("Knowledge Base<br/>and Policies")]
end
subgraph OUT["Outcomes"]
O1(["Booking captured"])
O2(["CRM record created"])
O3(["Human handoff"])
end
CALLER --> SIP --> STT --> NLU
NLU -->|Lookup| TOOLS
TOOLS <--> CRM
TOOLS <--> CAL
TOOLS <--> KB
NLU --> TTS --> SIP --> CALLER
NLU -->|Resolved| O1
NLU -->|Schedule| O2
NLU -->|Escalate| O3
style CALLER fill:#f1f5f9,stroke:#64748b,color:#0f172a
style NLU fill:#4f46e5,stroke:#4338ca,color:#fff
style O1 fill:#059669,stroke:#047857,color:#fff
style O2 fill:#0ea5e9,stroke:#0369a1,color:#fff
style O3 fill:#f59e0b,stroke:#d97706,color:#1f2937
Login friction. Clients forget their portal passwords, cannot find the login page, or simply do not think to check the portal when they are wondering about their return. The average portal login rate for status checks is 15-20% — meaning 80% of clients never use this feature.
Status updates are not granular. Most practice management systems track status in broad categories: "Not Started," "In Progress," "Review," "Filed." These labels mean different things to the CPA and the client. "In Progress" could mean the preparer opened the file yesterday or that they are actively finishing the return today. Clients cannot tell the difference.
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No push notifications. Portals are pull-based — the client must take action to check. There is no proactive notification when the status changes. This is the fundamental UX failure: clients want to be told, not forced to ask.
The solution is to flip the communication model from reactive (client asks) to proactive (firm tells). CallSphere's status update system monitors the practice management system for status changes and automatically notifies clients at each milestone via their preferred channel — voice call, text message, or both.
A typical individual tax return passes through 6-8 milestones. Each milestone triggers a proactive client notification:
| Milestone | Trigger | Notification |
|---|---|---|
| Documents Received | All required docs uploaded | "We have received all your documents and your return is in our queue." |
| Preparation Started | Preparer opens the return | "Your CPA has begun preparing your return." |
| Questions Pending | Preparer has questions | "We have a question about your return — here are the details." |
| Review Stage | Return in partner review | "Your return is in final review." |
| Ready for Signature | E-sign request generated | "Your return is ready for your signature. Check your email for the e-sign link." |
| Filed with IRS | E-file accepted | "Your return has been filed and accepted by the IRS." |
| Refund Issued | IRS refund status change | "The IRS has approved your refund of $X,XXX. Expected deposit date: MM/DD." |
| Extension Filed | Extension submitted | "We have filed an extension. Your new deadline is October 15." |
from callsphere import VoiceAgent, TextAgent, StatusMonitor
from callsphere.accounting import PracticeConnector
from datetime import datetime
# Connect to practice management
practice = PracticeConnector(
system="drake_software",
api_key="drake_key_xxxx"
)
# Define status milestone notifications
milestones = {
"documents_complete": {
"sms_template": "Hi {first_name}, great news! {firm_name} "
"has received all your tax documents. Your return is "
"now in our preparation queue. We will notify you at "
"each step. No need to call — we will keep you posted!",
"voice_enabled": False, # SMS only for this milestone
"priority": "low"
},
"preparation_started": {
"sms_template": "Hi {first_name}, {cpa_name} has started "
"preparing your {tax_year} tax return. Estimated "
"completion: {estimated_completion}. We will text you "
"when it is ready for review.",
"voice_enabled": False,
"priority": "low"
},
"questions_pending": {
"sms_template": "Hi {first_name}, {cpa_name} has a "
"question about your return: {question_summary}. "
"Please reply to this text or call us at "
"{firm_phone}.",
"voice_enabled": True, # call if no SMS reply in 24 hrs
"priority": "high",
"escalation_hours": 24
},
"review_stage": {
"sms_template": "Hi {first_name}, your return is in "
"final review with our quality team. Almost there!",
"voice_enabled": False,
"priority": "low"
},
"ready_for_signature": {
"sms_template": "Hi {first_name}, your {tax_year} return "
"is ready! Check your email for the e-signature link "
"from {esign_provider}. Once signed, we will file "
"immediately.",
"voice_enabled": True, # call if not signed in 48 hrs
"priority": "high",
"escalation_hours": 48
},
"filed": {
"sms_template": "Hi {first_name}, your {tax_year} tax "
"return has been electronically filed and accepted by "
"the IRS! {refund_or_payment_info}. Thank you for "
"trusting {firm_name}.",
"voice_enabled": True, # celebratory call for key clients
"priority": "medium",
"voice_filter": lambda client: client.annual_fee > 1000
},
"refund_update": {
"sms_template": "Hi {first_name}, the IRS has approved "
"your refund of ${refund_amount}. Expected direct "
"deposit date: {deposit_date}.",
"voice_enabled": False,
"priority": "medium"
}
}
# Initialize the status monitor
monitor = StatusMonitor(
practice=practice,
milestones=milestones,
poll_interval_minutes=15, # check for changes every 15 min
business_hours_only=True, # only send notifications 8am-8pm
timezone="America/New_York"
)
# Define the voice agent for follow-up calls
status_voice_agent = VoiceAgent(
name="Filing Status Agent",
voice="sophia",
language="en-US",
system_prompt="""You are calling {client_name} from
{firm_name} with an update about their {tax_year} tax
return.
Update: {milestone_description}
If the milestone is "questions_pending": Ask the specific
question and collect the answer. Log it for the preparer.
If the milestone is "ready_for_signature": Walk them
through finding the e-sign email and completing it.
If the milestone is "filed": Congratulate them, confirm
the refund amount and timeline (or payment due date),
and ask if they have any questions.
Be brief and positive. This is good news delivery."""
)
# Start monitoring
monitor.start(voice_agent=status_voice_agent)
print(f"Status monitor active for {monitor.client_count} returns")
print(f"Polling every {monitor.poll_interval_minutes} minutes")
The most critical notification is when the preparer has a question that blocks completion. Traditional workflow: preparer emails the client, client sees it 2 days later, replies, preparer has moved on to other returns, another day passes before they circle back. Total delay: 3-5 days for one question.
With AI voice agents, the question is delivered immediately and the answer collected in real time:
@monitor.on_milestone("questions_pending")
async def handle_preparer_question(client, question_data):
# First, send SMS with the question
sms_sent = await text_agent.send(
to=client.phone,
message=f"Hi {client.first_name}, {question_data.cpa_name} "
f"has a question about your return: "
f"{question_data.question_text}. "
f"Reply here or we will call you tomorrow."
)
# If no reply in 24 hours, call
if not await text_agent.wait_for_reply(
timeout_hours=24,
message_id=sms_sent.id
):
call_result = await status_voice_agent.call(
phone=client.phone,
metadata={
"client_id": client.id,
"milestone": "questions_pending",
"milestone_description": question_data.question_text,
"cpa_name": question_data.cpa_name
}
)
if call_result.collected_answer:
# Route answer back to preparer
await practice.add_note(
return_id=question_data.return_id,
note=f"Client answered via AI call: "
f"{call_result.collected_answer}",
notify=question_data.cpa_email
)
Proactive status notifications eliminate the most common call type while dramatically improving client perception of the firm.
| Metric | Reactive (Client Calls) | Proactive AI Notifications | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Status inquiry calls per day (peak) | 22 | 3 | -86% |
| Staff hours on status calls/week | 6.7 hours | 0.8 hours | -88% |
| Client time-to-answer for preparer questions | 3.4 days | 8.2 hours | -90% |
| Returns delayed by unanswered questions | 34% | 7% | -79% |
| E-sign completion time (after request) | 4.1 days | 1.3 days | -68% |
| Client satisfaction with communication | 3.0/5 | 4.6/5 | +53% |
| "Would recommend this firm" score | 42% | 78% | +86% |
| Monthly platform cost | — | $800 | — |
| Monthly staff time saved (value at $30/hr) | — | $2,580 | — |
The ROI is driven by two factors: staff time savings from eliminated status calls, and faster return completion from accelerated question resolution. CallSphere's status notification system pays for itself within the first week of tax season.
Identify the status fields in your tax software that correspond to each client-facing milestone. Drake, Lacerte, UltraTax, and ProConnect all track return status differently. CallSphere's connector translates internal status codes to the standard milestone sequence.
Allow clients to choose their notification preference during onboarding or via a simple text-back command. Most clients prefer text messages for status updates (78%), while some prefer voice calls (12%) or email (10%).
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Work with your preparers to standardize how they flag questions. Most practice management systems have a "Notes" or "Queries" feature — the AI monitors these fields for new entries and triggers client outreach automatically.
Send every client a one-time message explaining the new proactive notification system: "Starting this tax season, we will automatically text you at each step of your return preparation. No more wondering — we will keep you informed." This message alone reduces anxiety-driven calls immediately.
A 4-CPA firm in Minneapolis with 310 individual clients deployed CallSphere's proactive status notification system for the 2025 tax season.
One CPA reported: "The first week we turned on proactive notifications, the phone stopped ringing. I thought something was broken. It turns out clients do not need to call when they are already informed. It is so obvious in retrospect — we should have been doing this for years. CallSphere just made it possible to actually do it."
Clients can opt out at any time by replying "STOP" to any text or requesting removal during a voice call. In practice, fewer than 2% of clients opt out. The system also respects DNC lists and TCPA preferences. Clients who opt out revert to the traditional passive model — they can still call the firm for status updates or check the client portal.
As granular as your practice management system supports. The standard milestones cover the major stages, but firms can add custom milestones. For example, some firms add a "Partner Review" stage between preparation and filing, or an "Amended Return Started" milestone for clients with corrections. CallSphere monitors any status field you configure.
Yes. Business returns can be configured to notify multiple contacts — for example, the business owner and the CFO. Each stakeholder can receive different notification levels: the owner gets all milestones, while the CFO only receives the "Filed" and "Questions Pending" milestones. The AI agent knows who it is calling and adjusts the conversation accordingly.
The AI sends the notification based on the status in the system. If a preparer accidentally marks a return as "Filed" when it has not been, the client receives a premature notification. To prevent this, CallSphere offers a confirmation delay — notifications can be held for 30-60 minutes after a status change, giving the preparer time to correct accidental updates. The firm can also configure certain milestones (like "Filed") to require manual confirmation before notification.
Yes. For the small number of clients who still call to ask about their return, the AI answers inbound calls with the same status information it uses for outbound notifications. The client says "I am calling to check on my return," the AI looks up their status, and delivers the update in 30 seconds — without involving any human staff.
Written by
Sagar Shankaran· Founder, CallSphere
Sagar Shankaran is the founder of CallSphere, where he builds production AI voice and chat agents deployed across healthcare, hospitality, real estate, and home services. He writes about agentic AI, LLM engineering, and shipping voice agents that handle real calls in production.
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